Retinitis Pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of genetic disease with different clinical patterns. All of these causes retinal degeneration. Retinitis pigmentosa is a progressive disease by nature and vision keeps on deteriorating gradually. Starting from disturbance in night vision, the disease causes severe malfunctioning of even central and peripheral vision and color vision. This disease generally run in families. Progressive loss of vision may lead to blindness if not treated timely. There are many diseases in which retinal pigment epithelial degeneration is one symptom.

• Usher syndrome
• Laber Congenital Amourosis
• Rod-cone dystrophy
• HMD
• Bardet Biedl Syndrome

In ayurveda, there are many diseases that resemble with the symptoms of retinitis Pigmentosa, kapha vidagdha drusthi, pitta vidagha drusthi, nakulandhya, doshandha are some diseases that have been the same symptoms as that of R.P. If we try to understand the pathology of r.p. according to ayurveda, it is a vitiation of kapha dosha initially that lead to disturbances in the levels of vata and pitta also and finally a stage reaches where all 3 doshas get vitiated, Hence, the disease becomes impossible to cure after a certain stage.

Causes of Retinitis Pigmentosa

Although the exact cause of retinitis pigmentosa is not understood, many genetic correlations have been predicted by the researches. It is seen in children, whose parents are in blood relation (consanguineous marriage).

Symptoms of Retinitis Pigmentosa

• The first symptom of R.P is difficulty to see in dim light. As time passes, the symptom night blindness become
  specific.
• There occurs loss of peripheral vision as the degeneration initially starts from the periphery of retina. The patient faces problems in crossing a road or moving down stairs on a staircase.
• The patient of R.P faces problems to face the bright light whether it is sunlight or artificial light of vehicles moving on the road.
• Floaters (black particles of different shapes) and flashes ( flickering of yellow or white light) in the field of vision.
• Difficulty to identify the colors. When similar colors are put together, the patient generally get confused to differentiate between the two.
• Nystagmus (horizontal or vertical synchronized movements of eye ball) may be associated with R.P.
• Patient generally complains of focusing as he moves in a dark room from a well illuminated room or from natural light.
• Progressive deterioration of central vision with age and time.
• Some other symptoms related with other organs of body like hard hearing, mental retardation, high myopia are also seen in syndromic retinitis pigmentosa.