title: Educational levels in patients with stargardt disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the highest educational level attained by patients with Stargardt disease and clinically significant visual impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with Stargardt disease and clinically significant visual impairment (documented best-corrected visual acuity of 20/70 or worse in each eye either before or up to the age of 22 years) were included in the study. Information concerning the highest level of education attained was obtained for all participants by an interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 33 participants, 32 completed high school. Either an associate's or bachelor's degree was attained by 21 patients (63.6%), whereas 3 patients (9.1%) were enrolled in college at the time of the interview. Further, a postgraduate degree (master's or doctorate) was attained by 7 patients (21.2%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings document that the potential for attaining a higher degree of academic education beyond high school does not seem to be precluded by clinically significant visual impairment in Stargardt patients. This information can be useful for visual practitioners when counseling these patients and their families.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anastasakis
authors.forename: Azzrah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thobani
authors.forename: Gerald A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Fishman
authors.forename: J Jason
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: McAnany
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D015785:Eye Diseases, Hereditary / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult