Causes of deafblindness

Deafblindness has many causes, and the challenges it brings are often more than just a combination of visual and hearing impairments.

When someone is born with combined sight and hearing difficulties this is called congenital deafblindness. Examples of this include conditions such as Rubella or CHARGE. If they develop these problems later in life, this is called acquired deafblindness. This may be due to an accident, illness or as a result of ageing.

In some cases, people may be born with a genetic condition such as Usher Syndrome, which may mean they progressively lose their sight and hearing.