ISSSTE urges awareness of Batten disease as cause of childhood vision problems in Mexico

Mexico's Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado (ISSSTE) warned that unexplained vision loss in children can be an early sign of Batten disease, a rare genetic disorder that progressively damages the nervous system. The agency highlighted that symptoms are often mistaken for more common ailments, leading to delayed diagnosis and limited access to specialized care. ISSSTE called on families and health professionals to increase visibility of the condition, promote early detection, and ensure multidisciplinary support for affected children and their caregivers.

The institute emphasized that timely recognition can improve quality of life and that public information campaigns are needed to reach the hundreds of families dealing with the disease nationwide.