People with NF II are also at risk for a particular kind of cataract that make one's vision cloudy or dim. If a person has just one schwannoma affecting the nerves to the ear and he has a parent with Neurofibromatosis II, then the diagnosis can be made. For someone who does not have a family history of Neurofibromatosis II, then the diagnosis requires at least two tumors associated with the disease or one kind of tumor and the certain kind of cataract. If doctors suspect Neurofibromatosis II, there is a direct genetic test than can be done. Recently researchers interested in both types of Neurofibromatosis have suggested updating the criteria doctors used to diagnosed these two diseases, but these updated methods have not gained widespread use yet.
Treatments involve surgery, radiation therapy or both for the tumors.
The type of treatments depend on the nature and location of the tumor. Cataract surgery is also available. For a child with a parent with Neurofibromatosis II, periodic hearing tests even into adolescence and young adulthood are recommended. All rights reserved. It is not meant to replace the advice of the physician who cares for your child.