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AMD
| Cataract | Diabetic
Retinophaty | Glaucoma | Retinitis
Pigmentosa
RP can manifest itself in many ways since it is not one disorder but many
with similar symptoms. For some, the loss of sight is slow and there may
be only a small loss over perhaps ten years or more. Others have periods
of rapid loss, often with years in between with no apparent decline. Some
will have been aware of poor vision since childhood or teens; for instance,
they probably experienced difficulty with ball games or getting about
at dusk. Classically the outer fringes of vision are affected initially,
causing apparent clumsiness and inability to see at dusk. In other cases
the central vision may be affected first, causing difficulty in detailed
work such as reading and in identifying colours.
With so many variations in the symptoms and effects, it is not surprising
that the public find RP a difficult condition to understand. When many
with RP can still see to read or gaze into the distance, to pick out landmarks
or respond to a smile, it is hard to appreciate that they may have serious
visual limitations. Yet it is so important for mutual understanding, especially
within the family, that the normally sighted person should recognise and
comprehend the difficulties of RP. For example, a person experiencing
the early stages of RP may have almost perfect day vision but at night,
in brilliant sunshine or in rapidly changing light conditions, the same
person may react as if they are almost totally blind. Loss of part of
the visual field is not always understood. As a person with normal sight
stares ahead, they will see objects to either side, above and below the
point on which their eyes are fixed. We often hear the expression "I saw
it out of the corner of my eye". Many people with RP lose this facility.
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