One of the serious diseases affecting the visual analyzer is hemeralopia. This is a disorder of twilight vision, a decrease in the ability to visual orientation at dusk and at night. In non-medical circles, it is called "night blindness" by analogy with the vision of birds. Such a condition can be of congenital origin, as a malformation of the light-perceiving apparatus, or is formed as an acquired pathology with nutritional problems, if the food is poor in vitamins, especially retinol and group B compounds. Some other pathologies can also cause it. The basis of treatment is taking medications in an individually selected dose.

A person receives most of the information about the outside world through the visual analyzer. The eye is arranged in a complex way, there are receptors on the retina that perceive information and transmit it to the visual cortex of the brain, where it is processed and understood, analyzed, and remembered. At the same time, if necessary, response actions are formed. And all this in a fraction of seconds. A person sees well in daylight and at dusk, as well as at night. The main receptors of the eye - rods and cones help to see light and darkness, color pictures. The rods help night vision, the cones help day vision. If a person's nutrition is complete, the eye analyzer receives enough substances for the active work of rods that react to the slightest light fluxes. If there is a deficiency of certain components in the diet (especially an acute shortage of retinol and B vitamins), twilight vision suffers. In addition to nutrition, the state of the visual analyzer is affected by diseases of the eyes themselves, the optic nerve and metabolic disorders. All these factors lead to the formation of hemeralopia.

Where does the name of the disease come from?

Hemeralopia is the scientific name for a disease known for many centuries, the so-called "night blindness". And this pathology also has synonyms that are found in different countries to refer to the same pathology. There are variants of the name - "night blindness" or twilight, which reflects the main essence of the disease - vision problems during the dark time of the day. In medicine, in addition to the term hemeralopia, the concept of nyctalopia can also be used. From Greek, this term is literally translated as "night blindness". For this disease, two variants are typical - congenital hemeralopia and acquired. For the acquired form, the primary and secondary formation of pathology is also typical. What are the differences?

Congenital hemeralopia: a malformation of the rods

Pathologies of a congenital nature are rare, in fact, they are various malformations of the rods, or combined disorders. Usually they have a hereditary and family character, and malformations of the visual analyzer are transmitted from parents to children. As one of the symptoms of combined pathologies, "night blindness" occurs in hereditary retinitis pigmentosa, as part of Usher's syndrome, where malformations of the visual analyzer are combined with deafness.

Acquired hemeralopia develops if a person's nutrition is unbalanced for a long time, poor in vitamins, especially retinol (vitamin A), thiamine and PP. But not only a deficiency of vitamins can lead to a similar condition, severe degrees of myopia, pathologies of the retina and optic nerve, and radiation damage to the eyes significantly affect. In today's time, pathology, especially if its development is to blame, is rare, modern nutrition covers the needs for retinol relatively well. Perhaps its formation against the background of prolonged starvation or severe digestive disorders, in which the absorption of vitamin A by the intestines is disturbed. To a lesser extent, the development of hemeralopia depends on a deficiency of zinc or any other B vitamins.

Predisposing factors for development are liver damage, alcoholism, constant malnutrition and strict weight loss diets, stress and overwork. Perhaps the development of hemeralopia in computer scientists, as a result of the "dry eye" syndrome, which is formed during prolonged sitting at the monitor with rare blinking.

The basis of the pathology is visual impairment associated with a weakening or complete inability to distinguish objects at dusk or in the dark. In addition, the adaptation of the eye analyzer to the transition from illuminated rooms to darkness suffers. But with hemeralopia, normal vision does not suffer in good light.

What medicines will help in fixing the problem?

In many ways, treatment is determined by the cause that led to hemeralopia. If these are cone malformations, any in this situation are useless, they will not improve vision in the dark. Then only recommendations are relevant to refuse to drive a car at night and engage in hazardous activities.

If this is a symptomatic hemeralopia, then the elimination of the cause that underlies the pathology is required. If these are metabolic disorders and eye diseases, drugs are selected regarding the leading pathology. If the cause is a lack of vitamins and poor nutrition, a special diet and drugs containing fat-soluble vitamins in combination with thiamine and riboflavin are prescribed. Ordinary vitamins used for preventive purposes will not work in this case, they will not be able to quickly saturate the sticks with the missing components for visual functions in the dark.

