Choroideremia

Choroideremia is a genetic condition that causes vision loss. This disorder typically affects males. The first symptom is usually impairment of night vision (night blindness), which can occur in childhood. People with this disorder also experience narrowing of the field of vision (tunnel vision) and decrease in the ability to see details (visual acuity). The vision problems are due to loss of cells in the retina (light sensitive part of the eye) and choroid (blood vessels in the eye). The vision issues tend to get worse over time and usually lead to blindness in late adulthood. The rate and degree of vision loss differs for each person. Choroideremia is caused by spelling mistakes (mutations) in the CHM gene and is inherited in an X-linked recessive pattern.