“Nyctalopia”; commonly known as night blindness is a type of impaired vision. It’s obvious that people suffering from this particular vision disorder have trouble seeing at night or in dimly lit environment. While the term “night blindness” implies that one is unable to see at all during night time, this isn’t the case.
Some types of nyctalopia are treatable whereas others aren’t depending on severity of the anomaly and patient’s overall physical and biological anatomy. Lasik eye surgery in Abu Dhabi is known to treat night blindness to a certain extent however your doctor would suggest if the surgery is actually needed or not. Let’s find out more!
Symptoms
The only symptom of night blindness is trouble seeing in the dark. A person’s likely to experience nyctalopia when entering a dimly lit environment from brightness just like in your home from bright sunny day. While driving, brightness of the car headlights may seem intermittent as well as the streetlights.
Causes
There’re many different conditions known to cause night blindness including;
- Near-sightedness (myopia) or blurred vision when looking at faraway objects
- Cataract or clouding of the eye lens
- Retinitis Pigmentosa; it’s referred to a condition when dark pigments are clustered in the retina creating tunnelled vision
- Usher syndrome; a genetic condition affecting both vision and hearing ability
The risk of cataract is greater in the adults mostly in their 40s which may lead to night blindness eventually. Laski eye surgery in Abu Dhabi is the best treatment for cataract however preliminary consultation with the doctor is necessary.
Countries in which people are faced with issues such as malnutrition suffer from vitamin A deficiency also leads to nyctalopia. Vitamin A also known as “retinol” plays a role in transforming nerve impulses into the retinal images.
Patients suffering from pancreatic deficiency such as those with cystic fibrosis faces difficulty in absorbing fat. Likelihood of vitamin A deficiency in these patients is higher since its fat-soluble putting them further at risk of developing night blindness.
Other causes are high levels of blood glucose, sugar or diabetes that not only develops nyctalopia but cataracts as well.
Treatment options
An eye doctor would take a detailed medical history of the patient following thorough examination of the eyes to diagnose night blindness. Blood test sample is taken to measure glucose levels as well as vitamin A.
Nyctalopia caused by myopia, cataracts or vitamin A deficiency is treatable through corrective lenses as well as Lasik eye surgery in Abu Dhabi on doctor’s consent which improves both day and night vision.
- Cataracts
Clouded portion of the eye lens is identified as cataract that can be removed through Lasik eye surgery in Abu Dhabi. A surgeon is likely to replace the cloudy lens with a clear and artificial one which resolves the issue of nyctalopia significantly.
- Deficiency of Vitamin A
Vitamin supplements are recommended by the doctor as a treatment for vitamin A deficiency. These supplements must be taken exactly as the doctor has advised thereby avoiding side-effects.
Conclusion
The above details outline basic causes, symptoms and plausible treatment for nyctalopia (night blindness).