What is LCA?
Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) is a rare genetic disorder in which retinal dysfunction causes vision loss, often from birth. The extent of vision loss varies from patient to patient, but can be quite severe (with little to no light perception). LCA is named after the doctor who first described it, Dr. Theodore Leber (Dr. Leber also first described Leber’s Optic Neuropathy, a disease of the optic nerve, which is medically unrelated to LCA). Congenital means “a condition existing since birth, usually hereditary,” and Amaurosis refers to a total loss of vision, especially when the vision loss does not result in any apparent change to the eye. This is why LCA eyes usually look normal upon initial examination.
