Improving Night Blindness with Vitamin A

Night blindness is a condition that can be caused by many different things. Not wearing your corrective glasses or contact lenses, even though you know you should. Genetics. Aging. Eye diseases, like cataracts and retinitis pigmentosa. And some people are simply born with the inability to see properly if the light is below a certain level.

Nutrition can also play a part in night blindness. Not getting the right nutrients in your diet can affect you ability to see in low light.

One nutrient that could have a drastic affect on your vision is vitamin A.

Vitamin A and Night Blindness

Your eyes need vitamin A. Vitamin A helps your eyes adjust to the amount of light that is or isn't present in your environment. For example, if there is little light in a room, vitamin A helps your eyes change shape so that you can use whatever light is there to see.

Fortunately, it's very difficult for a person to suffer from night blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency. That's because it's difficult not to get enough vitamin A in your diet. Vitamin A is present in milk, orange juice, carrots, and many of the other foods you eat every day.

However, if you suffer from night blindness, it is possible that a vitamin A deficiency is the cause. See your doctor. They can determine whether or not you have a vitamin A deficiency, and can quickly reverse the problem with vitamin A injections.

You can also try adding more vitamin A to your diet yourself, either by taking more vitamin A rich foods, or by taking vitamin A supplements.

Slowing Down Damage to the Eye

For many people, night blindness is caused by retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye disease many sufferers don't even know they have. Retitinitis pigmentosa slowly destroys structures in the eye that sense light. Over time, people suffering from this condition will find it harder and harder to see when the light drops below a certain level. Eventually, retitinitis pigmentosa can result in a loss of vision by the time a sufferer has reached their 50s or 60s.

It is extremely important for those suffering from this condition to be diagnosed and treated. Sufferers might also take heart from the fact that researchers have found that vitamin A can slow the damage caused by retinitis pigmentosa. Meaning it can also slow the progression of night blindness in sufferers.

Taking 15,000 international units of vitamin A palmitate every day can help retinitis pigmentosa sufferers enjoy up to seven extra years of useful vision.

If you suffer from retitinitis pigmentosa, speak to your doctor before trying vitamin A treatments.