These are the common symptoms and causes of problematic night blindness. Contact your eye doctor in Edmonton for more information and treatment options.
The seasons are changing, and this means shorter days and a lot less sunlight to guide your way. For people who struggle with night vision, this can be a difficult time of adjustment. Most of us expect having a difficult time seeing at night as a normal fact of life. We expect it to happen and we do very little to actually correct it.
For those that suffer from more serious problems related to night vision, they might try protective coatings on their glasses to prevent glare, or they simply avoid driving or going out at night. Nyctalopia, or night blindness, is a real condition that can make it nearly impossible to see anything in the dark. It’s important to schedule an eye exam in Edmonton to find out the severity of your night vision problems and ask your optometrist what you can do to correct them.
How to Tell if you have Poor Night Vision
Contact your optometrist immediately if you start to notice any of these symptoms related to failing night vision:
A complete loss of sight that lasts for more than a few minutes when entering a dark area.
Blurred vision related to oncoming headlights, streetlights, and light surrounding buildings and populated areas. These can cause the scenery to blur together and make it impossible for you to see the road in front of you.
If you have glasses or drive in heavily lit areas, you may also experience an intense glare from the lights around you. This can be corrected with special lenses or a coating placed over your existing ones.
This problem isn’t relegated to driving. You can have similar symptoms when trying to watch television at night, read, or complete your evening activities. Click here to book an appointment.
Common Causes of Problematic Night Vision
Night blindness or a diminished visual capacity can be caused by several underlying problems, including:
Glaucoma is a disease that impacts the internal pressure in your eye. Having glaucoma can certainly lead to decreased night vision, and eventually complete night blindness if left untreated.
Genetic anomalies like Usher syndrome or problems with pigmentation within the eye can also contribute to night blindness. Speak to your optometrist as soon as you start to experience problems, in order to catch them early enough to treat. There may not be much you can do about genetic disorders, but it’s always better to know as soon as possible. You can take steps to slow down the initial onset and progress of a condition that may seem genetically inevitable.
Cataracts quickly spread across the eye, clouding vision and making it nearly impossible to see at night. These are highly treatable when caught early by your optometrist.
Vitamin A deficiencies and poor diet have a lot more to do with your eyesight than you think. Ask your eye doctor and your nutritionist about foods that are rich in vitamin A and other nutrients that can help to improve your eyesight. It’s amazing how much your vision can be impacted by what you eat!
Contact the professionals at Optometrists’ Clinic Inc. for more information on what you can do to protect yourself, schedule an eye exam and to preserve your night vision for years to come.