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Nyctalopia refers to the condition in which a person has trouble seeing in low light. That could indicate a more severe condition, such as a retinal tear.
You can’t see in dark or low-light settings like movie theatres.
Night blindness can occur for various reasons. It can usually be remedied by addressing the underlying medical condition.
A 2.6% prevalence of night blindness was found in a survey of 272 children.
The frequency was 1.5% among women, 1.1% among men, and 4.2% among children younger than four.
A lack of a correlation between night blindness and either gender or age in children was identified.
In this article, we will understand everything about night blindness.
What is night blindness?
Night blindness, also known as Nyctalopia, is the inability of the eye to adjust to low-light settings, such as at night.
Night blindness is not a condition in itself but rather the effect of an underlying eye issue.
Usually, eyes adjust in low light, at night, or in dark spaces. But night blindness doesn’t allow clear vision to people. Although, it doesn’t mean that the person is completely blind.
However, it can be troublesome for people with this issue to perform tasks like driving.
Low light conditions are the most common cause of accidents and may account for up to 80% of bike or pedestrian fatalities.
One-third of 300 participants in Canadian research between 15 and 25 reported nighttime vision loss, with almost half unaware of the issue.
Night blindness is a symptom of some underlying conditions, which may have several causes.
Night blindness symptoms
As we understood, night blindness is a symptom of eye conditions that eventually leads to vision loss in dim light.
A study suggests that night blindness has some special characteristics.
To identify night blindness, the American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests a few questions for people:
- Are they facing difficulty while driving at night?
- Is it difficult for them to move into the house in dim light?
- Is it tricky to recognize faces in dim light?
- Does it take longer than usual to adjust in dim light after a bright one?
There may be additional symptoms associated with night blindness.
Depending on the underlying reason, the nature of these symptoms may include the following:
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Eye pain
- Sensitivity to light
- Blurry or cloudy vision
- Difficulty seeing into the distance
Causes of night blindness
Night blindness is a symptom of an underlying ocular condition involving the retina’s health.
Below are a few of the causes that could potentially lead to the causes of night blindness.
Deficiency of vitamin A
Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most common causes of night blindness.
Lack of vitamin A in the body affects the production of rhodopsin, an essential pigment required for night vision.
Night blindness is among the first signs of a vitamin A deficiency.
Diabetes
Diabetes causes damage to the blood vessels in the eyes by affecting the shape of the eye’s lens.
Diabetes is among the well-known causes of night blindness.
This can lead to a medical condition called diabetic retinopathy.
Poor night vision is one of the first symptoms of diabetic retinopathy.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma occurs when the static eye pressure increases and causes progressive damage to the optical nerve.
This disease affects nighttime and daytime vision, first affecting the peripheral and central vision.
Cataracts
Most people get cataracts as they become older.
When we age, the proteins that make up the lens of our eyes crystallize and harden.
The visual impairments associated with cataracts include halos around lights, increased glare, and blurriness.
The earliest symptoms of a cataract are usually a decline in night vision and increased difficulties driving at night.
Macular degeneration
Source: Ocskaymark_from_Getty_ImagesMacular Degeneration, also called Age-related Macular Degeneration, is a disease of the eye that:
- Causes blind spots
- Affects retinal health
- Distorts vision in both daytime and nighttime
Nearsightedness (Myopia)
The condition known as Myopia causes comparable items to appear distorted and faraway images to be hazy.
New glasses may be needed if you find that low-light vision is as fuzzy as your normal vision.
Retinitis pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa is a retinal disease that occurs when dark pigment collects in the retina.
It causes the rod cells to break down and makes it difficult to see in low-light conditions.
This can also lead to tunnel vision and, eventually, total vision loss.
Congenital conditions
Eye pigmentation issues are caused by congenital diseases such as Down Syndrome, neural tube abnormalities, etc.
Reduced night vision could lead to complete incapacity to see in the dark.
When babies are born with Usher syndrome, they often have trouble seeing at night.
Refractive surgeries
Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and Lasik are refractive surgeries that can change the shape of the cornea to improve vision.
However, this can affect the way light bends and enters the eye.
As a result, halos and glare around headlights and streetlights can affect your vision at night.
These surgeries could be among the possible causes of night blindness.
Night blindness vitamins
Vitamin A plays a crucial role in different systems of your body. It is essential for healthy vision, cell development, and metabolism.
