Alternative Names & Classifications:
Retinitis Pigmentosa (CLINICAL)
Description
Retinitis Pigmentosa represents a cluster of inherited eye diseases that alter how the retina responds to light, caused by mutations in genes necessary for maintaining healthy photoreceptor cells. It primarily targets the rod cells first, causing them to degenerate slowly over decades, followed by the eventual breakdown of cone cells. The condition typically presents its first symptoms in childhood or adolescence, eventually leading to legal or total blindness.