The German website NetDoctor.de reported that night blindness means difficulty seeing at night and at dusk, while vision remains intact during the day.
The website concerned with health explained that the symptoms of night blindness are difficulty seeing colors and dry eyes, indicating that night blindness may be congenital or acquired, as it is often due to a severe deficiency in vitamin A or a severe deficiency in zinc, which affects the metabolism of vitamin A.
Eye diseases
Night blindness may also be a symptom of other eye diseases such as:
- Retinitis pigmentosa: A group of hereditary retinal diseases, involving damage to the retina.
- Diabetic retinopathy: Diabetes can damage the blood vessels in the retina, impairing vision.
- Chorioretinitis: This eye disease initially causes inflammation of the choroid, then inflammation of the retina.
- Glaucoma (blue water).
- Malignant choroidal melanoma: A cancerous tumor that originates in the eye.
Treatment
The NetDoctor.com website explained that the treatment for night blindness depends on its cause, noting that there is currently no cure for congenital forms of night blindness. However, doctors hope that gene therapy or stem cell transplantation will enable them to treat the hereditary disease.
Research studies on retinitis pigmentosa are also being conducted to explore treatment options such as gene therapy or retinal transplantation.
In cases of night blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency, taking vitamin A supplements can improve symptoms. The same applies to zinc deficiency.
Other diseases, in which night blindness is a symptom, require appropriate treatment.