Retinitis pigmentosa: A progressive, incurable disease

Retinitis pigmentosa: A progressive, incurable disease

UCI Health researcher continues to seek cure for blindness-causing condition

IN THE NEWS: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the leading cause of disability and blindness in people under 60. It is marked by the slow decay of the photoreceptors - in the shape of rods and cones - that perform the initial detection of light. There is no cure.

Ophthalmologist and researcher Dr. Henry Klassen, who is leading multiple clinical trials in search of a cure, spoke to National Geographic about why RP is so devastating.

"It's the severity of the disease combined with the lack of treatment that makes the situation so desperate for patients."

RP often isn't diagnosed before a child is 10 years old, and sometimes as late as one's 50s.

"Even if you can see quite well earlier in life, the loss of vision related to RP is so relentless that, bit by bit, all ability to see can ultimately be lost."

Klassen is a professor at the UCI Health Gavin Herbert Eye Institute and the director of the Stem Cell & Retinal Regeneration Program at the UC Irvine School of Medicine. His research has shown that progenitor cells can slow the progression of damage in RP and may spark the growth of new retinal cells.

He is the author or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed publications on the topics of progenitor cells, stem cells and retinal repair.

Read more

• National Geographic: This rare disorder is a leading cause of blindness in young people ›
• Finding a cure for blindness ›
• A sister's gift restores sight ›
• Stem cell therapy: hype vs. hope ›