Causes of Night Blindness

Causes of Night Blindness (Nyctalopia)

The name may seem extreme: Night Blindness.  Blindness!  But it’s not usually so bad.  Poor vision in low light, the inability to read road signs at night, decreased eyesight at dusk… that’s common night blindness.

Night blindness isn’t a disease in itself, rather, it’s usually a symptom of another eye condition.  Sometimes it’s there from birth.  Sometimes it happens after an accident.  In the developing world, night blindness is usually due to malnutrition, specifically a lack of vitamin A and a zinc deficiency.  Myopia, diabetes, cataracts, retinitis pigmentosa… all of these can cause night blindness, and all for different reasons.

In Myopia (or nearsightedness), light is focused improperly on the retina.  This happens when the eye is longer than the optical length.  Glasses and contact lenses can correct both the nearsightedness and the accompanying night blindness of myopia by adding a level of focus before light enters your eyes..  Lasik surgery can alter the eye physically, another effective method of how to improve eyesight.

Cataracts build up year over year as the lens behind the pupil accumulate debris.  They are painless and almost unnoticeable at first… the first symptom is usually night blindness.  The cloudy lens caused by cataracts can also make a halo appear around lights at night.  It’s like a coating of dust on a window, but instead of being on the outside, the dust is inside, scattered throughout the pane.  Vision problems due to cataracts can be treated through surgery, but effective natural methods exist.  The carotene lutein plays a key role in preventing the formation of cataracts, and moniters nutrient levels all through the eyes.  Keeping high levels of beta-carotene, vitamin A, zinc, and zeaxanthin in your diet can also help prevent, and in some cases reverse, many eye problems including cataracts.

Vitamin A or zinc deficiencies are rare in the developed world, but they can still happen.  Those who have trouble absorbing nutrients from the gut can experience vision problems, and many other, maladies.  Fortunately, vitamin A and zinc is commercially available and easy to supplement.

Diabetes causes a higher risk for night blindness, thanks to the high blood sugar that is toxic to vessels and nerves in the eye.  The retina can be damaged over time, resulting in retinopathy.  A couple of early warning signs of retinopathy are, of course, night blindness, and also a slow adjustment to low-light conditions.  Surgery can halt or slow the progression of retinopathy, but it’s not quite a cure, as diabetes is a life-long condition that ebbs and flows in severity.  Herbs such as bilberry and lycii are thought to prevent retinopathy, by strengthening and repairing the tiny blood vessels of the retina.

Good low-light vision is a necessity.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic condition in which the retina’s rods lose their sensitivity over time.  The retina’s two kinds of photoreceptors occupy different areas.  Cones cluster in the cetral macula, and are sensitive to color.  Rods mingle with cones through the retina, but on the outer rim, outnumber them drastically.  It is the rods that provide light sensitivity, and the death of rods that bring on night blindness, slow adaptation to light level changes, and contrast viewing.  There is no real treatment for retinitis pigmentosa.  Wearing sunglasses to protect against UV rays may help.  Buffering the natural layers of protection in the eye, like macular pigments and antioxidants, may help.  No conclusive tests have yet been done.

Improve Night Blindness Naturally

While there are some types of night blindness we can’t do anything about, there are many we can.  We’ve manufactured our own product, Eye Food, to strengthen every part of they eye that can be strengthened.  It’s nearly impossible to eat enough carrots to obtain the beta-carotene necessary to reduce the risk of cararacts and macular degeneration, so we’ve added vitamin A and our own beta-carotene.  To increase blood circulation in the capillaries nearest the eyes, we’ve added Billberry extract, and to keep antioxidant and amino acid levels high we’ve added Lycii (500 times more vitamin C than oranges!).  A yellow carotenoid, Lutein, is an essential part of the macula, but our bodies can’t synthesize it, so we’ve added a 4:1 extract.  Our bodies can’t synthesize zeaxanthin, either, and alongside lutein it’s the only carotenoid our retina will use, so we’ve added that, too.  We’ve tried to combine the most powerful herbs, vitamins, amino acids, and antioxidants into one supplement, so that while you may have come here to fight one vision problem, you’ll end up fighting many.

You may not go from having eyesight problems to having perfect vision, but we know this:  prevention is easier, cheaper, and more fun than treatment.  Helping to stop cataracts, night blindness, or retinopathy before they gain a foothold will give you a higher quality of life, whether driving, reading, or playing football at dusk.

Click here for Eye Food.