Inherited Retinal Diseases

How are IRDs diagnosed?

IRDs are diagnosed based on:

• The patient’s symptoms
• Family history
• Clinical examination of the eye
• Several special tests of the retina that are conducted by an ophthalmologist and ophthalmic technician, including electrophysiology, highly specialised imaging and visual field testing

There are many different varieties of IRDs, each caused by specific changes in a patient’s DNA. As a result, the definitive diagnosis of the type of IRD for each patient requires a blood test to check which DNA change is responsible for the condition.