Medications are used based on age and severity, in adults the dose of retinol can be up to 100 thousand IU per day. In parallel with it, riboflavin is prescribed. As vision improves, ascorbic acid, vitamin PP and thiamine are added to the course.

Treatment is supervised by an ophthalmologist. As the condition normalizes, they switch to maintenance doses, which make it possible to form reserves of vitamins in the body for the subsequent period of rehabilitation.

Night blindness is quite common, but not all patients are aware that they suffer from such a deviation, or simply do not know what it is called.

This disease is a direct consequence of a lack of vitamin A in the body. Much less often it manifests itself because of some other primary sources. But in some cases, such a nuisance can indicate the beginning of serious irreversible processes in the body, acting as a symptom of dangerous ailments.

In medical terminology, this syndrome is called hemeralopia. Its clinical manifestations are expressed in the inability to see well at dusk, or when moving from a brightly lit room to a dark one. The main reason for the sharp drop in the quality of vision here is the deterioration in the functionality of the retina, which is designed to recognize photosensitivity.

Scientific classification of night blindness

This disease, as an independent syndrome, or as part of a multicomponent symptomatology, is divided into several categories, each of which has its own characteristics.

Problems for patients are added by the fact that hemeralopia not only affects the deterioration of visibility during darkness, but also the inability to navigate normally at dusk. In most cases, this is explained by the fact that the anomaly provokes a narrowing of the field of view, followed by problematic recognition of blue and yellow colors.

Schematically, hemeralopia is divided into three camps: congenital, symptomatic, and essential. In the first case, the reason lies not in the fact that the body does not receive enough vitamins, but in a poor genetic predisposition. This type includes a persistent decrease in visibility and the inability to navigate in space as soon as it starts to get dark.

The symptomatic category is a direct consequence of fiber dystrophy. She is also able to manifest herself with inflammatory processes in the eyeballs. It is this version of night blindness that is not a single disease that exists on its own, but a symptom that speaks of a specific pathology with localization in the organs of vision.

No less often among those who applied for qualified help, the essential format of the lesion is fixed. Its cause is a lack of vital vitamin A. As soon as the body feels its acute deficiency, it immediately begins to signal a decrease in the quality of vision.

Improper nutrition, as well as the abuse of alcohol-containing drinks, can affect the lack of a sufficient amount of a useful component. Occasionally, those people who suffer from chronic diseases of the liver, stomach, or with a general imbalance of power can earn hemeralopia of this type.

The only good news here is that the essential format can eventually be neutralized if attention is paid to quality treatment. Turning to the doctor, you can count on the fact that the specialist will tell you which vitamin-mineral complex is suitable for a particular patient. Also, the doctor will help build the right weekly menu to help cope with the relief of an unpleasant symptom.

This is the only way to restore the former visual acuity, as well as restore sensitivity to bright light with a decrease in color perception.

Depending on what type of anomaly is found in the victim, the accompanying symptoms will differ. The most common common symptom of the disease is called spots, "dancing" before the eyes. They make themselves felt with a sharp change in lighting.

In order to properly prescribe further therapy, an experienced specialist will first conduct an analysis in a person to find out if night blindness is genetic in nature. If the suspicions are confirmed, then it will be necessary to additionally find out what specific type of genetic inheritance is characteristic of a particular victim.

In most cases, doctors have to deal with recessive hemeralopia, which means direct linkage to the X chromosome. The autosomal dominant version is much less common. The occurrence of a deviation is caused by a problematic metabolism, or fermentopathy.

A typical auxiliary symptom, which is characteristic of the essential type, are flat spots with localization on the eyeball. If there is a lack of vitamin A in the body, then even the death of corneal tissues is possible. With a hereditary and symptomatic format, a change in the fundus is noted.

Causes of dangerous pathology

If you find signs of night blindness in yourself, in order to save your eyesight, you will have to adhere to the basics of complex treatment. Otherwise, therapy will not give the proper long-term effect.

This is explained by the fact that the human retina consists of two types of cells:

• sticks;
• cones.

The former are responsible for the ability to see in poor lighting conditions, and the duties of the cones include the ability to recognize colors and control overall visual acuity. As soon as even slight deterioration begins in the cells of the retina, this immediately affects the rapid deterioration of well-being, because the patient develops night blindness.

