NIH Offers New Resources on Usher Syndrome, Most Common Cause of Vision and Hearing Loss

Usher syndrome is the most common genetic condition that affects both hearing and vision. In the United States, about four babies in 100,000 are born with it. The National Institutes of Health, which conducts and sponsors research on Usher syndrome, has two new resources for affected families.

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) has teamed with the National Eye Institute, both components of NIH, to create a new Web site devoted to Usher syndrome at www.ushersyndrome.nih.gov. The design of the site is simple and uses large type to ease readability for people with low vision. The new Web site offers basic facts about Usher syndrome, resources for patients and families, information on clinical studies, and resources for scientists.

NIDCD supports and conducts research and research training on the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech and language and provides health information, based upon scientific discovery, to the public. For more information about NIDCD programs, see the Web site at www.nidcd.nih.gov.