-
Lebers disease was first described by a German eye specialist in the 1870's
-
LHON is a genetic disorder passed on by females to both male and female offspring but
those who have LHON mainly are male. There are a very small percentage of
females that are known to also have this disorder.
-
renders an individual legally blind.
-
symptoms start with a loss of central vision in one
eye
first then progresses to the other eye over the course of days to months later.
-
there are no noticeable features that would let the average person determine that a person was suffering from LHON, in fact in familiar surroundings
one who has Lebers shows no signs of the disorder and functions for
the most part like an average sighted person.
-
no known treatments are available at this time.
-
genetic research is on going.
-
sight is restricted to extreme magnification of text
or
objects with any type of detail.
-
the color blind condition is when there is a
loss of all colors, or when the colors are not being viewed
correctly.
-
what triggers the genetic defect to become active is
not totally known but it is thought that alcohol, smoking
and stress play major rolls in triggering LHON.