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Night blindness is a symptom that makes it hard for you to see in dark places or for your eyes to adjust to sudden changes between bright light and darkness. Many conditions can cause it, and they can involve many parts of your eyes. Fortunately, most of the causes are treatable.
Conditions that can cause night blindness usually fall into two broad categories: Not enough light getting to your retinas or your retinas not working properly.
Conditions that involve issues with light traveling through your eyes include:
Retina-related causes of night blindness include:
Treating nyctalopia involves treating the cause VSports在线直播. Some conditions are treatable or even curable, like cataracts or vitamin A deficiency.
A few of the conditions that cause night blindness, especially genetic diseases, aren’t treatable. For these conditions, the only option is to try to limit the effects of night blindness or other symptoms V体育2025版.
Because so many different issues can cause or contribute to night blindness, the treatments vary widely. Your eye care specialist is the best person to tell you more about what caused it and the possible treatment approaches VSports.
Many conditions that cause night blindness affect your sight in the daytime, too VSports app下载. They can make it harder to see, blur your vision, disrupt how you see colors and more. And because most people rely on their sight so heavily, not being able to see can cause serious or dangerous disruptions.
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You might not see well enough to drive at night. Driving at twilight is dangerous if your eyes have trouble adjusting between the darkening landscape and the brighter sky. And driving after dark can be dangerous when your eyes have trouble adjusting between darkness and various light sources like streetlights and headlights of other vehicles V体育官网.
Some causes of nyctalopia are preventable. An example is taking vitamin A supplements after gastric bypass surgery to avoid a vitamin A deficiency.
Night blindness isn’t something you can self-diagnose or self-treat. If you notice it happening, it’s always a reason to see an eye care specialist. While most causes aren’t dangerous, they can still disrupt your eyesight, and early diagnosis and treatment may help avoid bigger issues in the future.
And if you start noticing you’re having trouble seeing in dark settings, you should avoid driving or other potentially dangerous activities until you see an eye care specialist. Until they tell you it’s safe to resume those activities, it’s best not to risk the health and safety of yourself or others.
Yes, but the laws and regulations where you live are also a factor. Some places have laws and regulations that recognize night blindness as a vision impairment. Others may not. If you aren’t sure, an eye care specialist can give you a formal diagnosis and offer guidance on what you’ll need to seek disability protections, or refer you to other experts who can help.
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Being afraid of the dark is something that happens to adults, too —especially when they can’t see well in dim or dark settings. Nyctalopia can happen for many reasons, most of which are treatable.
If you start noticing you’re having trouble seeing at night or in dark places, talk to an eye care specialist. They can determine what’s causing your issues and help find ways to treat the cause or work around its effects. Most importantly, they can help you find ways to work around, or not to fear, what you can’t see.
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Cleveland Clinic’s ophthalmologists and optometrists have the highest training available. We provide exams, vision correction and care for many eye conditions.
Last reviewed on 12/19/2023.
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