Retinitis Pigmentosa in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Institutional-Based Studies

Background The prevalence of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in Africa has not been well documented although it has emerged as one of the leading causes of inherited irreversible blindness in the world. Currently, there are no systematic compilations and meta-analyses of the prevalence of RP in African settings. The purpose of this study was to calculate the institutional based pooled prevalence of retinitis pigmentosa in Africa and further investigate variations in different countries and institutional settings. Methods This systematic review followed guidelines outlined in PRISMA 2020. Electronic searches of PubMed, Google Scholar, African Journals Online, and institutional repositories were carried out for papers between January 2000 and October 2025 that contained data on the prevalence of RP in African populations. The study design was observational and included a clearly defined population denominator and be supported by clinical confirmation of diagnosis with RP. The Joanna Briggs Institute’s Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence Studies was used in assessing the quality of methods. A random-effects meta-analysis of the transformed logits of the proportion was performed using JASP software. The Cochran’s Q statistic and I² were used to assess level of heterogeneity. Results A total of eight institutional studies with 44,580 screening participants and 285 cases of retinitis pigmentosa were included in this meta-analysis. The institutional study data combined yielded a prevalence of retinitis pigmentosa of 1.3% (CI 0.3–6.2%) in the random-effect model. There was strong evidence of inter study heterogeneity (I² = 98.6%; p < 0.001). The overall prevalence remained relatively low in the general ophthalmology clinic subjects (0.16–0.84%) but remained appreciably high in the subjects from low vision centers (16.6%), blind schools (5.0%), and inherited retinal dystrophy centers (7.9%). However, Meta-regression analysis showed no statistically significant difference in the pooled prevalence across studies ( p  = 0.368). Conclusion This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of RP in Africa ever conducted. The Prevalence of RP in clinical practice is relatively rare; however, it accounts for one of the most significant causes of permanent visual impairment in selected groups of patients. Improving diagnosis, genetic eye care services, and vision rehabilitation centers are imperative in this region regarding provision of care to affected patients.