Blindness & Visual Impairment Support Group

I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa a few months ago and have lost most of my vision within the last few months. I usually pull out my magnifying glass and read what I need to. The commission for the blind has helped with getting alot of equipment that is needed to be independent.

Hello all,
My name is Sebastian Arrieta Morante, Im a MD by profession and I am writing to say hello and tell you all about a "new" (I remark new because it really has been done for many years and we are having very interesting results with retinitis pigmentosa).
While this is not a cure, the treatment helps stop the progression of the disease and improve symptoms.
The treatment I offer is with autologous stem cells, we implant your own stem cells endovascularly onto your eyes.
Stem cells are responsible for regenerating the entire human body, they reside in our bones, and this is the reason why they regenerate so quickly after a fracture for example (unlike the rest of the body).
I work at the Institute of Interventional Radiology “Brazzini”, institute seriously committed to our patients and we are pioneers in Lima, Peru with the specialty of Interventional Radiology, modern and relatively new specialty based on helping patients with the help of technology improving their quality of life and in many cases curing them of other diseases. (www.brazzini.com.pe)
I leave a couple of links that contain articles with scientific validity and medical journals published worldwide on stem cells and retinitis pigmentosa.
I repeat that this is NOT a cure, but we are confident we can help stop the disease progression and improve symptoms associated with this degenerative disease.
1. Rescue of retinal degeneration by intravitreally injected adult bone marrow-derived lineage-negative hematopoietic stem cells. http://www.jci.org/articles/view/21686 (we do not use this method, but is to have an idea of what is being done globally).
2. Bone marrow-derived stem cells preserve cone vision in retinitis pigmentosa. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
3. Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cells Rescue Visual Function in Dystrophic RCS Rats. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/... (I guess what you're thinking, it talks about the treatment in rats, but we already have experience in people and the testimony of a Dr which we treated with very good results).
4. Stem Cells: New Opportunities to Treat Eye Diseases. http://www.iovs.org/content/42/12/2...
5. Stem cells in regenerative therapy as tools for retinal degeneration http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/art...
Forgive me if I bore you with this information and medical terms, but I think it is important that patients and especially if they are my patients, that they must have all the information available to treat their illness, and what better way than with scientific papers showing that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
You can ask me any question at this e-mail: sarrieta@brazzini.com.pe, I will personally answer all of your questions.

Dr. Sebastian Arrieta Morante.

so i've been legally blind since i was one, my acuity is 20/400 to 20/600. And I'm really sorry your going through this but i know exactly how you feel. And wanting to punch them in the face is exactly what i want to do half the time. but just try and keep your cool and maybe just explain it to them. why you dont have glasses, why you read things up close, etc. I've found its easier to explain things because ppl tend to be genuinely interested
plus what you tell them they wiill tell their friends family etc so you know more ppl will b informed.

I was told by a specialist that there are more diseases of the eye than any other organ in the body. It's also the most traumatic of senses to lose.

I tend not to be so sensitive concerning normally sighted people's misunderstanding or ignorance. People are like chickens: they peck at the oddities in another chicken. Just consider these types very large poultry ; )

My name is Allen, I was born with bilateral Colaboma. I see about 20/2400. I mostly just joke about it. I have routines. This is how I cope with things. I go to the same restaurants a lot of the time and already know what I want so I wont have to squint at a tiny print menu in low lighting. If I go some place I haven't been before, I try to take a friend. People always tell me that they never even know that I am legally blind until I tell them. If none of these is an option, then I use my magnifier. I know people are all like "What is that?" and I usually respond with "It's a magnifier. I am legally blind." I know it gets annoying, but it is a burden I have learned to bare. You have to do things you enjoy to relieve the stress. I enjoy writing and playing the drums. I feel like a completely different person when I do the things I enjoy. After all, Homer was the one who created the Illiad and The Odyssey.