From the Cleveland Clinic
Night Blindness is a condition of inability to see in dim light, also known as nyctalopia. It is apparently caused by other conditions of the eye. These can include:
- Vitamin A deficiency, treatable with supplements and dietary adjustments.
- Near-sightedness or myopia - A new eyeglass lens prescription can relieve the problem.
- The effects of glaucoma medications - Ask your doctor about your medications and whether they should be changed.
- Cataracts - The clouding of the lens inside of the eye. This not a growth over the outside of the eye, as some legends tell. Some cataracts can be treated by surgical removal and replacement with an optical lens. It's even done on an outpatient basis now.
- Retinitis pigmentosa - Affecting close to 100,000 people in the USA, this is a condition of the rods and cones of the retina. They begin to lose function. No treatment or cure exists in 2010, but research is under way. Some forms of this condition can lead to eventual blindness, but not all of them so do. See your eye doctor yearly for examinations. If you see flashing lights and have loss of vision to the side, these may be symptoms, so call your eye doctor.