Physiologically, the mechanism is explained by the fact that rods are formed from rhodopsin, which is obtained through cooperation with vitamin A. If light enters the retina, then rhodopsin disintegrates. For the regeneration of the component, a new vitamin dose is required, which the body simply has nowhere to take from. So it becomes clear why the deficiency of useful components is so destructive.

If we consider the general primary sources of pathology without taking into account poor heredity and lack of minerals, then there will still be many other variations due to which hemeralopia is observed:

• liver failure;
• anemia;
• depletion of the body against the background of weak immunity, which is an ideal environment for the development of many other ailments up to scurvy;
• treatment with vitamin A antagonists.

Various atypical pigment pathologies of the retina, its detachment, impaired functioning of the optic nerve, inflammation, glaucoma, myopia and many other eye diseases can also act as a catalyst for deviation.

In recent years, cases have become more frequent when dangerous signs began to manifest themselves even in healthy people who did not have night blindness in their family, and a visit to the doctor did not reveal any specialized eye diseases.

Because of this, many patients begin to panic, asking: what is happening to them? In fact, the reason should be sought in long-term work at the computer. The clinical picture is aggravated due to poor lighting. With repeated irritation, the nerve endings suffer, which then signal the problem with the classic symptoms of hemeralopia.

In order not to reach such a deplorable state, experts recommend doing gymnastics, using drops, the name of which the doctor will tell you, and also periodically resting from the monitor during the working day.

Diagnosis and follow-up treatment

If the victim was struck by an ailment due to a lack of a vitamin necessary for a healthy retina, then a balanced diet will correct the violation. But if problems with visibility during the twilight period signal a serious damage to the eye, then the program of how to treat the patient will be more complicated.

Only an experienced doctor can recognize when people have a mild degree of anomaly, and when it is necessary to deal with it comprehensively. The ophthalmologist will conduct an initial examination, having studied the medical history of the applicant, and will also prescribe testing to exclude the possibility of retinal dystrophy. If necessary, the patient will be asked to undergo two of the most popular tests:

• perimetry;
• adaptometry.

The first option allows us to estimate the size of the field of view. And adaptometry is aimed at checking light perception. This kind of testing is painless, so they are carried out even in children. In some cases, victims are sent for additional tests.

At the appointment, the optometrist will tell you how the diseases are inherited, and also explain what causes such an unusual deviation. But those who carry the problematic gene will have to come to terms with the fact that nothing can get rid of it at all. The doctor will only try to improve the current situation by working on eliminating unpleasant symptoms.

The assistance algorithm is similar to the one that veterinarians prescribe for pet owners to do. We are talking about the need to correct the diet of chickens, dogs, and other pets.

Scientifically speaking, the principle of therapy includes saturation of the body with retinol. In short, without medical terms, we are talking about the need to add foods high in a number of useful minerals to the daily menu.

In case of violations, not only carrots are extremely useful, but also cabbage, fish liver, citrus juices, dairy products, blackberries, blueberries, peaches and greens. All of the above is also suitable for those who are simply prescribed prophylaxis in order to work ahead of the curve.

When the disease is due to myopia, then only surgery can help. Glasses will improve the quality of life only temporarily, because they will not be able to restore the natural balance of rods and cones.

Auxiliary, but by no means the main therapy, can be treatment with folk remedies with the permission of a doctor. And here it will be necessary to additionally exclude the factor of the presence of allergens. Not many people understand what such a term means, choosing to use untested prescriptions without the approval of an ophthalmologist, which often leads to extensive allergic reactions. It would be useful to first clarify whether the components of the drug are allowed for other possible chronic ailments of the victim.

The simplest assistant of therapeutic value is fish oil. It is taken as directed three times a day. Also a popular method is a decoction of millet, which is prepared at the rate of 200 grams of cereal per 2 liters of water to the state of boiled grains.

Having figured out how night blindness manifests itself and what it can signal, you should not think that the alarming symptoms will go away on their own. If you find the first signs of deviation in yourself, you should immediately make an appointment with an ophthalmologist.

Night blindness is a disease of the visual system in which a person can see poorly only at dusk, at night, or in any low light. This name is of a folk character, in medicine it is listed as hemeralopia (Russian) or nyctalopia (Europe).

General information about the disease

Hemeralopia is considered the oldest disease that is directly related to the disruption of the retina and its optic nerve. This disease greatly complicates the life of people in the dark, and also creates poor orientation in a darkened space.

In daylight or in bright light, hemeralopia does not affect vision in any way, and a person can see the world around him clearly and brightly. But as soon as you turn off or dim the lights, visibility begins to deteriorate greatly.

The drawing for comparison shows how a person suffering from hemeralopia sees.

Most often, this disease manifests itself in women in the region of 50-55 years, who have a noticeable hormonal exacerbation. Men suffer from night blindness less often.

It is not difficult to determine hemeralopia. In a dark space, a person begins not only to see badly, it is difficult for him to determine the general outlines, the colors become incomprehensible and everything begins to merge with each other. The blue color is not visible at all, only dark silhouettes can be distinguished.

What is night blindness (video)

In this video, the specialist tells everything about night blindness: why it bears this name, where it came from, what methods of treatment for this disease exist.

Types of night blindness and their characteristics

Given the causes of occurrence, hemeralopia is divided into several varieties:

• symptomatic- occurs due to complications of other eye diseases that adversely affect the retina and optic nerve. It manifests itself against the background of glaucoma, myopia, siderosis and atrophy of the optic nerve.
• congenital- manifests itself in childhood, can be transmitted through the genes. Sometimes it occurs due to genetic abnormalities or complications.
• Essential- occurs in case of deficiency of vitamin PP, B2 and A. In this case, hemeralopia manifests itself due to a violation of the proper functioning of the retina. The reasons may be poor nutrition, strict diets, starvation, alcoholism, severe poisoning.
• False- in fact, this is not hemeralopia, but a simple overwork of the eyes, due to which a person sometimes sees poorly in the dark. A long stay at the computer, reading books in poor light - all this will give a reaction to the retina, and it will become difficult to see in a darkened space. This is a temporary phenomenon that does not pose a danger to vision, but only if the eyes are given regular rest.

Causes

The main cause of night blindness is considered to be a malfunction of the cells of the retina, called "rods" - these are visual receptors that are responsible for vision in low light conditions. In addition to them, there are also "cones", which are responsible for visibility in brightly lit places.

With hemeralopia, the rods begin to function poorly, which is why twilight vision drops significantly. In a healthy eye, the number of rods is many times greater than the number of cones. This is due to the constant presence of a person in dimly lit places, and even simple daylight cannot provide the necessary bright illumination. So it is laid down by nature that the eyes perceive the twilight more familiar and softer.

So why do sticks lose their performance? The cause of this phenomenon is considered to be a violation of the production of rhodopsin or its partial decay. This happens due to a lack of vitamin A, which saturates the eyes with the necessary pigment.

The cause of congenital night blindness is genetic abnormalities that cannot be tracked or prevented during pregnancy. But this is not a sentence for a baby; with such a diagnosis, one can live quite fully.

In the case of symptomatic hemeralopia, the causes of the disease are complications or serious eye diseases that affect the retina of the eyes.

How does night blindness occur (video)

In the presented video, Elena Malysheva talks in detail in her program about hemeralopia, its causes and methods for its effective treatment.

Symptoms

The main hallmark of hemeralopia is good vision in daylight and poor vision at dusk. Light adaptation is also disturbed during a sharp transition from dark to light space, and vice versa. For example, if a person with night blindness from a darkened room enters an open bright space, then in the first minute it will be difficult for him to see the surroundings, glare, clouding and difficulty in focusing will appear in his eyes.

With hemeralopia in a darkened space, it is difficult to see colors. Red hues are mixed with blue, dark becomes light, and light becomes dark. In poor light, a person suffering from hemeralopia will not be able to read anything, even if the blackout is not strong. This will require ideally bright lighting, in which a person’s vision begins to work to the maximum.

Diagnostics

Diagnosing this disease is not at all difficult, you can independently identify the first symptoms, and promptly seek help from an ophthalmologist to confirm the diagnosis of night blindness.

Studies conducted to detect hemeralopia:

• perimetry;
• refractometry;
• examination of the fundus;
• adaptometry.

