retinitis pigmentosa

[ pig-men-toh-suh, -muhn- ]

noun

, Ophthalmology.

1. degeneration of the retina manifested by night blindness and gradual loss of peripheral vision, eventually resulting in tunnel vision or total blindness.

retinitis pigmentosa

/ ˌpɪɡmənˈtəʊsə /

noun

1. a degenerative hereditary disease of the human eye, characterized by pigmentary changes in the retina, night blindness, and eventual loss of vision

retinitis pigmentosa

/ rĕt′n-ī′tĭspĭg′mĕn-tō′sə /

1. A hereditary degenerative disease of the retina, characterized by difficulty seeing at night, pigmentary changes within the retina, and eventual loss of vision.

Word History and Origins

Origin of retinitis pigmentosa¹

1860–65; < New Latin: pigmentary retinitis. See pigment, -ose ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of retinitis pigmentosa¹

C19: pigmentosa , feminine of Latin pigmentosus

Example Sentences

Tatel was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa in 1957 as a teen attending Montgomery Blair High School.

From Washington Post

In retinitis pigmentosa, the light-sensitive layer of cells is damaged, but the rest of the retina remains intact.

From Singularity Hub 

Researchers have now inserted a protein that senses amber light into ganglion cells of a man with retinitis pigmentosa, restoring some vision.

From Science News

Gene therapy and gene editing also target only certain genes, but retinitis pigmentosa can be caused by changes in any one of more than 50 genes.

From Science News

In Nature Medicine, the authors describe how their patient lost his vision after being diagnosed 40 years ago with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative disease that destroys photoreceptors, the light-sensing cells in the retina.

From MIT Technology Review