A recent study from Ryoo and colleagues demonstrates that depletion of XBP1 in Drosophila augments photoreceptor degeneration in ninaE (G69D)−/+, a Drosophila model for autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (ADRP) [19], suggesting that XBP1 is essential for photoreceptor survival during ER stress. Here, XBP1 is linked to autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa.