Nearly half a century after Louisiana researchers began looking for the genetic cause of Usher syndrome among Acadian families, scientists are now trying to turn decades of laboratory research into a treatment for people living with the disease.
For Lafayette native Mia Brasseaux, living with Usher syndrome means navigating progressive hearing and vision loss while attending dental school and running her own nonprofit.
The genetic disease causes combined hearing and vision loss. In some forms, it also affects balance. The condition can vary in severity, but for people with the most severe form, hearing loss is present at birth and vision loss develops progressively…