Night Blindness: Treatment, Cost and Side Effects

This treatment is required when a person is suffering from night blindness. Night blindness is a condition in which affected individuals experience poor vision during night time or at dimly lit places. Night blindness as the name suggests does not mean that a suffering patient will completely go blind at night; instead it means that the patient may have difficulties seeing or driving at night. Night blindness of one type is treatable; however, there is no treatment for the other types of night blindness.

Night blindness is caused due to a number of other vision problems like near sightedness, cataracts, usher syndrome which is a genetic condition affecting both hearing and vision and retinitis pigmentosa which creates tunnel vision due to the dark pigments collected in the retina. In some parts of the world, night blindness can also be caused because of vitamin A deficiency. In order to treat the treatable types of night blindness, doctors may need your full medical history and examine your eyes to look for the problem. Blood samples may also be required to check for the presence of Vitamin A and glucose levels in the body.

If your night blindness is caused by cataracts, deficiency of vitamin A or nearsightedness, then your condition can be treated. However, for other types of night blindness there is no cure. If you are having difficulties seeing at night due to your cataracts problems, you can opt for a surgery to remove the clouded portions from your eyes’ lens. Your surgeon will be replacing your damaged lens with a new artificial one. If cataracts are the reason behind your night blindness, then your vision will improve remarkably after the surgery.

A treatment with vitamin supplements may be helpful if you are having night blindness problems due to the deficiency of vitamin A. Choosing food products which have a high level of vitamin A in them can also be helpful. You should try including food like pumpkin, carrots, cantaloupes and other orange colored fruits and vegetables in your diet. However, if you have genetic problems, like retinitis pigmentosa, which is causing the problem, then the condition cannot be treated. No corrective lenses or surgery can help you get rid of the problem. People suffering from this kind of condition are advised not to drive at night. Other problems like usher syndrome is also not treatable.

The only symptom for a person who should get him/herself tested for the condition is an individual who has problem seeing in the night. People who have difficulties adjusting and seeing when they move away from a bright environment to an area with dimmer lights, night blindness can be an underlying cause and they should get themselves treated.

Any individual who does not have a problem with seeing in the dark or at night should not get themselves treated for this condition.

One of the treatment method of getting rid of night blindness is through a cataract surgery. A cataract surgery although has a very high rate of success still has complications like infection or bleeding which patients need to look out for. Persistent inflammation, changes in the eye pressure and swelling of the retina at the back of the eye are few other side effects of the treatment. High doses of vitamin A supplement can also lead to liver damage, dizziness, severe nausea and vomiting.

For patients who undergo the cataract surgery, certain medications and eye drops are to be taken for a certain period of time. You may need to visit your doctor in a month’s time to monitor the healing process.

For a person who has the treatable kind of night blindness it may take a month or so to see effective progress in being able to see at night or in dimly lit places. However if the night blindness is caused by genetic reasons then there is no cure for the problem and hence cannot be treated.

A cataract surgery may cost around Rs 20,000 to 60,000. Vitamin A supplements can start from Rs 500 and can go up to Rs 1,500 as well.

After getting the surgery, the results are expected to be permanent. There might be initial discomfort for a week or so, but a significant progress of having a clearer vision at night is observed. For other kinds of untreatable night blindness issues, there is no cure.

Eating food items with a high level of vitamin A in them can be a good alternative to taking vitamin supplements if your night blindness is caused by vitamin A deficiency. There are other home remedies, like using herbal products, which can be opted for in order to improve your night vision.