Your retina is the layer of tissue at the back of your eye, which helps convert light into signals for your brain to process. When the cells that make up your retina are damaged, you may experience visual symptoms, such as loss of night vision and reduced field of vision. The category of eye conditions that cause damage to your retina are called retinitis pigmentosa. Keep reading to find out how retinitis pigmentosa occurs, what the common treatments are, and how acupuncture can help.
If you have retinitis pigmentosa, you may experience symptoms like:
These symptoms may develop gradually, and usually appear when you’re young. But you may also develop retinitis pigmentosa when you’re older and experience a faster progression of symptoms.
Retinitis pigmentosa occurs due to differences in the genes that control the cells in your retina. These genetic differences, or mutations can damage your retina cells, which can affect your vision. Medications (such as sildenafil (Viagra)), eye injuries, infections, and genetic conditions like Usher syndrome may also contribute to retinitis pigmentosa.
So far, no cure has been found for retinitis pigmentosa. But you can easily manage the condition with certain treatments, home remedies, and lifestyle changes. Your first step is to see an eye specialist such as an optometrist, who can find you the correct glasses to wear. As well as getting the right prescription, you may also like to try glasses with anti-glare coatings. This can help to reduce the intensity of bright lights. Aside from wearing glasses, you can also adopt home remedies like consuming turmeric in your diet. Turmeric is a bright yellow spice that can help to slow down the process of vision loss. There are other supplements, like vitamin A, that may also help with retinitis pigmentosa. Always consult with a health professional before using supplements, to make sure you get the correct one for you and your individual health circumstances. There are also quite a few lifestyle changes that can make it easier to manage retinitis pigmentosa. One simple tip is to make sure your furniture is arranged in such a way that there are wide, clear spaces to walk. This can help you avoid the frustration of bumping into things. You can also use adjustable lighting where possible so that you can create your own level of comfortable lighting. Using a magnifying glass to read small print and increasing the text size on your screens can help a lot too.
Acupuncture is a treatment technique used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat many health conditions including eye problems like retinitis pigmentosa. When you have acupuncture treatment, your acupuncturist inserts very thin needles into specifically selected points on your body. These points link to the network of energy meridians in your body and allow your practitioner to adjust this flow of energy. In this way they can regulate your blood circulation and eliminate stagnations. This can help to boost your body’s natural healing process. Researchers have been studying the effectiveness of acupuncture on eye conditions like retinitis pigmentosa. One scientific study found that, “Acupuncture entails minimal risk, if administered by a well-trained acupuncturist and may have significant, measurable benefits on residual visual function in patients with retinitis pigmentosa, in particular scotopic sensitivity, which had not previously been studied.”
Overall, retinitis pigmentosa is the name of the category of eye conditions where the cells in your retina become damaged. Retinitis pigmentosa can cause symptoms such as reduced night vision, and sensitivity to bright lights. Although there is currently no cure for retinitis pigmentosa, you can manage the condition with lifestyle changes and wearing the correct glasses. Acupuncture is also a great way to treat retinitis pigmentosa naturally.
Bittner, A. K., Gould, J. M., Rosenfarb, A., Rozanski, C., & Dagnelie, G. (2014). A pilot study of an acupuncture protocol to improve visual function in retinitis pigmentosa patients. Clinical & Experimental Optometry, 97(3), 240–247. https://doi.org/10.1111/cxo.12117
Jewell, T. (2022, September 13). The Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment of Retinitis Pigmentosa. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/eye-health/retinitis-pigmentosa
