What Causes Night Blindness

What most people do not understand is that a deficiency of Vitamin A is the leading cause

The prevalent cause is a deficiency of Vitamin A, but a deficiency of the mineral zinc is also a contributor.

However, there are some other nutrients that will help with this condition, as well as one wonder fruit that anyone that has the slightest effects of night vision should eat.

Night blindness is the first indication that you may have that your body is deficient of Vitamin A which can and often does lead to other serious eye problems.

This condition is a direct result of the way in which your eyes actually receives light rays. Any type of light will travel through the cornea and the lens in your eye and then finishes up on the retina, which is located on the back portion of the eye. The retina of your eye is made up of very small specialized nerves that are known as photoreceptors.

These nerves are responsible for both the receiving of light rays as well as changing them into the signals that are than transmitted to the brain. It is from these signals that actual images in our eyes are formed almost instantaneously.

There are two types of these specialized nerves: rods and cones. It is estimated that there are over three million cones and somewhere near 100 million rods in each of your eyes, indicating just how small they actually are.

The rods in your eyes are the specialized nerves that pick up motion and produce the ability for you to see peripheral vision, but they can only transmit in black and white. Cones, on the other hand, have the ability to see colors.

It is the rod portion of these very small nerves that produce the ability to see when the light is very dim and are spread throughout the retina, and it is the cones that helps produce the bright lights, but are only located in the center of the retina.

The major reason the sight becomes blurry to you when it is dark or the light is very shallow is that the connections between these photoreceptors and the actual nerve cells are linked to the brain. Rods also have to share in this connection.

It is because of this sharing factor that the brain does not know exactly which rod is producing the actual signal. Conversely, cones do not share, but rather have a direct link to the brain which is the reason why your vision is so sharp when the light is very bright.

Rods also have another feature; they allow your eye to adapt to the darkness. When you enter into a dark room or one that is very dim, they automatically go into action.

This adaptive action is the result of a chemical nature of rhodopsin which is the pigments in your eye that are sensitive to red light and allows you to see black and white at night. This pigment becomes totally useless as it decomposes as soon as it senses bright light, but in near darkness it is regenerated by your eye faster than it can decompose.

It is a malfunction of this process, generally caused by a deficiency of Vitamin A, which causes night blindness. However, there are also several other potential causes.

What causes night blindness :

What causes night blindness can be difficult to answer in some cases, but by far and away the leading contributor is a deficiency of vitamin A, In fact, it is in most all cases the first indicator that your body is suffering from a deficiency of this extremely valuable eye nutrient. But there are also other causes.

What causes night blindness could also be answered as cataracts as the cause, as they can inhibit your eyes ability to adapt to darkness. This occurs as the result of a cloudiness affect in your eyes at all times, making it virtually impossible for them to adapt.

What causes night blindness may also be answered as any type of a liver disease or condition that you may have, as this can also affect your ability to see at night because it severely impacts the metabolism of vitamin A in your body.

Macular degeneration is a disease that affects the macula portion of the retina, and as a result, is may also trigger night blindness. Retinitis pigmentosa is also an inherited disease that most commonly runs in entire families, and this may also be the answer to what causes night blindness.

The rods of the retina are affected in most cases, but with this disease it can attack the cones as well. This disease is easy to identify by the presence of dark lines in the retina. As it becomes worse, peripheral vision is also lost and it usually results in partial blindness.

Zinc deficiency is also a potential contributor, as zinc is paramount in its partnership with assisting vitamin A and producing maximum vision and a deficiency of this nutrient may also be a portion of the answer to what causes night blindness

Treatments :

In answering the question what causes night blindness, it is very important to understand exactly what role Vitamin A plays with vision. Vitamin A or retinol has two important active metabolites; retinal, which is critical in assisting several vision processes, and retinoic acid, which serves as an intercellular messenger.

It is essential in the processing and transcriptions of a number of genes that are essential in the nerve transmissions between both the rods and the cones.

Retinal is critical in the chemical nature of rhodopsin, the light sensitive pigment that is found inside both the rods and the cones. If retinal is not operating at its full capacity, rhodopsin does not regenerate at full capacity when your eyes are subjected to darkness, and may be the answer to what causes night blindness.

Vitamin A should be part of every daily vitamin routine but there is always a word of caution with this vitamin. It is a fat soluble vitamin and as such it can be toxic if taken in excessive quantities for several days. For optimal effect you should not exceed 10,000 IU per day.

The mineral zinc is also necessary in transporting Vitamin A from your liver to the retina in your eye, and it is recommended to supplement zinc up to 25 mg daily to help in assisting this nutrient, as this may be another part of the question of what causes night blindness.

However, there are also an herbal remedy and a fruit that can assist both in the process of defeating and preventing night blindness. Bilberry, which has been used for centuries, is an herb that assists with supporting the flow of blood though the very small vessels that deliver the needed nutrients to both your eye muscles as well as the nerves.

It is also extremely effective at easing the eye strain from too much computer time. The standard dosage is 60 mgs or one capsule, and this may also play a critical role in answering the question of what causes night blindness.

Blueberries, not an herb, just plain old blueberries, contain very generous quantities of compounds that strengthen the capillaries and increase the natural peripheral circulation. There have been several documented studies done with pilots, where their night vision improved dramatically when eating blueberries either raw or in jam form.

Summary :

Night blindness can be caused by underlying diseases as well as being hereditary. However, if it is not an inherited disease, it can virtually be eliminated by the correct daily recommended dosage of vitamin A and the mineral zinc.

However, when these nutrients are combined with blueberries, night blindness may be a thing of the past for you, and this may be the final answer to the question of what causes night blindness.

What Causes Night Blindness

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