Thanks to modern ophthalmological research, specialists can make a final diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment as soon as possible.

Treatment

Treatment of hemeralopia depends entirely on the type of its origin:

• With congenital night blindness treatment is useless. To this day, experts are conducting a number of studies, and still cannot find an effective method for restoring vision in case of congenital genetic eye abnormalities.
• With symptomatic hemeralopia specialists are primarily engaged in the treatment of the disease, due to which this ailment began to develop.
• With essential night blindness, the treatment procedure is carried out with synthetic vitamin complexes containing an increased concentration of vitamins A, PP and B2, and diet. This type of hemeralopia is much more common than others and is easier to treat, but it takes a lot of time (an average of 3-6 months).

During the treatment of night blindness, the patient must follow a number of recommendations that contribute to:

• limit vision from bright light rays;
• try not to abruptly enter a brightly lit room or, conversely, a very dark one;
• Avoid car headlights.

Folk remedies

Treatment of hemeralopia with folk remedies involves the regular use of various herbs, natural preparations, decoctions of plants, berries and other products that contain vitamins A, PP and B2.

The most effective folk remedies in the fight against night blindness are:

• Ripe sea buckthorn berries. It can be in the form of jam, compote or jam.
• Blueberry. You can just eat it, make jam, compotes.
• Carrot. Drink 2 glasses of freshly squeezed carrot juice daily.
• Ripe grapes. It is useful to drink natural juice. You can sometimes use homemade grape wine (do not abuse it).
• Take 1 tablespoon of fish oil daily with meals.
• Eat beef liver once a week.

These simple folk remedies will help restore vision in night blindness, and will also serve as a prophylaxis against other diseases of the human visual system.

Prevention

To avoid night blindness, you need to take care of your eyes:

• do eye exercises daily;
• with a heavy load on the eyes (reading, computer) every 1.5 hours to give the eyes a rest;
• eat right and take extra

Night blindness in medicine is called hemeralopia. The condition is characterized by a sharp deterioration in vision in poor light. Often this happens during twilight or at night, when leaving a lighted room into darkness. A person's field of vision narrows, spatial orientation suffers. Sometimes the patient begins to have difficulty distinguishing blue and yellow colors.

Causes of night blindness

Night blindness (hemeralopia) is an eye disease that is characterized by a deterioration in the vision of objects in dark conditions. As a result, spatial orientation and light adaptation are disturbed, color perception changes.

Hemeralopia is popularly called night blindness due to the fact that the symptoms are similar to the peculiarities of vision in chickens: animals are poorly oriented even at dusk. A person with this disease notes a sharp deterioration in visibility in poor lighting, while visual acuity in the daytime does not change.

The retina of the human eye includes rod (110-125 million) and cone (6-7 million) light-sensitive cells. The normal ratio is 18:1. These cells form the receptor apparatus. Rods are responsible for black and white perception at dusk and at night, and cones help a person see color palettes in the daytime.

Vision in low light conditions is carried out with the help of rod photoreceptors in the retina. In bright light, the visual pigment of the rods called rhodopsin disintegrates. The restoration of the pigment occurs in the dark and not immediately, the participation of vitamin A is required. The synthesis of the pigment provokes the release of energy, which is converted into electrical impulses that enter the brain through the optic nerve. This mechanism ensures the activity of the rods and, accordingly, vision in the dark.

Night blindness is a consequence of rhodopsin deficiency or its structural changes. Also, the cause may be the wrong ratio of rods and cones.

Night blindness develops equally in men and women. In women older than 50 years, pathology is diagnosed more often, which is caused by changes in the endocrine system during menopause. At other ages, the ratio of men and women is the same.

It is noteworthy, but night blindness is not characteristic of the peoples of the far north and the natives of Australia. Northerners have evolved to adapt to the dark, as they live in polar night conditions for most of the year. Australian native eyes have also evolved to see four times better in the dark than Caucasians.

Types of night blindness or hemeralopia

Congenital night blindness is inherited. This type most often manifests itself already in childhood or adolescence. The congenital form causes a persistent deterioration in vision during twilight and poor adaptation to the dark is expressed. Often, congenital hemeralopia occurs with Usher's syndrome (deaf-blindness), retinitis pigmentosa, and other inherited diseases.

