Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about retinitis pigmentosa.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero to finals.com slash retinitis pigmentosa

or in the ophthalmology section of the second edition of the zero to finals medicine book.

And you can find flashcards and questions to train your knowledge

and help you remember the information for longer at members.0 tofinals.com.

So let's get straight into it.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic condition that causes degeneration of the photoreceptors

in the retina, particularly the rods. There are many different genetic causes. Some causes involve

isolated retinitis pigmentosa, while others result in

systemic diseases associated with the condition. The different causes vary in the age at presentation

and the prognosis. In most cases, the symptoms start in childhood. Let's start with the

presentation. In most causes, the rods degenerate more than the cones. Rods are responsible for night

vision and peripheral vision. Therefore, there is night blindness, which is often the first symptom,

finding it very difficult to see things in the dark or at night time, and peripheral vision

loss before the central vision is affected. Phandoscopy examination shows bone spicule pigmentation.

Spicule describes the sharp pointed appearance.

Bone spicule refers to the similarity to the networking appearance of the bone matrix.

The pigmentation is most concentrated around the mid-peripheral area of the retina.

There can also be narrowing of the arterials and a waxy or pale appearance to the optic disc.

A tom tip for you, retinitis pigmentosa gives a very characteristic finding on phandoscopy,

which will make it popular in osky exams. You will impress your examiners by simply spotting

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