Intraocular light scatter in patients with retinitis pigmentosa

We evaluated the level of intraocular light scatter in a group of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) who had minimal or no lens opacities, since such patients not infrequently complain of photoaversion. Intraocular light scatter was measured in 20 patients with RP who were < 60 years of age and who had no more than a trace of posterior subcapsular (PSC) lens opacity by slit-lamp evaluation. Measurements of intraocular straylight were made using a van den Berg Straylightmeter. Results from the patients with RP were compared with those of a control group of 30 subjects with normal vision whose ages were similar to those of the patients with RP. Seventeen of the 20 patients with RP had straylight levels that were above the range of age-similar normal control subjects. In some patients, the straylight parameter was increased by a factor of 2.5 above the normal mean for the patient's age and by as much as four to five times the normal mean for 20-yr-old subjects. There was a statistically significant correlation (r = -0.73, P < 0.01) between the patients' log relative elevation in the straylight parameter and their log visual field areas. Our findings indicate that patients with RP can have increased levels of intraocular light scatter despite minimal or no clinically observable PSC lens opacities. The increased intraocular straylight, which is likely due at least in part to subclinical abnormalities in lens morphology, can accentuate the visual disability of patients with RP in the presence of glare sources.