People with Usher Type 1 are born profoundly deaf - they cannot hear normal speech even with a hearing aid. These deaf children have poor balance and may be late in sitting up and walking. RP seems to occur between 8 - 12 years.
What does this type mean?
People are born with a severe to profound hearing loss which often remains stable throughout life and is generally not helped by hearing aids. Problems with vision are first noticed at night followed by increasing difficulty with side or peripheral vision. At times this may lead to bumping into or falling over people and objects. People may notice difficulty moving into bright light from a darker place or vice versa. However, they may have adapted to these changes already, particularly in familiar situations.
What does the future hold?
There is no treatment available for Usher at the moment. Sense is currently conducting research looking into the types of Usher, the genes that are involved and what messages the genes are passing to the cells.
Much can be done to help people make the best use of their vision and hearing.
Communication
Due to profound deafness, learning to speak is not easy and many adults prefer to communicate using British Sign Language which is a visual language with its own grammar.
People with Type 1 are often part of the Deaf community.
