Must Read: Causes and Treatment of Night Blindness
Night blindness or Nyctalopia is a state of the eye that cannot see in dim conditions. Night blindness is sometimes called blind chicken because complaints are often felt at dusk towards night. People who do glaucoma treatment can also experience night blindness due to the side effects of glaucoma medication which causes the pupil to shrink so that the eye is difficult to catch the light.
The main cause
It turns out that vitamin A deficiency is the most common cause of night blindness. Vitamin A is a water-soluble vitamin that the body needs for various needs. This vitamin will help change the molecular signals from the light received by the retina to become projected images in our brain. Retinol is a compound that plays a major role in this matter. Retinol compounds, together with rhodopsin, will form a complex of pigments that are sensitive to light to send light signals to the brain. Because of this, vitamins A deficiency in the body often have fatal effects on the organs of vision.
Other causes:
- cataract
- Retinitis pigmentosa (retinal degenerative disorder)
- Malabsorption (lack of absorption of vitamin A)
- Have diabetes.
- Presence of macular degeneration
- Born in a state of disability.
Treatment for night blindness
Treatment for night blindness depends on the cause. If the cause is vitamins A deficiency, the treatment is relatively easy. Enough to make sure your body gets enough vitamin A every day. In general, vitamins A intake is needed by the body of around 5,000 International Units (IU) per day. Intakes of vitamin A can be obtained from foods such as milk, eggs, liver, meat, chicken, green vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli, mango, and tomatoes.
If your night blindness is caused by nearsightedness, make sure the glasses that you have are the right size for your eyes. As for overcoming night blindness due to the side effects of glaucoma medication, it's a good idea to switch drugs so that these side effects can be avoided. Surgery can also be a solution for those of you who suffer from cataracts and night blindness.