Retinitis pigmentosa leads to greater emotional impact than other vision loss conditions

Despite the possibility of successful disease management, many patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) do not pursue interventions that may change the disease course, according to a study.

After reviewing the literature on RP and conducting qualitative research from clinicians treating RP, the study authors concluded that RP “severely impacts the daily lives of over a million people worldwide,” as well as their ability to keep a job and remain independent due to progressive vision loss.

This study’s researchers also noted that patients with RP experienced greater emotional and psychological impact related to vision loss than other conditions linked with vision loss, like diabetic retinopathy or age-related macular degeneration.

Therapeutics for RP remain limited, the authors concluded, with only around 1-6% of patients having a curative intervention (voretigene neparvovec) available to them/

Reference
Cross N, van Steen C, Zegaoui Y, et al. Retinitis Pigmentosa: Burden of Disease and Current Unmet Needs. Clin Ophthalmol. 2022;16:1993-2010. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S365486. PMID: 35757022; PMCID: PMC9232096.