Category Archives: Retinitis Pigmentosa

HOW I SEE WITH MY RP THIS VIDEO DESCRIBES MY VISION AND HOW I ACUALLY SEE WITH THIS DISEASE CALLED RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA. By: AARON MORSE … Continue reading →

The parents of eight-year-old Finley, who has lost most of her central vision, set up the RDH12 Fund for Sight. Whenever she dropped her toy or dummy, shed lean down to pick it up, but then freeze for a moment, unable to find it. In the kitchen, if the fridge was open andshe was looking at me, shed walk into the door it wouldnt appear in her peripheral vision. Yiota Charalambous is describing how she first began to suspect that her daughter Anna, then aged two, had a problem with her sight. Bumping into objects that leap out of the snowstorm of faulty peripheral vision is a hazard that is painfully familiar to me, and others like me, who have the degenerative eye disorder retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The condition is the most common cause of blindness among working-age people in the west, affecting one in 3,500. Unlike Anna, though, most of us are not diagnosed until we are adults. I was 26 a fairly typical age to receive the fateful news. Anna is anything but typical, in that she has a rare form of RP known as Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). Though everyone with RP shares a similar fate partial … Continue reading →

Darran Zenger sits with his guide dog, Archer. Zenger is studying to be a social worker. He was born deaf and wears cochlear implants. Retinitis pigmentosa is robbing him of his sight. He feels he knows exactly how to help others with disabilities. Todd Hougaard, Deseret News Enlarge photo SALT LAKE CITY Darran Zenger and his guide dog, Archer, maneuver the University of Utah campus and the social work program with determination. Zenger has Usher syndrome; born deaf, he wears cochlear implants. And his sight continues to deteriorate with retinitis pigmentosa. But Zenger said he believes he knows exactly how to help others with disabilities. "My experience growing up, it was normalized, he said. You lose vision, you lose hearing, so what? It's just a challenge, that's all it is." Zenger is working to become a social worker, which involves a demanding list of classes, practicums and training, learning people skills and understanding government aid. In his presentation to fellow students earlier this semester titled "Seeing Through Blindness," Zenger described one of his pet peeves: people who say, "You don't look blind." I mean, not to be rude or anything, but you dont look stupid, Zenger said, and his classmates … Continue reading →

By Cyndi Root RetroSense Therapeutics announced in a press release that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug status to RST-001. The treatment for retinitis pigmentosa (RP) combines gene therapy and optogenetics. RetroSense developed the proprietary technology from research conducted at Wayne State University and Massachusetts General Hospital. Sean Ainsworth, RetroSense CEO, said, We are hopeful that the benefits associated with Orphan Drug status will better enable us to advance RST-001 through development and ultimately into the marketplace where it may benefit many who are suffering from blindness due to retinitis pigmentosa. Optogenetics Retinitis pigmentosa causes the degeneration and loss of rod and cone photoreceptors in the retina, causing severe vision loss and blindness. Currently there are no FDA-approved drugs to treat RP. RetroSenses work in optogenetics involves making the retina more light sensitive, thereby improving vision. The company expects RST-100 to have broad applications and to be useful in heredity or acquired RP. RST-001 uses a photosensitivity gene, channelrhodopsin-2, and creates new photosensors in the retinal cells. Channelrhodopsin-2 has been shown in numerous animal studies to restore light perception and vision, and in primate studies, the agent was well tolerated. RetroSense is using optogenetics and channelrhodopsin-2 … Continue reading →

Wills Eye retinitis pigmentosa bionic eye ground breaking surgery Blind woman gains sight with help of bionic eye after groundbreaking surgery at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia The advanced stage retinitis pigmentosa pa... By: Michael Spatocco … Continue reading →

Learning About Retinitis Pigmentosa What is retinitis pigmentosa? Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the name given to a group of inherited eye diseases that affect the retina (the light-sensitive part of the eye). RP causes the breakdown of photoreceptor cells (cells in the retina that detect light). Photoreceptor cells capture and process light helping us to see. As these cells breakdown and die, patients experience progressive vision loss. Top of page As the disease progresses and more rod cells breakdown, patients lose their peripheral vision (tunnel vision). Individuals with RP often experience a ring of vision loss in their periphery, but retain clear central vision. Others report the sensation of tunnel vision, as though they see the world through a straw. Many patients with retinitis pigmentosa retain a small degree of central vision throughout their life. Other forms of RP, sometimes called cone-rod dystrophy, first affect central vision. Patients first experience a loss of central vision that cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. With the loss of cone cells also comes disturbances in color perception. As the disease progresses, rod cells degenerate causing night blindness and peripheral vision. Symptoms of RP are most often recognized in children, adolescents and … Continue reading →

It begins: My life with Retinitis Pigmentosa Thank you for watching! Sorry guys I didn't realize I was recording long ways! I'll correct that next time! Well this is my very first vlog about me and my l... By: Rp Life … Continue reading →

Treatment of Retinitis Pigmentosa: Testimonial For more information, or to book an appointment, please contact us: tel:1-877-737-7876 toll free (Canada and US only) 1-604-737-7876 (International) e-mail: ... By: Weidong Yu … Continue reading →

Retinitis Pigmentosa: See his foods first time in 20 years For more information, or to book an appointment, please contact us: tel:1-877-737-7876 toll free (Canada and US only) 1-604-737-7876 (International) e-mail: ... By: Weidong Yu … Continue reading →

RALEIGH, N.C. - Retinitis Pigmentosa is a degenerative disease of the retina in the eye that can cause progressive blindness. It affects over 100,000 people in the U.S. alone. In retinitis pigmentosa, the cells in the retina that are able to respond to light (called rods and cones) no longer function. Complete blindness can occur. There is no cure for the disorder but a new treatment has been developed that is returning limited sight to patients in the U.S. Larry Hester, a Raleigh native, is the first person in the state to receive this new device. It is particularly suitable for the device because while it causes blindness, it leaves key structures in the eyesuch as the optic nerveintact. The device can then use the body's own eye structure and connection to the brain to create images. The $145,000 device, called the Argus II, was approved by the Federal Drug Administration early in 2013. Surgeons have implanted them in just six other people in the United States and a few dozen elsewhere in the world. Technically, it's a retinal prosthesis system, but it's often called a bionic eye. The device has three main parts: a glasses-mounted video camera, a portable … Continue reading →