If you have retinitis pigmentosa, will you necessarily go blind?

No.: Retinitis pigmentosa can vary widely in severity. While the visual loss can be severe, some cases are so mild that they are never noticed. A study of your family history and an eye exam can shed some light on your long term prognosis. I wish you the best.

No: You will not necessarily go blind. There are many types of rp and each person's presentation varies even within families.

It Depends: Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of inherited disorders that cause degeneration of the retina and vision loss. Depending on the type, some vision can be retained throughout life, in other cases, not. The most common symptoms are night blindness and gradual loss of peripheral vision. There is a new retinal implant which restores crude central vision( argus ii) for those who are blind from rp.