Symptomatic night blindness is a consequence of retinal dystrophy, optic nerve atrophy, inflammation of the retina and choroid of the eyeballs (chorioretinitis), glaucoma, cataracts, siderosis, myopia with complications, retinal detachment, radiation burns of the eyes and other eye diseases. With such diseases, hemeralopia will be accompanied by other symptoms.

Essential (functional) hemeralopia develops due to a lack of vitamin A or retinol, as well as a violation of its metabolism. The condition is aggravated by a lack of vitamins B2 and PP. Often this type of night blindness is the result of starvation, alcoholism, malaria, neurasthenia, liver disease. The essential appearance is most often a temporary symptom that disappears after the elimination of hypo- and beriberi. Diabetes mellitus, anemia, gastrointestinal diseases, which are characterized by impaired absorption (gastritis, colitis), can lead to these conditions.

Night blindness develops after a long time from the onset of hypovitaminosis, since vitamin A reserves in the body are usually enough for a year. Night blindness can be the result of an infectious disease (measles, chicken pox, herpes, rubella), menopause, vegetarianism and diet. The mechanism of hemeralopia in most cases is one, and consists in a violation of the synthesis of rhodopsin in the rods of the retina.

Clinical picture of hemeralopia

Most often, the congenital form manifests itself in childhood: visual acuity decreases in the evening and at night, visual discomfort appears. A person does not distinguish between objects, loses orientation. Often there is a feeling of dryness in the eyes, the effect of getting sand. In young children, hemeralopia provokes a fear of the dark. An alarming signal for parents can be the crying and anxiety of the child at dusk.

With the essential nature of the disease, diagnostics reveals xerotic Iskersky-Bito plaques on the conjunctiva of the eyeball. Plaques are represented by dry spots in the palpebral fissure. With a severe lack of vitamin A, necrosis occurs, that is, the death of the cornea, or its melting. Vitamin deficiency also causes weight loss, dry skin, and increases gum bleeding. In addition to the deterioration of visual acuity, dry skin and mucous membranes, hyperkeratosis (accelerated development of the stratum corneum of the skin) may appear.

When testing visual fields, their narrowing is observed, especially blue and yellow colors. If hemeralopia has developed as a result of some disease, the fundus of the eye changes characteristically. With essential night blindness, the bottom remains unchanged.

Diagnostics

Methods for diagnosing night blindness:

• visometry;
• color, achromatic perimetry;
• ophthalmoscopy;
• biomicroscopy with a Goldman lens;
• adaptometry;
• electroretinography;
• optical coherence tomography.

If you lose visual acuity in poor lighting, you need to contact an ophthalmologist. The first necessary study is visometry. The test allows you to determine visual acuity. Achromatic and color perimetry makes it possible to diagnose a concentric narrowing of the visual fields, a change in the Purkinje phenomenon (darkening of red in comparison with green, lightening of blue in poor lighting).

The results of studies with different types of night blindness differ. The congenital form causes the appearance of round foci of degeneration on the retina, which can be detected with ophthalmoscopy.

Adaptometry is needed to test dark adaptation. The functionality of the retina is assessed using electroretinography. The causes of symptomatic night blindness can be identified through biomicroscopy with a Goldman lens, refractometry, optical coherence tomography. Sometimes consultation of the endocrinologist and the gastroenterologist is required.

How is night blindness treated?

Congenital hemeralopia cannot be cured by modern methods. If the cause of the development of night blindness was a disease in another body system, the symptom can be eliminated in the treatment of the underlying ailment.

Treatment of night blindness, which has developed with a lack of vitamin A, is carried out by taking a vitamin complex (vitamins A, B2, PP). A diet enriched with vitamins and minerals is recommended: dairy products, eggs, liver (especially cod), lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, carrots, spinach, peas. From fruits, peaches, apricots, cherries will be useful. Recommended berries such as blackberries, gooseberries, black currants, mountain ash, blueberries.

Diet with congenital hemeralopia does not give significant results and can slightly improve visibility at dusk and darkness. The diet for essential hemeralopia should include foods with a high concentration of retinol and carotene. Recommended vitamin eye drops, oral vitamins (riboflavin, nicotinic acid).

