None of the six patients diagnosed as USH3 on the basis of the postlingual onset and progressive nature of the deafness, and the absence of vestibular dysfunction (see Subjects and methods) carried a mutation in USH3A. Yet, mutations in USH2 genes were present in all of them, and with a gene distribution similar to that observed in USH2 patients. The gene discussed is USH2A; the disease is deafness.