Researchers Identify Gene Associated With Muscular Dystrophy-Related Vision Problems, University of Illinois Study

EurekAlert! -- April 21, 2009, Cambridge, UK – Skeletal muscle disease and vision deficits might seem unrelated, but a frog model of muscular dystrophy shows it is not such a leap. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, or FSHD, is the world's third most common type of muscular dystrophy. It is characterized by progressive skeletal muscle weakening in the face, shoulders, and upper arms. Over half of FSHD patients (also known as Landouzy-Dejerine syndrome) also have abnormal blood vessels in the back of the eye, which can cause vision problems.