Wagner's Disease Symptoms

Wagner's disease is a very rare hereditary eye disorder. Lesions develop on the connective tissue of the eye, and the patient can become blind. Children born to parents with the disease have a 50 percent chance of developing the disease themselves. Until recently, Wagner's was often confused with Stickler's syndrome. It can affect all ethnicities and races.

Symptoms

• Wagner's disease symptoms can vary from patient to patient. For most, poor eyesight is noted in childhood. Blurred or "fuzzy" vision as well as difficult night vision is common. Some have headaches; others have bloodshot eyes and sometimes bloody noses.

Significance

• In Wagner's disease, the collagen tissues that connect the retina become weakened by lesions. Some patients have only slight weakening, while others have such dramatic weakening that their retinas detach. Most patients complain of poor vision, with problems beginning in childhood.

Considerations

• Sometimes Wagner's disease is also called Wagner's syndrome. A syndrome indicates a group of symptoms related to a health problem. Some doctors believe that particular hereditary features, like having knock-knees or certain facial structures, are an indicator of Wagner's disease and thus classified as part of the syndrome.

Warning

• For many years, Wagner's was often called Stickler's and vice versa. Since the genes causing the diseases have been located, the confusion has ended, even though the conditions have similarities. Stickler's disease is another genetic disorder that can cause eye problems. Stickler's affects all collagen tissue in the face, resulting in several abnormalities. Flat, sunken facial features are commonly attributed to Stickler's.

Treatment

• Most people with Wagner's need multiple eye surgeries to repair the eye and prevent blindness. Laser surgery on the retina and cataracts can fix many problems.

History

• Wagner's is very rare, and most doctors believe only 50 families carry the genetic disease. Wagner's was discovered in 1938 by Hans Wagner, who found lesions on the retinas of a Zurich family.