Diseases

Retinitis Pigmentosa

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Any of several hereditary progressive degenerative diseases of the eye marked by night blindness in the early stages, atrophy and pigment changes in the retina, constriction of the visual field, and eventual blindness —abbreviation rp — called also pigmentary retinopathy.

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms often begin in childhood. They include decreased vision at night or in low light and loss of side vision (tunnel vision).

CAUSES

Retinitis pigmentosa (rp) is a group of rare, genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and loss of cells in the retina—which is the light sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye. Common symptoms include difficulty seeing at night and a loss of side (peripheral) vision.