With night blindness, provoked by severe myopia, it is recommended to select glasses and lenses, laser correction, refractive procedures (lens replacement, scleroplasty). With the deterioration of visual acuity due to glaucoma and cataracts, surgery is also required to eliminate these ailments. When retinal detachment is needed.

The prognosis is favorable in the treatment of the essential (functional) type of night blindness. In other cases, success will depend on the severity of the underlying ailment.

Folk methods of treatment

Many years of experience offers a choice of decoctions, infusions and juices for the treatment of hemeralopia. Almost all of them are based on vitamins and natural products that are needed to maintain the normal functionality of the eyes. Many of them can be combined with medications.

Folk remedies:

1. Mix blueberry leaves, linden and dandelion flowers, as well as buckwheat and sea buckthorn leaves in a ratio of 2:1. Dilute a tablespoon of herbs with boiling water and heat in the bath for a quarter of an hour. Infuse for half an hour, drink a glass three times a day.
2. Pour a teaspoon of field color with a glass of hot water, leave for 10 minutes. Take three times a day after meals.
3. Pour a teaspoon of the color of blue cornflower with a glass of hot water, leave for an hour, strain. Drink ¼ cup three times a day.
4. Pour boiling water over a tablespoon of blueberries, leave for four hours, strain. Drink 0.5 cup three times a day.
5. Eat sea buckthorn berries (fresh or frozen) 2 cups a day.
6. Mix three tablespoons of sea buckthorn fruits with a glass of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes, strain. Drink twice a day after meals. To improve the taste, you can add honey or sugar.
7. Mix two tablespoons of nettle tops and leaves with a glass of boiling water, leave for an hour. Take 1/3 cup thrice daily.
8. Squeeze juice from carrots. Drink half a glass or a whole 2-3 times a day before eating. You can store juice for only half an hour.
9. Dilute blueberry juice three times a day before meals. Half a glass of water has a tablespoon of juice.
10. Grape juice to take 0.5 cup three times a day.
11. Grind the germinated wheat in a meat grinder. Mix gruel (1 tablespoon) with a glass of boiling water, heat in the bath for half an hour, leave for another 15, strain. Drink 1/3 cup three times a day.
12. Take fish oil 30-40 ml three times a day.
13. Eat lightly fried beef liver daily (small pieces).
14. Take sea buckthorn oil in a spoon three times a day.

Use any of these funds only with the permission of a doctor. Often people have allergic reactions to natural products, so you need to check the funds in a small dose before taking them.

Night blindness: prevention and prognosis

Symptomatic hemeralopia may result in restoration of darkness adaptation or permanent loss of visual function. It all depends on the severity and symptoms of the underlying disease. Functional night blindness almost always responds well to treatment and ends with a complete restoration of vision. To avoid night blindness, you need to consume enough food with vitamin A and protect the retina. Doctors recommend to balance the diet, use sunglasses, special protection when working with harmful radiation. With night blindness, it is forbidden to use fluorescent lighting.

Patients with night blindness often develop a fear of the dark and corresponding phobias, neuroses, and mental disorders, so consultations with a psychologist are recommended.

If in the case of congenital night blindness it is almost impossible to help the patient, then its other types can be completely cured. Therefore, do not ignore the symptoms and put off going to an experienced ophthalmologist. Perhaps night blindness will help to identify another, more dangerous disease, since it is often a symptom of diseases of other systems.

Some people see almost nothing at dusk or later in the day. However, others at the same time quite clearly can distinguish objects with a lack of illumination. It's all about the structure of the eye. Let's take a closer look at what this disease is, how to identify it and what methods of treatment are the most effective.

Disease Definition

The scientific name for this disease is hemeralopia. Most people's eyes are designed in such a way that there are eighteen times more rods for night vision than there are cones for daytime vision. If this natural ratio is violated, the structure of the eye changes, which inevitably leads to the loss of distinguishing objects in the dark. Less common are specific violations in the work of rods with their normal ratios with cones.

Night blindness is a consequence of poor functioning of the organs of vision.

