Skip to main content
Home

Search


NEI on Social Media | Search A-Z | en español | Text size S M L
  • About NEI
    • NEI Research Accomplishments
    • Budget and Congress
    • About the NEI Director
    • History of the NEI
    • NEI 50th Anniversary
    • NEI Women Scientists Advisory Committee (WSAC)
    • Board of Scientific Counselors
    • National Advisory Eye Council (NAEC)
    • Donating to the NEI

    Menu About NEI Block

     Contact Us

     Visiting the NIH Campus

    Mission Statement

    As part of the federal government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Eye Institute’s mission is to “conduct and support research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to blinding eye diseases, visual disorders, mechanisms of visual function, preservation of sight, and the special health problems and requirements of the blind.”

  • News & Events
    • Events Calendar
    • NEI Press Releases
    • News from NEI Grantees
    • Spokesperson bios
    • Statistics and Data
    • Resources for the media

    Pressroom Contacts

    Dustin Hays - Chief, Science Communication
    dustin.hays@nih.gov

    Kathryn DeMott, Media Relations
    Kathryn.DeMott@nih.gov

    NEI Office of Communications
    (301)496-5248

  • Health Information
    • Clinical Studies
    • Spanish Language Information
    • Publications Catalog
    • Photos and Images
  • Grants and Funding
    • Extramural Research
    • Division of Extramural Science Programs
    • Division of Extramural Activities

    Extramural Contacts

    National Eye Institute
    Division of Extramural Research
    6700B Rockledge Dr., MSC 6914
    Bethesda, MD 20892
    (FedEx, UPS, and other courier services use: Bethesda MD 20817)
    301-451-2020

  • Research at NEI
    • Office of the Scientific Director
    • Office of the Clinical Director
    • Laboratories, Sections and Units
    • eyeGENE
    • Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications

    Office of the Scientific Director

    Sheldon S. Miller, Ph.D., Scientific Director
    David M. Schneeweis, Ph.D., Deputy Scientific Director

    Office of the Clinical Director

    Brian P. Brooks, M.D, Ph.D., Clinical Director
    Emily Y. Chew, M.D., Deputy Clinical Director

  • Education Programs
    • National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP)
    • Diabetic Eye Disease Education Program
    • Glaucoma Education Program
    • Low Vision Education Program
    • Hispanic/Latino Program
    • Vision and Aging Program
    • African American Program
  • Training and Jobs
    • Jobs
    • NEI Summer Intern Program
    • Diversity In Vision Research & Ophthalmology (DIVRO)
    • Student Training Programs

    To search for current job openings visit HHS USAJobs

Home » Eye Health Information » Bietti's Crystalline Dystrophy
Listen

Bietti's Crystalline Dystrophy

Bietti’s Crystalling Dystrophy (BCD) is an inherited eye disease. The symptoms of BCD include: crystals in the cornea; yellow, shiny deposits on the retina; and progressive atrophy of the retina, choriocapillaries and choroid. This tends to lead to progressive night blindness and visual field constriction. BCD is a rare disease and appears to be more common in people with Asian ancestry.

Facts About Bietti's Crystalline Dystrophy

From family studies, we know that BCD is inherited primarily in an autosomal recessive fashion. This means that an affected person receives one nonworking gene from each of his or her parents. A person who inherits a nonworking gene from only one parent will be a carrier, but will not develop the disease. A person with BCD syndrome will pass on one gene to each of his or her children. However, unless the person has children with another carrier of BCD genes, the individual’s children are not at risk for developing the disease. More about autosomal recessive inheritance.

In September 2000, NEI researchers reported that the BCD gene had been localized to chromosome #4. In this region of chromosome #4 there are hundreds of genes. Researchers are now looking for which of the genes in this region of chromosome #4 causes BCD. Finding the gene may shed light on the composition of the crystals found in the corneas of patients with BCD and on what causes the condition. More about finding disease genes.

  • Read more about Facts About Bietti's Crystalline Dystrophy

Publications

Bietti’s Publications

Eye Health Resources

  • Eye Health Organizations Database
  • Finding an Eye Care Professional
  • Financial Aid for Eye Care
  • Talking to Your Doctor
  • Facts About Clinical Trials in Vision Research
  • Videocasts on Vision Science and Eye Health, Archive
  • Photo and Image Catalog
  • Information in Spanish (Información en español)

Search for NEI Publications

  • NEI Home
  • Contact Us
  • A-Z Site Map
  • NEI on Social Media
  • Information in Spanish (Información en español)
  • Website, Social Media Policies and Other Important Links
  • NEI Employee Emergency Information
  • NEI Intranet (Employees Only)
  • Department of Health and Human Services
  • The National Institutes of Health
  • USA.gov

*PDF files require the free Adobe® Reader® software for viewing.

Technical questions about this website can be addressed to the NEI Website Manager.