People with Stargardt disease typically do not go completely blind, but the condition can cause significant vision loss. Stargardt disease primarily affects the central vision, leading to progressive loss of visual acuity and difficulties with tasks that require sharp vision, like reading or recognizing faces.
Peripheral vision is usually preserved, which means that most people with Stargardt disease maintain some degree of sight, though the level of impairment can vary widely. In rare cases, the vision loss can be severe, but complete blindness is uncommon. On average, the early vision loss starts and the longer you live, the more loss of vision you will experience over time.