Eye
Retina
Retinitis pigmentosa
Author: Nat Pernick, M.D.
Last author update: 1 February 2014
Last staff update: 28 December 2020
Copyright: 2004-2024, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Retinitis pigmentosa [title] review[ptyp] pathology
Cite this page: Pernick N. Retinitis pigmentosa. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/eyeretinaretinitispigmentosa.html. Accessed April 19th, 2024.
Definition / general
- Various inherited retinal disorders that are not actually inflammatory
- Common (incidence of 1/3600) with variable inheritance or as part of Refsum disease
- Usually causes loss of rods and cones to apoptosis and focal proliferation of retinal pigment epithelium
- Loss of rods causes early night blindness and restricted visual fields (bilateral loss of peripheral vision)
- Loss of cones affects central visual acuity
- Retinal atrophy causes constriction of retinal vessels, optic nerve head atrophy and accumulation of retinal pigment around blood vessels
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Migration of macrophages and retinal pigment epithelial cells with melanin into retina, particularly around vessels
- Also atrophy of photoreceptors in retina and choriocapillaris
