Grumpy Guy Guide © 2023
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Rods: In most forms of RP, rods are affected first, causing loss of peripheral vision and loss of night vision. Vision becomes more constricted over time.
Cones: If and when the disease progresses and cones become affected, visual acuity, color perception and central vision are diminished.
RP is a progressive disorder. The rate of progression and degree of visual loss varies from person to person. Most people with RP are legally blind by age 40, with a central visual field of less than 20 degrees in diameter. It is a genetic disorder and, therefore, is almost always inherited.
2023
Retinitis pigmentosa, also known as RP, refers to a group of inherited diseases causing retinal degeneration and a decline in vision. The retina is a thin piece of tissue lining the back of the eye. Rod and cone photoreceptors in the retina convert light into electrical signals that the brain interprets as vision. People with RP experience a gradual decline in their vision, because photoreceptors degenerate.
Forms of RP and related diseases include:
- Usher syndrome,
- Leber congenital amaurosis, and
- Bardet-Biedl syndrome, among others.
• More than 10 million Americans and millions more throughout the world are impacted by blinding retinal diseases – including aged-related macular degeneration and inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) like retinitis pigmentosa and Usher syndrome.
• Inherited retinal diseases are a group of diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness. IRDs can impact people of all ages and progress at different rates. People living with IRDs experience a gradual loss of vision, eventually leading to complete blindness. Others may be born with or experience vision loss in infancy or early childhood.
• Each IRD is caused by at least one gene that is not working properly. There are 250 genes which, when mutated, can cause Inherited retinal diseases. Gene therapy is considered the most promising treatment method for correcting these faulty genes.
• The urgent mission of the Foundation Fighting Blindness is to drive the research that will provide preventions, treatments and cures for people affected by retinitis pigmentosa and the entire spectrum of retinal blinding diseases.
• During its now 50-year history, the Foundation has raised over $800 million in support of its effort to reverse blindness and restore vision. The Foundation is the world’s leading private source for IRD research funding.
• The Foundation is funding translational research and clinical trials of gene therapy that have restored vision in patients who were virtually blind from a childhood form of retinitis pigmentosa. The Foundation also funds research on potential drug therapies that slow or prevent the loss of retinal cells, thereby saving vision.
• The Foundation has over 40 volunteer-led chapters across the U.S. These dedicated volunteers raise funds, increase public awareness, and provide support to families affected by retinal diseases in their communities.
About Retinal Diseases
