About retinitis pigmentosa Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the name given to a diverse group of inherited eye disorders. These eye conditions affect a part of your eye called the retina. RP causes permanent changes to your vision but how quickly this happens and how it changes differs between people. These changes may include difficulty with vision in dim light or the dark and the loss of your side or peripheral vision. If you have RP, sight loss is gradual but progresses over a period of many years. Some people with RP might become blind but most people with RP keep some useful vision well into old age. New research is constantly changing our understanding of RP. The British Retinitis Pigmentosa Society (RP Fighting Blindness) website and leaflets offer current updates with detailed explanations of these issues. When you look at something, light passes through the front of your eye, and is focused by the lens onto your retina. The retina is a delicate tissue that is sensitive to light. It converts the light into electrical signals that travel along the optic nerve to your brain. The brain then interprets these signals to "see" the world around you. The retina has … Continue reading →

What is retinitis pigmentosa? Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) refers to a group of inherited diseases causing retinal degeneration. The cell-rich retina lines the back inside wall of the eye. It is responsible for capturing images from the visual field. People with RP experience a gradual decline in their vision because photoreceptor cells (rods and cones) die. Forms of RP and related diseases include Usher syndrome, Lebers congenital amaurosis, rod-cone disease, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, and Refsum disease, among others. Symptoms depend on whether rods or cones are initially involved. In most forms of RP, rods are affected first. Because rods are concentrated in the outer portions of the retina and are triggered by dim light, their degeneration affects peripheral and night vision. When the more centrally located cones - responsible for color and sharp central vision - become involved, the loss is in color perception and central vision. Night blindness is one of the earliest and most frequent symptoms of RP. People with mainly cone degeneration, however, first experience decreased central vision and ability to discriminate color. RP is typically diagnosed in adolescents and young adults. It is a progressive disorder. The rate of progression and degree of visual loss varies from person … Continue reading →

What is retinitis pigmentosa? Retinitis pigmentosa is the most common of a group of hereditary progressive retinal degenerations or dystrophies. There is considerable variation and overlap among the various forms of retinitis pigmentosa. Common to all of them is progressive degeneration of the retina, specifically of the light receptors, known as the rods and cones. The rods of the retina are involved earlier in the course of the disease, and cone deterioration occurs later. In this progressive degeneration of the retina, the peripheral vision slowly constricts and central vision is usually retained until late in the disease. Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited condition which involves both eyes. If it starts in one eye, the other eye usually develops the same condition in a number of years. Most cases are familial, inherited in a variety of ways, including dominant, recessive, and sex-linked recessive. Some cases are sporadic and lack a family history of the disease. A thorough genetic pedigree, often with the aid of a genetic counselor, is essential in determining risk of future generations acquiring the disease. Retinitis pigmentosa is usually diagnosed during the teenage years but may be present at birth. The latter congenital type is usually fairly stable … Continue reading →

Reviewed October 2010 Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of related eye disorders that cause progressive vision loss. These disorders affect the retina, which is the layer of light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. In people with retinitis pigmentosa, vision loss occurs as the light-sensing cells of the retina gradually deteriorate. The first sign of retinitis pigmentosa is usually a loss of night vision, which becomes apparent in childhood. Problems with night vision can make it difficult to navigate in low light. Later, the disease causes blind spots to develop in the side (peripheral) vision. Over time, these blind spots merge to produce tunnel vision. The disease progresses over years or decades to affect central vision, which is needed for detailed tasks such as reading, driving, and recognizing faces. In adulthood, many people with retinitis pigmentosa become legally blind. The signs and symptoms of retinitis pigmentosa are most often limited to vision loss. When the disorder occurs by itself, it is described as nonsyndromic. Researchers have identified several major types of nonsyndromic retinitis pigmentosa, which are usually distinguished by their pattern of inheritance: autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or X-linked. Less commonly, retinitis pigmentosa occurs as part of syndromes that … Continue reading →

What is Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP)? Retinitis Pigmentosa is an eye deficiency which leads to a progressive loss of eyesight and eventual blindness. The disease is also known as night blindness or tunnel vision for the different stages in the degeneration of the eyesight. Extensive study has proven that Retinitis Pigmentosa is a hereditary deficiency. A real cure for the disease is not available but some treatments can stop the progress of the loss of sight in a temporal or definitive way. The objective of this unique treatment is to control the progressive deterioration of the eyesight. The treatment is most effective in the early stages of the disease. The treatment consists of 4 parts: Scientific research on patients following the treatment has proven that the progress of the disease comes to a stop in 76 % of the cases. A small part (16 %) of the patients even showed signs of improving their visual capabilities after the treatment. This treatment is done solely in the Camilo Cienfuegos Ophthalmological Centre which is located in Havana, Cuba. The base treatment requires 3 weeks of hospitalization. Patients from all over the world without distinction are accepted and treated at this Retinitis Pigmentosa clinic. … Continue reading →