Stargardt star

 Hi all, 

Today with a heavy heart let me introduce Stargardt disease. This is a genetic eye disease that starts in early childhood and causes blindness at a slow pace.

I am writing about this because my family suffered from it. My dearest brother has it. He was born a normal very beautiful chubby baby boy with green eyes.No  one knows what pain he will suffer in future. 

When he turned six he felt vision issues like far off objects did not seems clear bad headaches severe vision issue in light and day time better vision at night or in shady places flashes of light when he closes his eyes.

But his vision was not too bad at the start. so he continued his studies at normal kids' school. He was a brilliant student who had always been in the first three positions. My dad was very happy with it and he was working so hard for quality education for my brother. My bro got a talent award in the district in calligraphy and art. After school and college studies he chose Accounting as a future profession and then the game of Stargardt reaches its peak. He started to feel a black spot in everything he sees, and this spot was growing in size gradually. This was the blind spot or hole in the retina of the eyes.

Stargardt hits the macula(where the image is formed) of the retina. Waste produced from vitamin A which is normally cleared away started to accumulate in the macula of the retina and causes a blind spot. This blind spot grows in size with time and eventually causes total blindness or legal blindness.

My bro left his studies and a job and was depressed. He became introverted otherwise he was a very jolly guy disease did not only cause vision loss but mental issues too. He was losing his independence. He didn't contact the family for a long time this period was very difficult for us.

Eventually, he came back home and my dad and bro wept together. Now he is at home and lost his career. Waiting for a cure because the worst part is there is no cure for it.

One special thing about Stargardt is patient looks very normal nobody can feel that the person sitting next to them is legally blind. So people sometimes become rude when he does not recognise them or when he did not wave back at them.

There are so many trials of gene therapy for Stargardt that are going on and we are listening since his childhood that cure is near and now he is 32 but still, no cure seems to come.

I request a foundation fighting blindness and another institute that is trying gene therapy please bring a cure soon we have no time my bro is 32 and has a beautiful wife and a cute daughter but he could not see their faces clearly please hurry up so he and others like him can enjoy a childhood of their kids.

Please like and share so the story can reach researchers of foundations fighting blindness and other institutes.