Complications
Cataracts, especially posterior polar or subcapsular, are common in patients with RP. Cataract extraction can improve vision in many cases, but patients should be informed that, with severe cases of retinal degeneration, cataract extraction may not improve and may even worsen vision.
Common in patients with RP and has been recognised more frequently with the advent of optical coherence tomography. Patients can benefit from carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, such as acetazolamide or dorzolamide, but some patients cannot tolerate the adverse effects.
RP is a slowly progressive disease, which manifests over years. Visual field loss begins in the mid-periphery and then expands to the periphery and centrally. Patients tend to lose about 50% of their remaining visual field every 5 years.[64] Good central visual acuity is often maintained even when visual fields have diminished to small tunnel fields. Complete visual loss is rare, with <0.5% of patients in one study measuring no light perception.[65]
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