Macular abnormalities in patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the frequency of macular abnormalities identified through OCT in individuals with retinitis pigmen-tosa.
Methodology: This quantitative cross-sectional research was conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology at Civil Hospital Karachi. A total of 50 eyes from patients aged 18 to 65 years, diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), were examined. The diagnosis of retinal pigmentosa was based on symptoms such as poor night vision or visual field loss, along with an ophthalmological assessment revealing mid-peripheral pigmentary changes, arteriolar narrowing, and a waxy pallor of the optic disc. To ensure high-quality retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) images, eyes with sig-nificant media opacities that obstructed the view of the fundus were excluded from the study.
Results: Average The mean age of the patients was 41.2 ±3.24 years. Majority of the patients were between 36-45 years, 17 (68%) were females and 08 (32%) were males. 31(62%) patients had normal or mild impairment. The lens status examination revealed that 7(14%) eyes had cataract and 5(10%) eyes had aphakia. 12 (24%) patients showed up having normal macula and 3 (6%) had Cystoid macular oedema (CME).
Conclusion: Macular finding of OCT revealed that macular finding in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) manifest in various forms. Therefore, genetic testing is essential for individuals with visual impairments.

Keywords: Inherited retinal dystrophy, macular atrophy, macular edema, optical coherence tomography, retinitis pig-mentosa