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Do you experience problems seeing at night? Millions of Americans do. A disorder of the cells in the retina responsible for seeing in low light causes night vision loss and night blindness. It might surprise you to know that your night vision differs from your day vision. During the night, your eyes are color blind - they see only a small fraction of what they see during the day. When your eye has a central scotoma (a loss of vision) in the center of its field, you cannot detect stationary objects in the same way you can detect moving objects.
Various eye conditions can lead to night blindness, including:
Nearsightedness, or blurred vision when viewing distant objects can cause optical difficulties that make seeing at night more difficult. Cataracts and Night Blindness
Cataracts, or clouding of the eye’s lens, is one of the most common causes of difficulty with vision at night. Older adults are more likely to develop cataracts. As a result, they're more likely to suffer from night blindness resulting from cataracts than children or young adults. Patients with high blood glucose levels or diabetes are also more likely to develop eye diseases, such as cataracts.
People diagnosed with Usher Syndrome will progress to retinitis Pigmentosa which causes cells to break down in the retina,which is the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, leading to difficulties with night vision. One of the earliest symptoms for someone with Retinitis Pigmentosa, starting usually at a young age, is night blindness. The rods are the first part of the eye to get impacted from retinitis pigmentosa, which makes it difficult to adjust to changing amounts of light. Furthermore Retinitis Pigmentosa also causes a loss of peripheral vision which can make it even more difficult to navigate safely at night due to the combination of poor night vision and limited peripheral vision. Vitamin A Deficiency and Night Blindness
Vitamin A deficiency may also cause night blindness in very rare cases in the United States or in other countries where diets vary widely. Individuals with pancreatic insufficiency, such as those with cystic fibrosis, are more likely to have vitamin A deficiency because vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. Consequently, they are more susceptible to night blindness.
An extremely rare condition affecting the retina is congenital stationary night blindness.
Due to impaired photoreceptor transmission, individuals with CSNB have difficulty adjusting to low light situations.
Advanced primary open angle glaucoma causes a significant amount of damage to our eyes and vision and is a progressive condition that is the most common cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. People with glaucoma report difficulties with glare, driving, night vision, and poor color contrast.
Night blindness is characterized by difficulty seeing well in dark or dim lighting, especially after transitioning from a brighter environment to a lower-light environment, like walking from the outside into a room with low lighting. People often have trouble driving at night, particularly when streetlights or oncoming traffic headlights glare into their eyes.
While you cannot prevent genetic predispositions, you can control your lifestyle. Below are some tips to possibly prevent night blindness:
When you get behind the wheel at night, you should take special precautions to ensure your safety and the safety of your vehicle. In 2016, 23 % of all injury crashes and 37 percent of all fatal crashes in the United States occurred between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
In order to make driving safer for drivers and road users, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) came up with the Golden Rules for Road Safety. Check your vision regularly, protect your eyes from glare, and always wear your glasses while driving. In addition, the FIA advises drivers to:
Night blindness can be treated in a variety of ways, depending on its cause.
A cataract is surgically removed. The doctor will remove your clouded natural lens and replace it with a clear artificial lens, known as an intraocular lens. Most people find that their vision improves after the surgery, although some will still require glasses.
You can prevent night blindness if you keep diabetic retinopathy under control.
In case of retinal disease, a retina specialist will need to assess you further to determine the type of disease. You can schedule a medical eye exam with our eye doctors today, call us at (212) 752-6930.
If you find it difficult to see during the night while driving, or if you're seated in a restaurant with low lighting and you can't see much, you might have night blindness. If you notice night blindness, you should seek medical attention right away by visiting us at Amplify EyeCare Manhattan, since it may be a sign of serious health problems. You can make an appointment for an eye examination by calling us at (212) 752-6930.
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