Types and classifications

There are four main types of hemeralopia. Each of them has its own characteristics, specifics and classifications.

congenital

This type of disease is inherited and its signs can be noticed at a fairly early age. The following factors can provoke this:

• genetic diseases;

Essential (with a lack of vitamins)

It causes crashes in . This can be provoked by a deficiency of vitamins A, PP, B2, less often zinc. Such a malaise can be caused by a violation of the intake of these beneficial compounds into the body. Improper diet, lack of food, liver failure or stomach disease - all this can lead to hemeralopia.

One of the functions of the retina is the timely enrichment of the vitreous body and adjacent tissues with essential vitamins and minerals. In chronic local avitaminosis, the ability of the corneal elements to perceive not only colors and shades, but also loss of orientation at night is lost.

symptomatic

This type of hemeralopia is possible in the presence of eye diseases that affect the retina or optic nerve. It can be provoked by: glaucoma, tapetoretinal dystrophy, siderosis.

False

It is caused by ordinary eye fatigue - this is constant watching TV, working at a computer. In this case, this is not quite a disease, but a signal that the eyes need rest and rest.

The course of treatment depends on the type of disease.

Causes

There are a number of factors that can cause hemeralopia. These include:

In most situations, the patient is able to function quite normally and live with such a diagnosis.

Symptoms

The following symptoms can signal the disease:

If you have at least one symptom, you should immediately contact an ophthalmologist.

Possible Complications

By itself, night blindness does not pose any serious threat to human life. However, it is worth considering that basically this ailment is a consequence of other, much more dangerous and unpleasant diseases. Also, a lack of vitamins leads to the depletion of the structural components of the eye (vitreous body, cornea, retina, optic nerve), which gives complications in the form of other difficult-to-treat diseases.

Complications are that other serious diseases may appear. Also, not all types of hemeralopia can be cured. It all depends on the type and severity of the problem.

Diagnostics

Only an ophthalmologist can establish an accurate diagnosis based on patient complaints and problems.

Electroradiography is the main method of diagnosis., allowing you to see all the anomalies in the retina. Human eyes are able to respond to special electrical impulses, data is recorded using an oscilloscope.

Carrying out electroradiography

In addition to this method, optical coherence tomography, refractometry, and sometimes tonography are also used.

Correct and timely diagnosis can increase the chances of recovery.

Treatment

Before you start treatment for night blindness, you should know that the congenital form cannot be treated at all. There are three main ways to get rid of this trouble.- medical, surgical and folk. Let's consider each of them in more detail.

Medical method

An excellent medicine for getting rid of this disease is. It contains a lot of useful vitamins and components that allow you to normalize all the processes in the organs of vision. After taking the drug, the tissues are saturated with oxygen, nerve impulses are better conducted.

The dosage of the medication is as follows: instill twice a day, drop by drop into each eye. The duration of the course is set individually for each patient. You need to know that the drug has complications in the form of an allergy to certain components.

Side effects include loss of normal visual acuity while taking this product.

Riboflavin is used in the treatment of hemeralopia. Laser surgery

folk way

It lies in the correct diet and diet. The following foods should be included in the diet:

• Cod liver;
• Milk products;
• Cheese;
• Eggs;
• Milk;
• Blackberries, black currants, blueberries, peaches, gooseberries, cherries, mountain ash, apricots.
• Eat more greens and vegetables.

Alternative methods are highly effective only when used together with drugs.

Prevention

To avoid night blindness, you should lead a healthy lifestyle and eat right.. It is necessary to draw up a schedule of work and rest, not to let your eyes overstrain. It is not recommended to sit at night in front of a computer monitor or TV. With constant work with a computer, take a break every 40 minutes.

Sunglasses must be worn during daylight hours. If you are a ski lover, then a mask will help save the retina from the snow that reflects the light.

You need to know that a lot depends on the age of the person. The larger it is, the less chance of a complete cure.

Be sure to follow preventive measures. This will not only reduce risks, but will improve your overall well-being, give you strength and energy.

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findings

The disease "night blindness" in humans is a very unusual disease that manifests itself in. It can be cured if it is not congenital. To do this, you need to lead a healthy lifestyle, consume more vitamins and follow preventive measures. In the event that you were able to independently detect night blindness in yourself, immediately consult a doctor to investigate the cause of its occurrence. Sometimes it can hide more serious diseases, ignoring which can reduce the quality of vision.