What Is Night Blindness?

Night blindness is a condition that causes people not to see well in the dark or in dim lighting, even if they can see fine in well-lighted areas or during the day. According to WrongDiagnosis.com, night blindness is a rare condition that affects less than 200,000 people in the U.S population.

Definition

• Night blindness is also known as nyctalopia. It is not a disorder; rather, it is a symptom caused by other vision-related disorders.

Effects

• In night blindness, the rods (the areas that detect light) in the retina stop working properly and can no longer produce sufficient levels of rhodopsin, which is a chemical that helps people see in poor lighting.

Causes

• Cataracts, myopia (nearsightedness) and some glaucoma medications cause night blindness. Retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that damages the retina, and a deficiency of Vitamin A can also lead to the problem.

Warning

• Driving a car at night or doing any activities without proper lighting can be difficult if you have night blindness. Some people with night blindness may be unable to see stars in the sky on clear evenings.

Treatment

• Treatment of night blindness depends on the cause. Switching medications, getting more Vitamin A or having cataracts removed, for example, could be appropriate treatments for some cases of night blindness.