The progression of visual loss is variable. The reduced visual acuity due to Stargardt disease cannot be corrected with prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses. In late stages of the disease, there may also be noticeable impairment of color vision. Inheritance Stargardt disease is almost always inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder. It is inherited when both parents, called carriers, have one gene for the disease paired with one normal gene.
Carriers are unaffected because they have only one copy of the gene.
At this time, and until the disease gene is identified, it is impossible to determine who is a carrier for Stargardt disease until after an affected child is diagnosed. In 1997, Foundation researchers isolated the gene for Stargardt disease. The ABCR gene produces a protein involved in energy transport to and from photoreceptor cells in the retina. Mutations in the ABCR gene, which cause Stargardt disease, produce a dysfunctional protein that cannot perform its transport function. As a result, photoreceptor cells degenerate and vision loss occurs.