Do You Have Difficult To See In the Dark?

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Nyctalopia (Greek for “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, a lack of vitamin A).

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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. In the Second World War misinformation was spread by the British to cover up the reason for their pilots’ successful night time missions. Their success was, in the misinformation, attributed to improved night vision and pilots flying night missions were encouraged to eat plenty of carrots, which contain carotenoids and can be converted into retinol.[citation needed] The actual reason for their success was their use of advanced radar technologies.

The opposite problem, known as hemeralopia, is much rarer.

The outer area of the retina is made up of more rods than cones. The rod cells are the cells that enable us to see in poor illumination. This is the reason why loss of side vision often results in night blindness.

Individuals suffering from night blindness not only see poorly at night, but also require some time for their eyes to adjust from brightly lit areas to dim ones. Contrast vision may also be greatly reduced.

Essential Nutrient : Vitamin A

Known as the ultimate eye vitamin, Vitamin A is absolutely essential for eye and vision health. In our bodies, vitamin A is required by the retina for its proper functions – in fact, one of the two sources of dietary vitamin A goes by the name “retinoids.”

The other source is carotenoids, obtained from fruits and vegetables containing yellow, orange, and dark green pigments, including that old standby, beta-carotene. When Mom told you to eat your carrots for good vision, she wasn’t kidding!

Vitamin A is necessary for the production of rhodopsin, the visual pigment used in low light levels. One of the causes of night blindness is vitamin A deficiency; supplements of that vitamin are often recommended for those with poor night vision, along with a diet emphasizing Vitamin A-rich foods, such as sweet potatoes, carrots, mangoes, spinach, and cantaloupe.

Vitamin A also helps:

• Your eyes adjust to light changes
• Moistens the eyes, which can enhance visual acuity
• It has been shown to prevent the forming of cataracts
• It has been shown to help prevent blindness from macular degeneration.

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