NIGHT BLINDNESS

Dr. Khalid Hussain Shaikh

Additional Secretary Health (Dev:)

Government of Sindh.

NIGHT BLINDNESS

It is a condition making it difficult or impossibleto see in relatively low light or dim light

It is a symptom of several eye diseases.

Night blindness may exist from birth, or becaused by injury or malnutrition (for example, alack of vitamin A).

It can be described as insufficient adaptation todarkness.

Causes of Night Blindness

The causes of this condition are divided in two categories, Treatable and Non-Treatable.

Treatable:

-Nearsightedness- Cataracts- Use and abuse of certain drugs- Retinal problems- Vitamin Deficiency (especially vitamin A)

Unfortunately not all causes of night blindness can be treated.

Causes of Night Blindness

Non-treatable:

- Birth defects (some people can't see well in the dark because of a birth defect).

- Retinitis pigmentosa

Approval of PC-1 of PCB Program

Govt: of Sindh has given due importance to theissue of Blindness, which is major healthproblem

That is why, Fresh PC-1 (Modified) of PCBProgram (2010-14) has been approved at thecost of Rs: 329, 304, 198 (Rs: 329. 304 Million)by Sindh Government (Provincial DevelopmentWorking Party PDWP) in its meeting held onApril 21, 2011.

OBJECTIVES

To fight against avoidable causes of Blindness

Train Mid-level Eye Healthcare Personnel, e.g. Ophthalmic Technicians, Opticians, Orthoptistsand Ophthalmic Nurses for the effective delivery of eye healthcare services to the common man at their door steps.

To Train Ophthalmologists in Microsurgery and Lasers (YAG & Argon) across the province

OBJECTIVES (Conti:)

Equip the Tertiary, District and Tehsil Eye Units

To Create a referral chain from community to the Ophthalmologist.

To Increase annual cataract surgical rate to cover the incidence of cataract blindness.

How to Cure Night Blindness

Unfortunately there doesn't exist a directcure for night blindness.

If you want to see better at night, youshould visit a doctor, discover the cause ofyour night blindness, and find a solution.

How to Cure Night Blindness

There are some treatments available for curing this condition, but I don't recommend any of them.

What I do recommend is having a good diet full of fruits, vegetables and water.

You can also do what the Romans did. Many Romans used to gaze at the moon for 10-15 minutes every night in order to improve their night vision.

This will help your night vision improve gradually. It's also an excellent way to relax after a long day.

MEASURES:

1. Medical Therapy

The doctor might advise the intake of oralvitamin A supplements, available at drugstores over the counter.

Other forms of treatment would involvetaking care of any causative medicalcondition or illness that is leading to thenight blindness.

2. Glare and Glasses

If you are only a little nearsighted and are not in the habit ofwearing your glasses all the time, you should now start to wearyour glasses at all time, especially after darkness sets in.

Your doctor might advise an anti-reflective coating for your glassesthat will decrease the glare and heighten the amount of lightreaching your eye. This will help you see better.

Prior to entering tunnels during the day, put on your sunglasses.You should do this around a mile before entering the tunnel to letyour eyes get moderately used to the darkness.

But once inside the tunnel, you should be able to see properly, soyou can remove the glasses.

3. Lights

Older people with night blindness problemsusually find that they see better with higherwattage of yellow lights, rather than fluorescentones.

If according to your doctor, your night blindnessis the result of macular degeneration, youshould try to get as much light as possible foryour activities, particularly reading.

4. DIET

Researchers believe that antioxidant nutrients likevitamins A, C and E and zinc, which work by thwartingbiologically occurring eye tissue degeneration, can aid inmanaging certain conditions that lead to night blindness.As in most cases, night blindness may be caused directlyby a deficiency of vitamin A.

You should try to have as much as you can of animalfoods, like meats, fish, eggs and dairy products.

Have a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables with betacarotene, which the body will change into vitamin A.

DIET (Conti:)

As zinc helps with the enzyme retinoldehydrogenase required for vitamin A activity inthe eye, dietary zinc found in lobster, clams,salmon and yogurt should be increased in mealsin order to lead to healthier eyesight.

Try to have a daily mineral and multivitaminsupplement with your regular meals.