What is retinitis pigmentosa?
Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is the name given to a group of degenerative diseases of the retina. The retina, at the back of the eye, is a thin sheet of interconnected nerve cells including the light sensitive cells (rods). It is here that light is converted into electrical signals to the brain where “seeing” takes place. In RP the rod and cone cells degenerate. Depending on the type of RP, the rate of progression varies.
Retinitis pigmentosa refers to a group of diseases that affect the retina. The retina is the delicate innermost layer of tissue that lines the eye. It contains layers of light receiving cells called photoreceptors that are connected to the brain by the optic nerve. If you think of the eye as a camera receiving images, then the retina is the film on which those images are recorded. Beneath the retina is the retinal pigmented epithelium (RIPE). The RIPE supports the function of photoreceptor cells in the retina. There are two types of photoreceptor cells in the retina: cone cells and rod cells. Cone cells are concentrated in the center of the retina (called the macula), and are responsible for central and color vision. Rod cells are outside the macula and are required for peripheral vision and for night vision. Both cone and rod cells convert light into electrical impulses which travel through several types of nerve cells to the optic nerve, which then carries the signal to the brain, wh
Retinitis pigmentosa is a hereditary disease which results in reduction or loss of night vision and peripheral vision. The peripheral region of the retina, which is rich in the light-sensing rod cells, becomes damaged. The rods detect light by means of their light-sensitive pigment protein, rhodopsin. In some families exhibiting retinitis pigmentosa, various mutations have been found in the gene encoding rhodopsin.
