Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP)

Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP)

1. What is it?

   • Wasting away of the photoreceptors
   • Retinal Pigment Epithelium may also be affected
   • Generic name applied to a rod/cone dystrophy

2. Characteristics

   • Frequently inherited
   • Bilateral and symmertical
   • Nyclatopia normally present
   • both rods and cones eventually affected
   • Variable age of onset
   • variable rate of progression

3. Vision loss

   • In most cases rods affected first
     • Some degree of visual acuity is likely to remain
   • Reduced contrast sensitivity
   • If cones remain some colour vision is maintained
     • May have colour confusion
   • Significant loss of visual field
     • Tunnel vision

4. Practical implications

   • Difficulty with personal care
   • Difficulty with daily living tasks
     • making a drink
     • cooking
     • Things get "lost"
   • Reading
     • text smaller to fit into visual field
   • Difficulty using controlled crossing s
   • Difficulty negotiating kerbs
   • Difficulty with glare
   • Visual fatigue/confusion
   • Difficulty with neck and shoulder problems using low vision strategies
     • scanning
   • Difficulty with night time/low light
     • Nyctalotia
   • difficulty adapting to different light conditions
     • outdoor/indoor