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Retinitis pigmentosa
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Retinitis pigmentosa is not one single disease: it is a group of genetic disorders that slowly destroy the photoreceptors, the cells in the retina that turn light into a signal. The retina is the layer at the back of the eye where vision begins.
Many different paths lead to the same ending: the rods die. Rods are the photoreceptors that see in dim light. That is why night blindness appears, and the visual field, everything you take in without moving your eye, gradually closes in from the edges. The lights go out at the edges of the room first, and only the center stays lit.
Over the years the damage spreads. The death of many rods ends up damaging the retinal pigment epithelium, the layer of cells that supports and cleans up after the photoreceptors, and it also affects the cones, the photoreceptors for color and detail. When that happens, color perception can become altered.
In brief
Retinitis pigmentosa is not a single condition but a group of genetic disorders that cause progressive photoreceptor degeneration.
The common endpoint of every pathway is death of the rods; because rods see in dim light, their progressive loss produces night blindness and a gradual decline in peripheral vision.
The lights go out at the edges first, and only the center stays lit.
Over time that destruction damages the pigment epithelium and reaches the cones, and color perception may be altered.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingRetinitis Pigmentosa, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated