The visual field and possible deficits can also be determined with the help of perimetry.

They can be used to objectify visual acuity and color vision. Subsequently, basic vision tests are usually carried out. Other possible causes of a visual disorder, such as certain medications, cancer, or metabolic disorders, are also inquired about. How Does the Physician Diagnose this Eye Disease?įirst, the treating physician will ask the patient about typical symptoms of the disease and whether similar complaints are known in the family. In the course of the disease, visual acuity increasingly deteriorates, and complete blindness of the eyes may occur. In addition, so-called scotomas, i.e., visual field defects, occur, which typically move in a ring-like pattern from the outer visual field ('tube visual field,' 'gun barrel visual field,' 'tunnel vision') increasingly further inward.Ĭontrast and color vision may also be impaired, and increased sensitivity to light is possible. Those affected can see much worse in the dark than healthy people, whose eyes typically adapt to light conditions and ensure basic optical perception at night.

In childhood or adolescence, many retinitis pigmentosa patients develop increasing night blindness. Which Symptoms are Typical for Retinitis Pigmentosa? Unfortunately, effective therapy is not yet known. Retinitis pigmentosa is one of the most common causes of blindness in middle-aged patients. Patients suffer from increasing visual field loss, night blindness, and progressive vision loss. There are different subtypes of retinitis pigmentosa.

The clinical picture is genetically determined (numerous different triggering gene defects are known) and can occur in clusters within a family and be inherited according to specific patterns. Retinitis pigmentosa (also known as retinopathy pigmentosa) is a disease of the eyes in which the sensory cells and the pigmented epithelium of the retina are increasingly destroyed.įirst, the so-called rods (responsible for black-and-white or light-dark vision) are usually affected, then often also the cones (responsible for color vision and sharp vision) perish. Definition: What Is Retinitis Pigmentosa?

Retinitis pigmentosa definition