who are prone to night blindness
Answers
Older adults have a greater risk of developing cataracts. They're therefore more likely to have night blindness due to cataracts than children or young adults. In rare cases in the United States or in other parts of the world where nutritional diets may vary, vitamin A deficiency can also lead to night blindness.
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Everything You Need to Know About Night Blindness
Medically reviewed by Ann Marie Griff, O.D. — Written by Marissa Selner — Updated on July 23, 2019
What to look for
Causes
Treatment
Prevention
Outlook
What’s night blindness?
Night blindness is a type of vision impairment also known as nyctalopia. People with night blindness experience poor vision at night or in dimly lit environments.
Although the term “night blindness” implies that you can’t see at night, this isn’t the case. You may just have more difficulty seeing or driving in darkness.
Some types of night blindness are treatable while other types aren’t. See your doctor to determine the underlying cause of your vision impairment. Once you know the cause of the problem, you can take steps to correct your vision.
What to look for
The sole symptom of night blindness is difficulty seeing in the dark. You’re more likely to experience night blindness when your eyes transition from a bright environment to an area of low light, such as when you leave a sunny sidewalk to enter a dimly lit restaurant.
You’re also likely to experience poor vision when driving due to the intermittent brightness of headlights and streetlights on the road.
What causes night blindness?
A few eye conditions can cause night blindness, including:
nearsightedness, or blurred vision when looking at faraway objects
cataracts, or clouding of the eye’s lens
retinitis pigmentosa, which occurs when dark pigment collects in your retina and creates tunnel vision
Usher syndrome, a genetic condition that affects both hearing and vision
Older adults have a greater risk of developing cataracts. They’re therefore more likely to have night blindness due to cataracts than children or young adults.
In rare cases in the United States or in other parts of the world where nutritional diets may vary, vitamin A deficiency can also lead to night blindness.
Vitamin A, also called retinol, plays a role in transforming nerve impulses into images in the retina. The retina is a light-sensitive area in the back of your eye.
People who have pancreatic insufficiency, such as individuals with cystic fibrosis, have difficulty absorbing fat and are at a greater risk of having vitamin A deficiency because vitamin A is fat-soluble. This puts them at greater risk for developing night blindness.
People who have high blood glucose (sugar) levels or diabetes also have a higher risk of developing eye diseases, such as cataracts.