It has no known cure, and affects about one in every 3-thousand people worldwide.
Scientists do know that it comes in many varieties.
Now, they are beginning to push back the veil and identify some of the genetic subtypes that can cause the disorder. Johns Hopkins ophthalmologist Dr. Irene Maumenee says today's efforts to track the disease in families is a fundamental step towards a future cure. Certainly families can be very clearly labeled as being caused by one mutation versus the other, which may give some insight on the prognosis. Treatment is not available based on diagnosis yet, but one can certainly hope that treatment will follow as the basic disease becomes better and better understood. Potential treatments someday may include replacing non-functioning eye cells with healthy new fetal cells, or even a microchip.