The Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is a retinal degenerative disease that affects the photoreceptors (rods and cones) the cells which, when hit by light, transform your image into an electrical pulse that travels along the optical paths to reach the brain where are interpreted.

This is a hereditary disease that is transmitted genetically by the Legge of Mendel. It is caused by a genetic mutation that causes a defect in loading of photoreceptors that degenerate, causing progressive loss of vision. The risk of having sick children depends on the type of inheritance.

In about 20% of the cases we are talking about the syndrome, as well as the degeneration of the retina will have to be borne diseases of other organs or apparatuses. The most common is Usher syndrome, where in addition to visual disturbance is a reduction of hearing of different levels (from a simply hearing loss to a complete deafness accompanied by mutism).

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It is a disease that affects the macula, the central portion of the retina for the distinct vision. Thanks to the function of the macula, our eyes can read, recognize faces, colours and the smaller details.

The most common form of the macular degeneration is the senile, which appears after the sixties. In the macula begin to develop the changes, which over time can lead to larger defects that interfere with vision. Depending on the mode of progression recognize two forms of macular degeneration:

• the dry form, also known as atrophic
• the wet or exudative form.

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Low Vision and Visual Rehabilitation   The term "partially sighted" has begun to circulate in Italy in 1960, borrowing the term from "Visually Impaired", French "Malvoyant" or German "Sehbehinderter". In fact, in Europe, were only these three countries to offer to people with partial sight, a visual aid technology by adapting some telescopic systems. Then, while the French and the English preferred the Galilean system, the Germans adapted and perfected the system Kepler. The procedures for assessment, prescription and learning on the use of these tools led to the creation of manuals which were then (erroneously) used as a "rehabilitation protocols."

But it was thanks to two Swedish educationalists, Krister Inde and Orian Backman, who finally began to study rehabilitation strategies aimed at recovery personal, seriously compromised by the visual impairment. Their book "Low Vision Training" has been translated into several languages and adapted to different national realities and thereby initiating a visual rehabilitation techniques for real, with the launch of projects aiming to complete rehabilitation of residual vision formulated after a careful assessment of the personal motivations and cognitive skills. Today in almost all properties in ophthalmology offer a service of low vision and/or visual rehabilitation, Retinitis Association offer a devoted Visual Rehabilitation for all of its members and has a complete range of visual aids constantly updated.

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