Symptoms of retinitis pigmentosa often appear gradually and may include:

• Night blindness: Difficulty adapting to darkness or dim light.
• Loss of peripheral vision: Reduction of the visual field, creating a sensation of “tunnel vision”.
• Sensitivity to light (photophobia).
• Difficulty in differentiating colours in advanced stages.
• In severe cases, loss of central vision, impairing activities such as reading or identifying faces.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic disease, which means that its risk factors are related to family inheritance. Among the most relevant factors, we find the following:

• Family history: Having a direct relative with the disease significantly increases the risk of developing it.

 

• Genetic mutations: It is associated with several mutations in genes related to the function of photoreceptors and the retinal pigment epithelium.
  The inheritance pattern may be autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive or X-linked, which affects the probability of transmission.

 
Although there is no cure at present, various strategies can delay disease progression and improve quality of life:

• Vitamin therapies: Supplements such as vitamin A and antioxidants may help slow the damage in certain cases. These should be prescribed by an ophthalmologist after a proper diagnosis, thus ensuring a personalised and safe treatment.

 

• Visual rehabilitation: Use of optical and electronic devices to maximise the use of residual vision.

 

• Genetic therapies: Currently under development. Some of them, targeted at specific mutations, have shown promising results.

 

• Experimental therapies: Retinal implants and stem cell therapies are being evaluated as future alternatives.