Inherited retinal diseases are now actually the commonest cause of visual impairment in the working-age population in the UK. Previously, it was diabetic eye disease, but now because of better control of blood sugar and also diabetic eye screening programs it is thought that diabetic eye disease is better managed and that’s why inherited diseases are now the commonest cause of impairment in the working age.
It’s the second commonest cause in childhood and therefore now overall represents a huge burden to society. Inherited retinal diseases are a very variable group of conditions for which there are few people who truly specialise and have the knowledge to diagnose accurately and manage them appropriately. We are very much in a new era of potential therapies for these conditions. Also the diagnostic abilities have improved markedly, so we are able to often identify specific genetic causes in approximately three quarters of patients.
Professor Michel Michaelides is a Professor of Ophthalmology at Clinica London. His special expertise is in Retinal Diseases, including Inherited Retinal Diseases, Age Related Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy and Maculopathy, and Retinal Vein Occlusions.
He has over 16 years experience in treating people with eye problems just like you, and has published extensively in scientific journals about diabetic eye disease, age-related macular degeneration and inherited eye disease, and also lead multiple clinical trials investigating novel therapies. At Clinica London, he is responsible for Retinal Diseases both in adults and children.
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