Night blindness, also known as nyctalopia, is the name given to vision problems in low-light environments. People with night blindness have difficulty seeing at night in poorly lit places, cinemas, and dimly lit places. This visual impairment is seen as a difficulty in activities such as driving in the dark, walking, rather than a complete loss of vision. Night blindness can occur due to different health problems. While some of these problems can be treated, others cannot be treated.
What is Night Blindness?
Night blindness is the condition of seeing in the dark and in dim light. People with this condition may have difficulty doing even simple tasks in low-light environments. How severe the symptoms of night blindness will be is closely related to the degree of the disease in the person. Night blindness is actually a symptom that develops due to different health problems rather than being a disease. The eyes are constantly adapting to the light in the environment. In low-light conditions, the pupils (the small black area in the middle of the eye) enlarge, increasing the amount of light entering the eye. Light entering the eye falls on the retina at the back of the eye. Cone and rod cells in the retina are responsible for perceiving this light. Cone cells allow to see in color, while rod cells allow to see in the dark. Night vision is also affected when rod cells are damaged by injury, disease, or any other reason.
What Causes Night Blindness?
Night blindness usually develops due to an underlying eye-related health problem. Eye disorders that can cause night blindness:
- Glaucoma: Glaucoma is a disease in which the increase in pressure inside the eye damages the optic nerve. Depending on glaucoma, there may be permanent problems with vision. Glaucoma can also cause night blindness.
- Cataract: It is an eye problem in which the lens in the eye loses its clarity and becomes cloudy. This clouding develops as a result of degradation of the protein in the lens, often associated with aging. Cataracts can cause vision-related problems, including vision in dim light.
- Myopia (farsightedness): Myopia develops as a result of elongation of the horizontal axis of the eye and inability to reduce the light exactly to the yellow spot. People with myopia have trouble seeing distant objects. When myopia progresses, it can cause night blindness.
- Retinitis Pigmentosa: Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic disorder that damages the retina. Damage to the retina may also pave the way for vision problems in dim light.
How to Diagnose Night Blindness?
The most important part in the diagnosis of night blindness is the symptom the patient has and findings. The doctor tries to diagnose night blindness or another eye disease by questioning the patient's complaints in detail. Regarding the symptoms that can be seen in night blindness, the doctor may ask the patient such questions as:
- Do you have difficulty moving around the house in dim light?
- Do you have difficulty driving at night?
- Dim Is it difficult to recognize faces in the light?
- Does it take a long time to adapt to the transition from light to dark environment?
- Does your vision return to normal after a long time when you switch from light to dark environment?
- Headache
- Eye pain
- Nausea, vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Sensitivity to light
- Difficulty seeing distant objects
Which Vitamin Deficiency Causes Night Blindness?
Vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness. Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is a molecule located in the light-sensitive area of the retina and plays a role in turning nerve messages into pictures. Vitamin A deficiency In this transformation, problems may occur and night vision is affected. Diseases such as pancreatic insufficiency, cystic fibrosis; It may predispose to a deficiency of vitamin A, a fat-soluble type vitamin. Therefore, people with these diseases are also at risk for night blindness. Night blindness is a disease seen in vitamin deficiency. Getting enough vitamin A along with the diet is very important in preventing night blindness. Foods rich in vitamin A can be listed as follows:
- Carrot
- Melon
- Pumpkin
- Mango
- Spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables
- Liver-like red meat products
- Milk
- Eggs
Treatment of Night Blindness How is it?
The basic logic in the treatment of night blindness is to treat the underlying causes of vision problems. For this purpose, it is necessary to apply different treatment methods for different problems:
- For the treatment of night blindness caused by cataracts, the damaged eye lens should be replaced. For this purpose, a simple eye surgery can be planned. The surgically clouded lens is replaced with a new artificial and transparent lens. Thus, complaints such as night blindness and blurred vision are corrected.
- Vitamin supplements should be taken to correct night blindness due to vitamin A deficiency. People who have a balanced and regular diet are less likely to have vitamin A deficiency. However, the risk of vitamin deficiency increases in people who do not eat properly or in the presence of diseases that cause problems with absorption.
- There is no chance of reversing night blindness due to genetic conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa. In retinitis pigmentosa, pigment begins to accumulate in the retina. This accumulation cannot be reversed by a method such as night blindness surgery or medication. Therefore, the treatment of night blindness due to retinitis pigmentosa is currently not possible. People with this type of disease should avoid situations that may have dangerous consequences, such as driving at night. The first method that comes to mind in the prevention of night blindness is to provide vitamin A, which the body needs. is taken prudently. Other precautions that can be taken in addition to the vitamin can be listed as follows:
- Wearing sunglasses: Sun rays can damage the eyes and pave the way for problems such as cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma. To prevent this, it is recommended to wear sunglasses, especially in sunny weather. The sunglasses to be preferred; It needs to protect the eye from all angles, block at least 99% of UVA and UVB rays, and filter 75-90% of visible blue light.
- Consuming foods rich in antioxidants: Consuming plenty of antioxidant vitamins, in terms of antioxidants. Eating rich fruits and vegetables helps protect eye health.
- Doing regular exercise: Regular activity contributes to eye health by both regulating blood sugar and lowering the value of eye pressure.
- Regular eye examination have: In order to closely monitor eye health, it is necessary to go for an eye examination every 1-2 years. Thanks to these controls, a possible health problem in the eyes can be detected at an early stage and treated immediately.
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