Abstract
PURPOSE: To investigate whether long-term protection from light exposure affects the rate of disease progression in patients with autosomal recessive Stargardt disease (STGD1), measured using fundus autofluorescence imaging. DESIGN: Longitudinal, retrospective, interventional case series. METHODS: Five patients with Stargardt disease protected 1 eye from light exposure by applying a black contact lens during waking hours for >/=12 months. Disease progression was followed by performing autofluorescence imaging at semi-regular intervals. Longitudinal changes in autofluorescence were studied by evaluating areas of decreased autofluorescence and areas of increased autofluorescence as a measure of retinal pigment epithelium damage and lipofuscin accumulation, respectively. RESULTS: We observed less progression of decreased autofluorescence in 4 out of 5 light-protected eyes relative to their respective nonprotected eyes. The progression of increased autofluorescence, on the other hand, was highly variable and did not respond consistently to treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Areas of decreased autofluorescence may serve as a useful biomarker for measuring the progression of Stargardt disease. The reduced progression of decreased autofluorescence in the light-protected eyes suggests that light deprivation might be beneficial in patients with Stargardt disease.
