Retinitis pigmentosa. A mimic of neurologic disease

Six patients with various forms of retinitis pigmentosa who were misdiagnosed as having neurologic disease are presented. In five of the patients, visual field defects were misinterpreted as being secondary to a neurologic rather than a retinal problem. In two patients, optic nerve drusen, which accompanied the retinal degeneration, were mistaken for papilledema. Since the diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa is not always obvious on ophthalmoscopy, the clinician must be aware of the various manifestations of this disorder and be able to distinguish visual field defects on a retinal from a neurologic basis.