Retinitis Pigmentosa
RP stands for RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA which is the name given to a group of hereditary diseases of the retina, which is the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye in which the first stages of seeing takes place.
With RP, the retina slowly loses its ability to transmit pictures to the brain. Often the first symptom is night blindness, followed by narrowing side vision leading to what is sometimes called tunnel vision and, in many cases, total blindness.
In related conditions. the loss can begin in the central area and spread outwards causing early loss of detail vision. Some people with RP have other related problems, one example being Usher's Syndrome where RP is combined with hearing loss.
At the moment, there is no treatment or cure. RP is the major cause of blindness in children and people of working age.