Cellular waste causes retinitis pigmentosa, researchers report

Salt Lake City-Researchers at the University of Utah's Moran Eye Center have identified gene mutations that impair the ability of the photoreceptor cells to dispose of waste properly and as a result cause retinitis pigmentosa.

The discovery raises concerns that carbonic anhydrase inhibitors may adversely affect vision, according to a November online report of the Journal Molecular Genetics.

Patients in the study each had a mutation in which a defect in the process responsible for handling carbon dioxide waste and maintaining acid and base balance led to photoreceptor degeneration, said Kang Zhang, MD, PhD, the senior author.