Retinitis Pigmentosa is an umbrella term for a degenerative eye disease that usually starts with loss of night and peripheral vision and affects approximately one in every four thousand people. There are lots of longer, more complex definitions of RP that can be found on Web sites such as Foundation for Fighting Blindness. But in it’s most simple form, this definition — taken from www.geteyesmart.org — says it all from a Western medical standpoint:
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Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of genetic disorders that affect the retina’s ability to respond to light. This inherited disease causes a slow loss of vision, beginning with decreased night vision and loss of peripheral (side) vision. Eventually, blindness results. Unfortunately, there is no cure for RP.
