We are sharing her personal experiences, raising awareness and encourage everyone of her followers to live life to the fullest despite what obstacles come your way. Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is a genetic eye condition that causes cells in the light-sensitive retina, located at the back of the eye, to degenerate slowly and progressively. While many people with RP retain limited vision throughout their lives, others will lose their sight completely. What causes Retinitis Pigmentosa? The cells in the retina that begin the process of seeing are called photoreceptors. There are two general types of photoreceptors, called rods and cones. Rods are in the outer regions of the retina, and
allows us to see in dim & dark light. The cones are mostly in the central part of the retina, and allow us to percieve visual detail and colour. In the early stages of RP, rods are more severely affected than cones. The rods die and people will experience night blindness and a loss of visual field. The loss of rods eventually leads to the loss of cones. In the late stages of RP, as the cones die, people tend to lose more of the visual field developing tunnel vision. Generally, symptoms develop between the ages of 10 and 30 years. Some of the first symptoms may include the following:
•difficulty seeing at night (night-blindness) or in dimly lit areas
•a narrowing field of vision
•light and glare sensitivity and the loss of side (peripheral) vision. Who is at risk? RP is an hereditary disease that generally occurs in people that have a family history of the condition. Can it be treated? There is currently no standard treatment or therapy for RP. However, scientists have isolated several genes responsible for the disease and research is being done on stem cell and gene therapy. RP is considered a rare disorder. Its estimated that this disorder affects 1 in 4000 people.
** Some information taken from the Vision Australia website -
https://www.visionaustralia.org/eye-health/eye-conditions/retinitis-pigmentosa