It’s essential to keep your immune and reproductive systems healthy.
Your body can’t make vitamin A. Therefore, you should take proper food.
Vitamin A is vital for your vision. Your eyes need specific pigments to make your retina function properly.
In other words, vitamin A is necessary for night vision.
Your corneas also require vitamin A so that they are lubricated adequately. If the corneas get too dry, it will again lead to blindness.
Night blindness treatment
Various underlying diseases can cause night blindness.
Thus, the treatments can vary from patient to patient.
Some of the conditions and night blindness treatments are as follows:
Glaucoma
Source: Panupong_Piewkleng_from_Getty_ImagesIf Glaucoma causes night blindness, then treating Glaucoma itself can help relieve the blindness.
Laser treatments, eyedrop, and eye surgery may help eliminate night blindness.
Glaucoma medicines like miotics make the pupil smaller.
This reduces night vision.
Diabetes
In case you have diabetes and have difficulties seeing at night. It is very important to determine if it is diabetic retinopathy.
You can treat diabetic retinopathy using anti-VEGF medicines, laser treatments, and surgery.
Anti-VEGF medicines help slow the abnormal damage caused by blood vessels and slow vision loss.
Cataract
If a cataract is causing blindness, it will be better to remove it.
In cataract surgery, the surgeon replaces your cloudy lens with a new, artificial lens.
This will help you improve your sight as well as your night vision.
Vitamin A
The deficiency of vitamin A is a very common cause of night blindness.
It can be treated using vitamin A supplements. Your night blindness will get back to normal when vitamin A levels regulate.
Myopia
Source: Daniil_Dubov_Getty_ImagesNight blindness caused due to Myopia or nearsightedness can be treated using an appropriate lens.
Use contact lenses or eyeglasses as per your doctor’s prescription.
Retinitis pigmentosa
No cure has been found for this illness.
Lenses or retinal surgery are ineffective treatments because this is an inherited problem.
Make an appointment with your eye doctor if you suspect your night blindness is caused by retinitis pigmentosa or another inherited condition.
They can advise you on how to prevent or slow the worsening of your eyesight.
Refractive laser surgery
If you face night blindness after refractive eye surgery, ask your doctor to add an anti-reflective coating to your eyeglasses.
This can help to reduce glare and halos and improve your night vision.
Ways to enhance vitamin A deficiency
You can prevent vitamin A deficiency with the intake of a healthy diet. Vitamin A can be found naturally in:
- Green vegetables, such as leafy greens and broccoli
- Orange and yellow fruits include oranges, cantaloupe, mangos, and papayas
- Dairy products
- Certain types of fish, such as salmon
- Liver, beef, and chicken
- Cereals, potatoes, rice, wheat, and soybeans fortified with vitamin A
- Eggs
There are Vitamin A tablets that treat night blindness and restore eye lubrication.
Unfortunately, visual loss caused by corneal ulcer scarring cannot be cured.
Acrotac and Evion are medicines that are used in the enhancement of vitamin A in the body. Your healthcare professional will guide you on the same.
Vitamin A should not be administered in high dosages to infants because it can be harmful.
Nevertheless, supplements can be used to treat children with this condition.
Your child’s doctor will determine the appropriate dosage.
A healthcare professional can also assist you in planning a healthy, balanced diet that includes vitamin A-containing foods.
However, excessive amounts of vitamin A might result in toxicity, so you need to keep a balance.
If necessary, you can also take supplements for vitamin A.
Conclusion
In this article, we understood different facts related to night blindness.
Moreover, we need to keep our bodies’ vitamin A enriched.
Not keeping so will result in Glaucoma, Diabetes, Cataracts, and many other things leading to night blindness.
Although, there are eyedrops, laser treatments and eye surgery that help eliminate night blindness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does night blindness look like?
Those with night blindness have difficulty in low-light situations, such as a movie theatre, and may have trouble seeing the stars even on a clear night. It is common for these issues to worsen shortly after a person has been exposed to strong illumination.
How do you know if you have night blindness?
Those who suffer from night blindness have difficulty in low-light situations, such as a movie theatre, and may have trouble seeing the stars even when the sky is dark. Leaving a place with lots of light can make these issues more severe.
How is night blindness treated?
Night blindness treatment options range from changing to stronger glasses or a different Glaucoma medication to more invasive procedures like surgery for those with cataracts.
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