What is Night Blindness?

Nyctalopia, also called night blindness, is a condition in which a person loses the ability to view things in dim light or darkness. This is not an eye disease but a symptom of many other eye problems. Night blindness is the inability to see clearly in a dark or dim light environment. However, this does not mean one has complete blindness at night; instead, one’s eye takes longer to adjust to darkness or can’t see correctly. One can appreciate how greatly it can affect daily life, especially at night or when one drives in the dark after sunset. Let’s learn about night blindness symptoms, its causes and how it can be managed. 

What are the Symptoms of Night Blindness?

Identifying signs and symptoms of night blindness helps in early detection and treatment. Commonly observed night blindness symptoms are as follows: 

1. Problem in vision while in dim lighting: This is one of the most prominent night blindness symptoms whereby one cannot see in low light.
2. Blindness/Difficulty to Adapt in darkness: A person entering a room from brightly lighted surroundings takes more time for the eyes to adjust to the darkness.
3. Blurry vision while driving at night: Not being able to clearly see road signs, pedestrians, or oncoming vehicles is also one of the common night blindness symptoms. 
4. Glare sensitivity: The oncoming vehicle headlights seem too bright and may need to be more manageable.
5. Blindness to the side when in dark: The inability to see enough things clearly off to the side (peripheral vision) in lousy light.
6. Trouble walking in darkened rooms: Individuals with night blindness may find it difficult walking around darkened areas like inside movie theatres or during power outages.
7. Eyestrain/discomfort when in low light: Pressure or tiredness in the eyes from focusing in low light.
8. Colour perception, impaired at night: These patients observe that colours appear washed out or cannot be differentiated in low light.
9. Halos about lights: While walking in darkness, they experience the appearance of circles of light around streetlights or some other bright sources kept in the dark surroundings.
10. Poor contrast sensitivity also comes in night blindness symptoms, meaning difficulty perceiving objects in the same shades in poor light.

They also experience, sometimes:

• Headaches after straining the eyes to see in poor light.
• Bumping into things more often or clumsiness in poor light
• Anxiety or hesitation to participate in activities at night

Night Blindness is Caused Due to Deficiency of Below Factors

Night blindness is caused due to deficiency of many possible factors like it may occur because of the deficiency of Vitamin A in the blood and tissue or it can also be due to some dearth in our food, and many more. Read more about the potential reasons of this disorder; night blindness is caused due to deficiency of:

1. Deficiency of Vitamin A: needed in making rhodopsin, one of the retina pigments necessary for peripheral and night vision.
2. Retinitis Pigmentosa: a hereditary disorder that brings about progressive degeneration of the retina.
3. Cataracts: It distorts the light that comes into your eyes and causes blurry vision.
4. Glaucoma: It is the increased pressure inside the eyeball that might damage the optic nerve.
5. Diabetic Retinopathy is an injury/damage to the blood vessels within the retina caused by diabetes.
6. Myopia (Nearsightedness): Unrectified nearsightedness may affect night vision.
7. Zinc Deficiency: It plays a vital role in maintaining the metabolism of  vitamin A obtained from the Vitamin A tablets and in retaining the retina’s health. Vitamin C Tablets act as antioxidants which also helps improve eye health by preventing damage from free radicals.
8. Certain Medications: Some drugs can cause a blur in night vision as a side effect.
9. Age-Related Macular Degeneration: This disease affects central vision and could have a consequence on night vision.
10. Keratoconus: Also, night blindness is caused due to deficiency of this disease; it occurs when the cornea assumes a cone shape and hurts general vision.

Night Blindness Treatment

The treatment depends upon what has been causing the night blindness. Some standard modes of treatment are as follows :

1. Correction of Deficiency of Vitamin A: By dietary modification or supplementation
2. Treatment of Cataracts, Glaucoma, or diabetic retinopathy appropriately
3. Corrective Lenses: Glasses or Contact lenses will correct the refraction errors.
4. Low Vision Aids: Those that aid in better vision in low light
5. Lifestyle Changes: Adjustment to the loss of vision by making appropriate changes in routine habits and activities
6. Surgical intervention: Cataract and some retinal conditions
7. Gene Therapy: Gene therapy treatment for the genetic causes of night blindness, new
8. Medications: For circulatory disorders like Glaucoma, which might cause symptoms of night vision.

Prevention of Night Blindness

Not all causes of night blindness can be prevented, but one can certainly maintain eye health with a few measures:

• Balanced Diet: Full of vitamin A, zinc, and other nutrients for vision.
• Guard Your Eyes: Wear sunglasses that block UV damage when you go out in the sun.
• Keep Diseases Checked: Chronic diseases like diabetes can weaken eye health. Keeping these diseases under control is very necessary.
• Regular Eye Exams: Eye problems could be detected early by routine examinations, followed by effective treatment.
• Do Not Smoke: Many eye diseases occur more often in people who smoke.

Conclusion

Understanding from what is night blindness to night blindness symptoms and how to manage it, we have reached the bottom line. Night blindness, therefore, will dramatically alter the moment in life, and everything will start by learning about the factors that cause this problem. While some types of night blindness can be treated, others may require adjustments over a lifetime. People experiencing night blindness lead successful lives through careful collaboration with their eye care professionals, making the necessary adjustments to lifestyles, and adequately caring for overall eye health. Remember that early detection and prompt intervention may save vision and provide a good quality of life. The first signs of night blindness should not be delayed by consulting a professional.