USC Retinal Degeneration Center
Our ophthalmologists provide advanced, tailored care for all types of retinal degeneration diseases and conditions.
USC Retinal Degeneration Center
Our ophthalmologists provide advanced, tailored care for all types of retinal degeneration diseases and conditions.
Comprehensive Services for Degenerative Retinal Diseases
The retina is a light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that converts images to electric signals. Retinal degeneration refers to a group of diseases that result in gradual loss of light-sensitive cells in the retina and, therefore, progressive loss of vision. Retinal diseases can be genetic or can occur through injury to the eye, the natural aging process or by other conditions. In conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, environmental factors play a major role; whereas in inherited retinal degeneration, genetic variations are the major cause of the disease.
Inherited retinal degenerative diseases are rare, and people with these conditions require special care. We established the USC Retinal Degeneration Center to provide comprehensive ophthalmic care to you, if you have these inherited retinal degenerative diseases, and to develop novel treatments for these conditions.
Conditions We Treat
- Achromatopsia
- Best disease
- Choroideremia
- Cone dystrophy
- Dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD)
- Retinitis pigmentosa (RP)
- Stargardt disease
- Usher syndrome
Why Choose Us for Retina and Macula Disease Care
We offer you updates on the status of available treatments and current clinical trials.
We provide genetic testing that may identify a specific genetic mutation and uncover the cause of your vision impairment.
We provide genetic counseling.
Our Visual Electrophysiology Unit is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment for performing diagnostic tests, offering you the latest advances in eye care.
We accept referrals from community ophthalmologists for visual electrophysiology testing. Some examples of these tests include full-field electroretinogram (ffERG), multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG,) pattern electroretinogram (PERG,) electrooculogram (EOG), dark adaptometry, pattern visual evoked potential (VEP), flash visual evoked potentials (FVEP,) Octopus kinetic visual field testing.