Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is a hereditary disease which results in progressive impairment of vision because of the degeneration of Rods and Cones in the retina, present in the human eye. The conventional treatments in Oman for RP simply entail the mitigation of the symptoms exhibited by the patients and do not have a cure for the disease. Thus, RP patients face rather limited treatment options. However recent developments in the sphere of stem cell therapy for Retinitis Pigmentosa look rather promising.

How stem cells are useful in treating retinitis pigmentosa

Stem cell treatment for Retinitis Pigmentosa for RP entails the use of lamina-filled cells that can take the place of the non-functional ones in the retina to reign in vision loss. Often iPSCs or RPCs are used due to the possibilities to further differentiate into numerous retinal cells. These cells can act as new cells of the retina and replace the dead ones. They can also support the survival of the remaining photoreceptive cells, and delay or even reverse vision decay.