Vision rehabilitation of patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

Clinical relevance: The goal of low vision rehabilitation is to help patients make the most of their remaining vision with the use of low vision devices so they can lead independent lives. Vision rehabilitation is an efficient way to improve the remaining vision of people with low vision due to retinitis pigmentosa.

Background: Retinitis pigmentosa is a common inherited retinal disease causing vision impairment and blindness. This study aimed to investigate the role of low-vision devices in managing low vision associated with retinitis pigmentosa.

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 50 consecutive retinitis pigmentosa cases assessed for low vision rehabilitation in a tertiary care hospital between January 2022 and June 2024. Each participant underwent a thorough ocular examination, including history, visual acuity assessment, and evaluation for low vision devices (LVDs). The paired samples T-test, with a significance level of p < 0.05, was used to look for statistical differences between visual acuity before and after the provision of LVDs.

Results: Of the 50 participants, 68% (n = 34) were male. The mean age was 26.10 (±12.96) years. At the time of presentation, the mean visual acuity of the better-seeing eye was 1.04 ± 0.46 (range: 0.10 to 1.60) log MAR for distance and 3.60 ± 2.46 (1.00-12.00) M for near. There was a significant improvement of 0.27 ± 0.25 logMAR in the mean best corrected visual acuity after careful refraction (p < 0.001). The mean visual acuity was improved to 0.77 ± 0.46 logMAR for distance 1.46 ± 1.25 M for near with LVDs. Monocular telescopes were the most common LVDs for distance vision, and Fonda glasses (high plus up to + 10.00D with base-in prisms) for near vision. Fifteen (30%) of participants needed more than one type of LVD for different tasks.

Conclusion: The use of low vision devices can enhance the functional independence of people with low vision associated with retinitis pigmentosa by maximising residual vision according to their specific needs.