In the June 1993 edition of the Archives, Berson et al1 reported a beneficial effect of vitamin A supplementation on the cone ERG amplitude in RP. Surprisingly, no visual functions were measured and in an accompanying editorial, Massof and Finkelstein2 expressed a number of concerns. They questioned the basis of this ERG finding and even offered alternative explanations for the purported effect of vitamin A on cone function.
In their final paragraph, Berson et al recommended "that most adult patients with the common forms of retinitis pigmentosa take a supplement of vitamin A.1 It comes as no surprise that this statement immediately caught the attention of sufferers of RP. It was inevitable because this prestigious journal considered these results of sufficient import to expedite publication ensuring that they reached the public domain with the least possible delay.
Therefore, with understandable alacrity, the RP Foundation Fighting Blindness issued