By Heather Mallon Hunterhouse College
Retinitis Pigmentosa is a genetic disease in your eyes and it gradually takes away your eyesight turning you blind.
It is caused by mutated genes when send out the wrong messages to other genes causing the genes to die impairing your vision.
It can be passed on from parent to child even if the parent doesn’t have symptoms and are unaffected by the mutated genes.
When you have it the first part of your sight to go is your night sight or your ability to see colour, although the most common part to go first is your night sight.
There is a cure for it but it works in some people and doesn’t in others. There is also a microchip to enhance vision is under development.
If a member of your family has or had it, it is a good idea to go to the hospital and get tested for it. A good local hospital is the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
When getting genetically tested there is a percent chance that they will find the gene responsible as some genes that cause it have not been discovered yet.
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