Retinitis Pigmentosa in Korean Patients

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a serious disease characterized by progressive degeneration of the retina and usually ends up with bilateral blindness. RP is the most common inherited retinal disease. Recent advance in genetic research has greatly improved our knowledge about RP. Since the first identification of causal gene rhodopsin, more than 60 causal genes and 3000 disease-causing mutations have been reported [1]. And imaging technology such as a high-resolution spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed new aspects of RP [2]. In RP patients, the vision-specific quality of life cannot be explained only by visual acuity or field, and both of them are related to the visual function [3].