Retinitis Pigmentosa: WHAT ELSE WE CAN DO?

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) represents a group of progressive hereditary diseases of the retina that lead to incurable blindness and affect two million people worldwide and principally characterized by progressive rod-dominant photoreceptor degeneration in the initial stage and eventual cone photoreceptor degeneration in later stages. RP has been known to be initiated by photoreceptor apoptosis as a final common pathway at the cellular level, irrespective of gene mutations, and apoptosis can thus be considered as a therapeutic target. The intracellular concentrations of calcium ion are increased in apoptosis. Calcium channel blockers, which alter the intracellular calcium concentration by modifying calcium flux across cell membranes and affect various intracellular signaling processes, have been long and widely used to treat essential hypertension and certain types of cardiac diseases such as angina pectoris. The goal of this review is to discuss the rationale behind the recent suggestions that calcium channel blockers may be useful in the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa.