Night blindness – what is it and what to do about night vision disorders?

Do you have problems with your vision as soon as it gets dark, or when fog or rain appears? Do you find it harder to orient yourself, do you trip over objects on the ground, do you have difficulty driving? Night blindness may be to blame. It is caused by a deficiency of certain vitamins, especially vitamin A, but it can also be an accompanying symptom of cataract. The solution is a change of diet or laser eye surgery.

Night blindness can be treated; with retinopathy it is worse

While impaired night vision caused by a vitamin deficiency can be solved relatively simply by taking suitable nutritional supplements, there is only one way to treat cataract – surgery.

Its essence is the replacement of the original lens with a new, artificial one. The surgery can be performed using several methods. A revolutionary novelty is the FEMTO Z-KATARAKTA method, which in Slovakia is also offered by iClinic. Compared with conventional methods, in this one a femtosecond laser is used instead of a scalpel to open the cornea. Through this opening the old lens is removed and the new one is inserted. Besides the patient getting rid of the risk of developing cataract forever, night blindness also disappears if its cause was cataract.

You do not need to be afraid of this kind of surgical procedure. Laser surgery is almost painless, quick and with a minimal risk of undesirable post-operative complications. Compared with conventional methods, healing is faster and the onset of excellent vision is also faster.

Our TIP for people with prescription glasses: Ask at the clinic about the possibility of having a multifocal lens implanted. Thanks to it, you will get rid of glasses for near, far and intermediate distances. Good eyesight guarantees a much better quality of life.

Besides ordinary night blindness, which most of us probably know, there is also “medical” night blindness – retinopathy, which is a serious eye disease whose final stage can be complete blindness. In a patient with retinopathy, the eye cells that process light gradually die. The result is a narrowing of the visual field, which leads to so-called tunnel vision. Retinopathy is mostly a congenital eye defect and there is still no effective treatment that could eliminate it.

Night blindness significantly limits everyday activities

The cause of night blindness is impaired function of the visual rods located in the retina of the eye. While a healthy eye can adapt to reduced visibility relatively quickly and even in complete darkness can recognise at least the outlines of figures or objects, for a patient with night blindness performing even ordinary activities at dusk or in the dark is difficult or even dangerous.

For example:

• doing sport – a typical example is skiing, when the weather changes within a moment and visibility deteriorates.
• driving – with a sudden change in the weather while driving, panic and stress can be added to the poorer vision itself, which can have fatal consequences. For these situations, a person suffering from night blindness should have glasses with brightening lenses in their equipment.

The most suitable prevention against night blindness is a healthy lifestyle

As for almost every organ in the human body, a healthy lifestyle is also important for the eyes. Vitamins are especially important for eyesight, specifically vitamin A. It can be supplied to the body by eating suitable foods, but also through various nutritional supplements. Particularly important are carotenoids, which are found in the retina and from which the body can produce vitamin A.

Among the most important carotenoids from the point of view of eyesight are lutein and zeaxanthin. They are contained, for example, in lettuce, spinach, yellow and orange peppers, yellow pumpkin and sweetcorn, mango, oranges or egg yolks. You will also help your eyesight by eating blueberries or drinking blueberry juice, and by eating carrots, broccoli, rose hips, dairy products, fish oil, liver or wholegrain foods.