Retinitis Pigmentosa Follow-up

Updated: Mar 18, 2021
  • Author: David G Telander, MD, PhD; Chief Editor: Donny W Suh, MD, MBA, FAAP, FACS  more...
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Follow-up

Further Outpatient Care

Annual patient examinations usually are sufficient to measure Goldmann visual field and visual acuity.

If medical treatment is initiated, more frequent visits and laboratory blood work may be indicated.

Patients with systemic conditions that are associated with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) may require closer follow-up care.

Next:

Patient Education

To help them make wise decisions about driving or vocational rehabilitation, educate patients about their field defects.

Family pedigrees and, when available, genetic subtyping can be helpful in genetic counseling. Patients should understand that the visual degeneration, which usually occurs over 30-40 years, slowly progresses and varies with the type of RP.

Patients with Usher syndrome should understand the course of their hearing loss, as each of the 3 types of Usher syndrome has a different prognosis regarding hearing.

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