Our eyes need light to see, so how do we see at night? In dim light, such as movie theaters or when traveling at night, we utilize scotopic vision to perceive the world around us. This uses the available light to create images for the brain.
If you start having problems with your night vision, it can make performing basic tasks in dim light very difficult. Multiple illnesses and conditions can cause night vision issues, but there are ways to improve them. Let’s learn more about how your night vision works, what can worsen it, and how it can be treated.
The team of eye specialists at Bronx Eye Associates is here to help residents of the Pelham Gardens area in The Bronx, New York cope with various eye conditions, including loss of night vision.
Eyes work by processing light, so in dim or near-dark conditions, your eyes use the pupils to widen, gathering information about shapes and figures in your environment. The rods and cones in the back of your eyes in your retina react differently as light brightens and dims, and each bit of light information goes into the optic nerve and right to the brain.
The rods in particular capture low-light images for the brain, as they excel in that brightness and help a great deal with your peripheral vision. If you’re in a dim area for only a brief period, the pupils revert to their standard size when back in adequate light.
Issues with night vision are called night blindness or nyctalopia, and numerous issues can cause it:
An illness where your eye’s lens becomes cloudy, obscuring your vision and making seeing in the dark that much harder.
A class of diseases where your eye pressure increases, causing damage in the vital areas of your eye, compromising vision, and possibly causing blindness.
Getting this vision-correcting surgery can have temporary complications, including making it more challenging to see in dim light. Often, this issue resolves itself after a few days, weeks, or months.
Since the retina is vital to clear vision, conditions affecting this area, such as retinitis pigmentosa, cone-rod dystrophy, and congenital stationary night blindness, can cause significant impairment.
Nutritional deficiencies can affect your overall health, and if you don’t get enough vitamin A (found in various plant foods, milk products, fish, eggs, and liver), your night vision is affected, along with a higher risk of cancer and skin problems.
Gastric bypass surgery can also cause problems with vitamin absorption. Other illnesses that affect your sight, such as diabetes, also increase the risk of issues with your night vision.
Managing the underlying causes of night blindness can help alleviate issues. We offer cataract surgery, treatments for retinal disease, updates to eyeglasses or contact lens prescriptions, and management of glaucoma issues. Vitamin A supplements help reduce vitamin deficiencies, and managing glucose levels can help treat diabetes-related problems.
Lifestyle changes, such as dietary adjustments, wearing sunglasses in bright sunlight, and avoiding smoking, can also help reduce the risk of night blindness.
Knowing the cause of your night vision issues makes treating night blindness easier, and if you schedule an appointment with the medical team at Bronx Eye Associates, we can help.
