Introduction

Nyctalopia also called night-blindness is a condition making it difficult or impossible to see in relatively low light. It is a symptom of several eye diseases. Night blindness may exist from birth, or be caused by injury or malnutrition (for example, vitamin A deficiency). It can be described as insufficient adaptation to darkness.

Night blindness is a type of vision impairment also known as nyctalopia. People with night blindness experience poor vision at night or in dimly lit environments. Although the term “night blindness” implies that you can’t see at night, this isn’t the case. You may just have more difficulty seeing or driving in darkness.

Some types of night blindness are treatable while other types aren’t. See your doctor to determine the underlying cause of your vision impairment. Once you know the cause of the problem, you can take steps to correct your vision.

Causes

The most common cause of nyctalopia is retinitis pigmentosa, a disorder in which the rod cells in the retina gradually lose their ability to respond to the light. Patients suffering from this genetic condition have progressive nyctalopia and eventually, their daytime vision may also be affected. In X-linked congenital stationary night blindness, from birth the rods either do not work at all, or work very little, but the condition doesn't get worse. Another cause of night blindness is a deficiency of retinol, or vitamin A, found in fish oils, liver and dairy products.

A few eye conditions can cause night blindness, including: nearsightedness, or blurred vision when looking at faraway objects, cataracts, or clouding of the eye’s lens, retinitis pigmentosa, which occurs when dark pigment collects in your retina and creates tunnel vision and Usher syndrome, a genetic condition that affects both hearing and vision.

Symptoms

Night blindness is a vision condition that makes you see very poorly in dim lit surroundings. The most evident symptom and the only one is the inability to see clearly in poor lighting and during night time. There are various conditions that could be the underlying cause for night blindness. It’s mostly caused due to structural problems in the occipital areas or due to serious damage to the optic nerve or the blood vessels surrounding the eye.

Vitamin A deficiency is yet another leading cause to night blindness. People suffering from night blindness find it too hard to see in rapidly changing light density. Most people suffering from night blindness are prone to injuries in the lowly lit environment making it extremely dangerous for their overall health.

Treatment

The method of treatment for night blindness is aimed at the underlying causal factor behind the same. As you have read in the previous sections there are various factors that can cause night blindness. The treatment option will be decided by your eye doctor once he/she confirms the underlying cause behind the symptom of night blindness.

Your eye doctor will take a detailed medical history and examine your eyes to diagnose night blindness. You may also need to give a blood sample. Blood testing can measure your vitamin A and glucose levels. Night blindness caused by nearsightedness, cataracts, or vitamin A deficiency is treatable. Corrective lenses, such as eyeglasses or contacts, can improve nearsighted vision both during the day and at night.

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