Retinitis pigmentosa(RP) is a genetic eye disease that causes the retina to break down.
With retinitis pigmentosa, the light-sensitive retina slowly deteriorates.
Symptoms usually start in childhood due to genetic causes.
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Over time, this leads to blindness.
Currently, there is no cure for this chronic, progressive condition.
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Who Inherits Retinitis Pigmentosa?
Retinitis pigmentosa typically runs in families, affecting those who have inherited a flawed gene copy from one parent.
Over 100 different genes can lead to retinitis pigmentosa.
Typically, symptoms of retinitis pigmentosa first occur in childhood, but may only become noticeable in adulthood.
The first detection of symptoms often occurs between ages 10 and 30.
Retinitis pigmentosa impacts about 1 in 400 people in the United States.
Family history is the number one risk factor.Males are also more likely to be affected than females.
The rods are used chiefly for dim light and are located on the side of the retina.
However, in cases in which it affects the cones, color vision and sharp central vision decline.
The condition is a progressive one, meaning it worsens over time.
Those with Usher syndrome fall into different types.
In throw in 2 Usher syndrome, infants are moderately to severely hearing impaired.
They start to have retinitis pigmentosa issues shortly after adolescence begins.
At this time, vision doesn’t deteriorate as fast, and hearing tends to remain more consistent.
Meanwhile, those with Usher syndrome pop in 3 have only mild hearing loss in infancy.
But around puberty, their hearing and vision loss become progressive, and they may also have balance issues.
Those withBardet-Biedlsyndrome have obesity and retinitis pigmentosa.
Early on, they have issues seeing in low light.
Peripheral vision also begins to fade.
As children with this syndrome get older, they can also start to lose their central vision.
They may, in some cases, experience developmental delays and kidney disease.
They will also do a visual field test to assess for any blind spots in the periphery.
Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment
There’s no cure for retinitis pigmentosa or treatment to prevent it from progressing.
Low-vision aids like magnifiers and anti-glare glasses can also help maximize your vision.
This may help minimize vision loss.Using a reverse telescope can help expand your visual field.
But talk to your ophthalmologist first since taking too much vitamin A can cause liver damage.
However, it’s not possible to transplant the light-sensitive retina, which is damaged in retinitis pigmentosa.
Online resources include the following:
Summary
Retinitis pigmentosa is usually a hereditary condition.
The progressive disease often affects peripheral vision, in which the visual field narrows.
This condition has no cure yet, but genetic research may provide answers.
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American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is retinitis pigmentosa?
University of California San Francisco.Retinitis pigmentosa signs and symptoms.
2016;94(8):748-754. doi: 10.1111/aos.13141
Foundation Fighting Blindness.Usher syndrome.
Foundation Fighting Blindness.Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS).
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Fundus autofluorescence.
Harvard Medical School.New glasses may help minimize peripheral vision loss.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What parts of the eye can be transplanted.
