Poor Vision at night? What is happening to my eyes?

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. You may have difficulty seeing or driving in darkness. Some types of night blindness are treatable while other types aren’t.

So, what are the causes of night blindness?

1. Nearsightedness, or blurred vision when looking at faraway objects

2. Cataracts, or clouding of the eye’s lens

3. Retinitis pigmentosa, which occurs when dark pigment collects in your retina and creates tunnel vision.

4. Usher syndrome, a genetic condition that affects both hearing and vision

When you are diagnose night blindness, what should you do?

If you are diagnosed cataracts, when there are clouded portions in your eye’s lens. Cataracts can be removed through surgery. Your surgeon will replace your cloudy lens with a clear, artificial lens.

A deficiency of Vitamin A is also the cause of night blindness. Most people don’t have vitamin A deficiency because they have access to proper nutrition.

The third one is night blindness caused by genetic conditions, such as retinitis pigmentosa, are not treatable. The gene that causes pigment to build up in the retina doesn’t respond to corrective lenses or surgery. People who have this form of night blindness should avoid driving at night.

Prevention is also important. Although you can’t prevent night blindness that’s the result of birth defects or genetic conditions. But, you can properly monitor your blood sugar levels and eat a balanced diet to make night blindness less likely.

Foods rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals may help prevent cataracts. You can also choose foods that contain high level of vitamin A to reduce your risk of night blindness, such as sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, mangoes, spinach, milk, eggs and more.