Night vision loss occurs due to a disorder of the cells in the retina that are responsible for seeing at night or in dim light. In the dark, our eyes are essentially ‘colour blind’ as they are only able to see a fraction of what could be seen during the day. This makes it especially difficult to drive at night due to symptoms such as:
- Blurred vision at night – particularly when reading or close viewing
- Haloes around lights – particularly street lights, oncoming headlights or traffic lights
- Sensitivity to light or glare
A more serious extension of this is night blindness, also known as nyctalopia, where it is almost impossible to see in the dark.
Night vision loss has been linked to Vitamin A deficiency, glaucoma, cataracts and retinitis pigmentosa.
