Causes of Retinitis Pigmentosa

The inherited group of diseases that slowly cause the cells in the retina to degenerate is known as retinitis pigmentosa. A genetic condition, retinitis pigmentosa is not caused by illness, injury or infection; rather, it occurs when genetic defects send faulty messages to retinal cells, causing them to progressively degenerate and ultimately inhibit vision.

Retinitis pigmentosa causes blindness because the photoreceptors, or light cells, in the eye are responsible for sending vision messages from the eye to the brain. If these cells are not functioning properly, images cannot be processed and the brain will not receive full images. Usually, retinitis pigmentosa begins by robbing night vision, then peripheral vision before it finally attacks central vision.

Because retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic disorder, it is programmed into the cells, making prevention difficult. It is recommended that people with a family history of retinitis pigmentosa see a retinal specialist as early as possible.

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