What is Night blindness | Symptoms| prevention| Types| Causes

Night blindness is also known as Nyctalopia which came from greek language NYCT means night and  Al came from Aloa which mean is Blind and OPIA mean is vision when you will combine these word so it shall be called as Night blind vision people who are affected by this are not be able to see in night and they can experience difficulty while driving the vehicle at night

Types

Night blindness are of two types 

ACQUIRED If you were not born night blind but due to your diet or any other problem it affected you for example Rhodopsin chemical is not working properly so it will be called as Acquired
CONGENITAL If you were born blind due to any problem in Xchromosome or if its absent

Symptoms

The symptoms of night blindness may different for each patient Its main symptoms are

• Poor exposure

• Difficulty seeing while driving at night

• Adapting very slowly between low light to bright light

But you must go to doctor because only your doctor can provide an adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and can tell if all those symptoms are in fact signs of night blindness

Night blindness causes

• Retinitis Pigmentosa

This is a rare genetic condition in which the eye's response to low light changes.  The disease begins with a decrease in the ability to see at night In this, retinal photoreceptor cells rod and con cells start to deteriorate Hence there is no cure for this disease and eventually it leads to blindness.

• Vitamin A deficiency and Xerophthalmia

One of the most common causes of night blindness is vitamin A deficiency, the shocking fact is that the problem is very large in developing countries like India Malnutrition and unbalanced eating are a major cause of night blindness in young children Treatment is often delayed, as children are unable to accurately tell symptoms Xerophthalmia is a disease in which there is dryness of the eye membrane and this problem is caused by vitamin A deficiency

• Cataracts

This is a problem that occurs in older people and it causes blurring of the eye lens Night blindness can also occur as a symptom of cataract

• Myopia

Blurred vision at night may be due to myopia

• Other reason

In other cases the person may have Nyctalopia or it may be due to the use of certain medicines (such as medication for glaucoma)

• Heredity 

People with retinitis pigmentosa are more likely to develop night blindness

• Diet 

People who do not eat enough sources of vitamin A, such as green leafy vegetables, eggs, and milk products, are at a higher risk of night blindness

• Age 

Older people are more likely to have night blindness.

Night blindness treatment

• People with night blindness may be asked to put on glasses to help driving at night
• In myopia eyeglasses or contact lenses are used to improve vision
• Certain drugs such as Quinidine that cause night blindness should be replaced with some other alternative medicine
• Cataract surgery is a simple procedure that removes blurring accumulated on the eye lens and improves vision which improves night blindness
• People suffering from vitamin A deficiency should consume foods rich in vitamin A Vitamin A should be given orally or by injection according to children's age and severity of illness

Diagnosis of  Night Blindness

Some cases of night blindness can be treated depending on the cause of the problem, while some cases are untreated  Upon experiencing its symptoms the patient should immediately go to an ophthalmologist to diagnose the problem

Night blindness is diagnosed in the following ways

• Tests for measuring the intensity of vision Tests for measuring reflectance of the light of the papillary and the ability to see color.
• Tests to confirm the number given for eyeglasses or contact lenses
• Slit lamp test to see the structure of the eye.
• Testing done with an Ophthalmoscope to check for eye injury

Other Tests

In addition to all of the above tests your doctor may also test your electroretinogram This test is used to measure the reactions of lights and the response of rod and con cells to light
Visual field testing may also be done to look for the possibility of other diseases such as glaucoma or brain stroke

Prevention of Night blindness

Drink plenty of vitamin A in your diet
Vitamin-A is also found in plenty in these things
Foods rich in vitamin-A are
• Collard greens
• Spinach
• Eggs
• Milk
• Fish liver oil and liver

Yellow-green fruits and vegetables such as 

• Papaya
• Carrots 
• Mangoes 
• Melon
• Capsicum 
Get your eye checked regularly by an Ophthalmologist