Night Blindness - Night Blindness

Night blindness may be an early sign of vitamin A deficiency. Such a deficiency may result from diets low in animal foods (the main source of vitamin A), such as eggs, dairy products, organ meats, and some fish. Low intake of fruits and vegetables containing beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A, may also contribute to a vitamin A deficiency. Doctors often recommend 10,000 to 25,000 IU of vitamin A per day to correct a deficiency. Beta-carotene is less effective at correcting vitamin A deficiency than is vitamin A itself, because it is not absorbed as well and is only slowly converted by the body into vitamin A.

The best form of vitamin A is known as pal- mitate, taken in a daily dose of 15,000 international units.

Occasionally, night blindness can be an early symptom of a progressive eye disease. One example is retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which affects an estimated 100,000 people in the United Sates.

Dietary zinc deficiency is common, and a lack of zinc may reduce the activity of retinol dehydrogenase, an enzyme needed to help vitamin A work in the eye. Zinc helps night blindness in people who are zinc-deficient;(1) therefore, many physicians suggest 15 to 30 mg of zinc per day to support healthy vision. Because long-term zinc supplementation may reduce copper levels, 1 to 2 mg of copper per day (depending on the amount of zinc used) is usually recommended for people who are supplementing with zinc for more than a few weeks.

Bilberry, a close relative of the blueberry, is high in flavonoids known as anthocyanosides. Anthocyanosides speed the regeneration of rhodopsin, the purple pigment that is used by the rods in the eye for night vision.(2) Supplementation with bilberry has been shown in early studies to improve dark adaptation in people with poor night vision.(3) (4) However, two newer studies found no effect of bilberry on night vision in healthy people.(5) (6) Bilberry extract standardized to contain 25% anthocyanosides may be taken in capsule or tablet form.

If you're having problems with night vision, you should have your eyes examined by an ophthalmologist.

Specific nutritional supplementation can help improve night vision. Certain nutrients such as Bilberry, Lutein, Ginkgo Biloba, Zeaxanthin, Vitamin A, and other vitamins and minerals may help night blindness and preserve vision.