Did you know that in Tromsø, Norway, the sun doesn’t come up at all between November and January?
Many of us aren’t big fans of darkness, but for some of us, low light levels can cause serious issues.
Having trouble seeing at night is a common complaint that can be an inconvenience at best and a serious risk to our safety at worst.
If you’re suffering with night blindness or difficulty seeing in low light levels, then read on to learn some of the common causes.
Nearsightedness
If you’re nearsighted, you can find it hard to make out distant objects even under good lighting conditions.
At night this problem can get worse, and you may be unable to see things at relatively short distances compared to during the day. If you’re having trouble seeing at night due to nearsightedness, then you may be able to fix the problem simply by getting a new prescription for your glasses.
With the right prescription, your night vision may improve significantly.
Cataracts
A cataract is when the lens of the eye, which is normally clear, becomes cloudy. If you have cataracts it can be like looking through a fogged window.
Cataracts usually develop slowly over time. Often one of the earliest symptoms of cataracts is a degradation of your night vision. If you’ve noticed that you’re having increasingly poor night vision then this could be a sign of cataracts. You should find the best eye doctor you can and get them to give you a check up.
Vitamin A
The retina is found at the back of the eye and is where images that your eye sees are focused. Vitamin A helps to keep your retina healthy and functioning correctly.
Most of us get sufficient vitamin A through our diet. However, some health conditions such as Crohn’s disease or celiac disease, can impair your body’s ability to absorb nutrients including vitamin A. This can impact the health of your retina, which can lead to symptoms such as poor vision at night.
You may be able to fix these problems by taking supplements to increase your levels of vitamin A.
Zinc
Zinc is an essential trace mineral that plays an essential function in your body. It is important for cell growth, protein production, your immune system, and even DNA replication. It also plays a central role in the transportation and absorption of vitamin A.
This means that if you’re deficient in zinc, you’re not getting the maximum benefits from the vitamin A in your body. As we have already seen, vitamin A deficiency is a common cause of night vision problems. Even if you’re getting enough vitamin A, if you’re low on zinc, you may still have retina problems.
You can boost zinc levels through supplements, or by increasing the amount of high-zinc foods such as meat, shellfish, legumes, and seeds that you eat.
Sunlight
We’ve all experienced that loss of night vision that comes when you’ve been in the dark for a while, and suddenly a bright light comes on. When it goes off again, everything seems pitch black, and it takes some time to regain the same level of night vision that you had initially.
Sunlight can also cause reduced night vision, although not in quite the same way. Prolonged sunlight exposure is a major risk factor for the development of cataracts, and staring at the sun can also cause other forms of eye damage. The scientist Isaac Newton famously went temporarily blind simply from looking at the reflection of the sun for too long during one of his experiments.
If you’re going out in bright sunlight, always wear good quality sunglasses to keep your eyes protected.
LASIK Problems
LASIK eye surgery, also commonly known as laser eye surgery, is a type of surgery intended to fix vision problems.
A laser is used to alter the shape of the cornea, which is the lens of your eye. Reshaping the cornea can fix issues such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism and remove the need for wearing glasses.
There are usually few complications from LASIK eye surgery, but some people have had issues with glare and halos around objects as well as reduced night vision. Some people are more prone to these issues, so make sure to discuss this with your eye doctor before you have the treatment.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition that causes your blood sugar levels to become too high.
High blood sugar can damage the nerves and blood vessels in your eye over time. This can lead to a reduction in the quality of your night vision. If your night vision is failing, then this could be a sign that you have diabetes. You should speak to a doctor about your concerns as diabetes can cause severe complications.
Retinitis Pigmentosa
If you’re relatively young and find that your night vision is getting progressively worse, then this could be a sign that you have retinitis pigmentosa.
This is a rare genetic condition that usually affects people before they turn 30, and a decline is night vision is one of the most common early symptoms. This condition can lead to a total loss of eyesight, so you should always consult a doctor if you have concerns about your night vision.
Are You Having Trouble Seeing at Night?
If you’re having trouble seeing at night then it may be due to one of the reasons above, but it may also be a symptom of something else. We would always recommend that you make an appointment to see an eye doctor to get to the root of the problem. It could be a sign of a serious medical condition.
If you are having night vision issues, then make sure you get them looked at. If you can’t see while driving at night, for example, then you could be putting yourself and others at risk of serious harm.
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