Home > Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders > Usher syndrome

Definition

Usher syndrome is an inherited condition that causes hearing loss and a form of vision loss, called retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which worsens over time. Some people with Usher syndrome also have difficulties with balance and/or psychological problems. Although the symptoms of Usher syndrome were first described in 1858 by an ophthalmologist named Albrecht von Graefe, it was not until 1914 that it was well documented and recognized to be a genetic condition by another ophthalmologist, Charles Usher. There are three forms of Usher syndrome: type I, type II, and type III. Genetic research has shown there are many genes located on different chromosomes, all of which can lead to one of the types of Usher syndrome...