eye disorders
Hereditary Optic Nerve Disorders
Causes of Hereditary Optic Nerve Disorders
Dominant optic atrophy and Leber hereditary optic neuropathy are inherited disorders caused by abnormal genes. Both disorders are uncommon. is inherited from the mother or father as a Dominant disorders , meaning that only one copy of the gene is required for the disorder to develop. In other words, if either the father or the mother has the disease, then each child has a 50% chance of developing it. is inherited through the mother only, because the abnormal genes are located in the Mitochondrial chromosomes . Mitochondria are structures in cells that provide energy for the cell and have their own internal genes that are inherited from only the mother. Affected men cannot pass the disease on to their children. Leber hereditary optic neuropathy is more common among males. 