Is retinitis pigmentosa treatable?

Priyanka asked...

Is there any treatment for retinitis pigmentosa?

Expert Answer

Lylas Mogk, M.D. is an ophthalmologist and director of the Henry Ford Visual Rehabilitation and Research Center in Grosse Pointe and Livonia, Michigan, and the author of Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a condition in which the retina, the inside lining of the eyeball which serves the same function as film in a camera, gradually deteriorates. It's now often treated with vitamin A. To see whether this therapy is appropriated for you, make an appointment with a retinal specialist.

This condition intially causes night blidness, eventually it causes loss of peripheral vision or the vision we use to see everything we're not looking right at, and in very advanced stages it can cause total vision loss.

That said, some individuals with retinitis pigmentosa respond to vitamin A treatment, which should be administered under the supervision of a retinal specialist.