amaurosis

noun

am·​au·​ro·​sis ˌa-mȯ-ˈrō-səs 

plural amauroses ˌa-mȯ-ˈrō-ˌsēz 

: partial or complete loss of sight occurring especially without an externally perceptible change in the eye

amaurotic

ˌa-mȯ-ˈrä-tik 

adjective

Examples of amaurosis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In laboratories and clinics around the world, gene therapies are being successfully deployed to treat a range of diseases, including certain types of immune deficiency, retinal amaurosis, leukemia, myeloma, hemophilia, and Parkinson’s. —Jamie F. Metzl, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2014

For example, Leber congenital amaurosis, a rare genetic eye disorder, isn't on the federal list even though the Food and Drug Administration approved a gene therapy for it in 2017. —Aria Bendix, NBC News, 17 June 2023

Editas Medicine released some data on its experimental drug for Leber congenital amaurosis, an eye disorder, which indicated that out of three doses tested, two patients did not see a significant improvement in a test of functional sight, while the other patient showed some improvement. —Trefis Team, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2021

Last week, Editas Medicine, Inc. another genome editing company based in Cambridge, enrolled the first children in a trial designed to test CRISPR editing in a hereditary cause of blindness called Leber congenital amaurosis 10. —Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 26 June 2021

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin amaurōsis, borrowed from Greek amaúrōsis "dimming of sight, loss of sight without a visible cause," from amaurō-, variant stem of amaroún "to make dim or faint, weaken, impair" (verbal derivative of amaurós "dim, faint, having little or no sight," of uncertain origin) + -sis -sis

First Known Use

circa 1657, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

amaurosis

noun

am·​au·​ro·​sis ˌam-ȯ-ˈrō-səs 

plural amauroses -ˌsēz 

: partial or complete loss of sight occurring especially without an externally perceptible change in the eye

amaurotic

-ˈrät-ik 

adjective