Retinitis Pigmentosa News and Research

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Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the name given to a group of inherited eye diseases that affect the retina (the light-sensitive part of the eye). RP causes the breakdown of photoreceptor cells (cells in the retina that detect light). Photoreceptor cells capture and process light helping us to see. As these cells breakdown and die, patients experience progressive vision loss. The most common feature of all forms of RP is a gradual breakdown of rods (retinal cells that detect dim light) and cones (retinal cells that detect light and color). Most forms of RP first cause the breakdown of rod cells. These forms of RP, sometimes called rod-cone dystrophy, usually begin with night blindness. Night blindness is somewhat like the experience normally sighted individuals encounter when entering a dark movie theatre on a bright, sunny day. However, patients with RP cannot adjust well to dark and dimly lit environments.

NEI investigators combine two imaging modalities to view the retina in unprecedented detail

By combining two imaging modalities--adaptive optics and angiography--investigators at the National Eye Institute can see live neurons, epithelial cells, and blood vessels deep in the eye's light-sensing retina.

14 Nov 2018

Researchers to develop new stem cell-based strategies for treating vision disorders

A team from the University of Pennsylvania, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and University of Wisconsin--Madison are launching a project to develop new strategies for treating vision disorders using cells implanted in the retina.

17 Oct 2018

Excessive use of erectile-dysfunction medication could lead to long-term vision problems

In a first-of-its-kind study, Mount Sinai researchers have shown that color vision problems caused by retinal damage on a cellular level can result from a high dose of sildenafil citrate, the popular erectile-dysfunction medication sold under the brand name Viagra.

1 Oct 2018

First U.S. patient treated with innovative gene therapy at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

A Puerto Rican patient with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) is hoping to save his vision after an innovative gene therapy procedure at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

19 Sep 2018

Scientists publish study results of AAV therapy product for treatment of RHO-adRP

Ophthotech Corporation announced today that scientists at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Florida published proof-of-concept study results on an adeno-associated virus gene therapy product candidate for the treatment of rhodopsin-mediated autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa licensed by Ophthotech.

22 Aug 2018

Scientists report novel gene therapy that halts vision loss in canine model of blinding disease

Scientists funded by the National Eye Institute report a novel gene therapy that halts vision loss in a canine model of a blinding condition called autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP). The strategy could one day be used to slow or prevent vision loss in people with the disease. NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health.

21 Aug 2018

Researchers create the world’s first artificial retina

Scientists have developed an ultrathin artificial retina that could provide a superior alternative to the visual implants currently available to the blind.

20 Aug 2018

Mount Sinai study could transform treatment for patients with retinal degenerative diseases

Researchers at Mount Sinai have successfully restored vision in mice through activating retinal stem cells, something that has never been done before. Their study, published in the August 15 online issue of Nature, could transform treatment for patients with retinal degenerative diseases, which currently have no cure.

16 Aug 2018

Scientists reverse congenital blindness in mouse model

A study funded by the National Eye Institute has shown that congenital blindness in mice can be reversed by regenerating rod photoreceptors in the retina.

15 Aug 2018

Progesterone and lipoic acid combination ameliorates death of photoreceptors in the retina

Retinitis pigmentosa is a rare and hereditary neurodegenerative disease which causes vision loss due to the death of photoreceptors in the retina, and for which there is currently no treatment.

31 Jul 2018

Gene therapy that reverses blindness in dogs could also help treat humans

A Michigan State University veterinary ophthalmologist has modified a gene therapy that reverses blindness in dogs that have a certain form of a disease known as progressive retinal atrophy, or PRA, and is now looking to advance the treatment for human use.

18 May 2018

Researchers transplant retinal sheets derived from human embryonic stem cells in retinal degeneration mouse models

Researchers affiliated with the Kawasaki INnovation Gateway at SKYFRONT have developed new mouse models of retinal degeneration that enable transplantation of retinal sheets derived from human embryonic stem cells.

17 May 2018

Scientists find fast way to manipulate cell's cilia

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan say they have found a fast way to manipulate a cell's cilia, the tiny, fingerlike protrusions that "feel" and sense their microscopic environment.

16 May 2018

CRISPR-based treatment can restore retinal function in mice with eye disease

Researchers from Columbia University have developed a new technique for the powerful gene editing tool CRISPR to restore retinal function in mice afflicted by a degenerative retinal disease, retinitis pigmentosa.

11 May 2018

New lab-on-a-chip device shows promise in treating retinal diseases

Houston Methodist researchers developed a new lab-on-a-chip technology that could quickly screen possible drugs to repair damaged neuron and retinal connections, like what is seen in people with macular degeneration or who've had too much exposure to the glare of electronic screens.

10 May 2018

New strategy found to delay onset of blindness in mice

More than 2 million people worldwide live with inherited and untreatable retinal conditions, including retinitis pigmentosa, which slowly erodes vision.

2 May 2018

Immune cells can repopulate in the retina after elimination, mice study shows

Immune cells called microglia can completely repopulate themselves in the retina after being nearly eliminated, according to a new study in mice from scientists at the National Eye Institute.

21 Mar 2018

Duke scientists pinpoint new therapeutic target for macular degeneration

Duke Researchers have pinpointed a new therapeutic target for macular degeneration, an eye disease that affects over 10 million Americans and is the leading cause of blindness in adults over 60.

6 Mar 2018

BIST researchers develop new retinal prosthesis to address visual degeneration

A healthy retina contains photoreceptor cells that convert light changes into nerve impulses, which are then carried along the optic nerve to the brain, where they are decoded into images. Diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa cause the photoreceptor cells to stop functioning, while the rest of the eye remains healthy.

24 Jan 2018

Study finds genetic treatment for inherited retinal disorder

A new study presented at the 121st Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2017, for the first time found a novel gene therapy that can improve the eyesight of patients with inherited retinal disease.

13 Nov 2017