Hemeralopia is one of the serious flaws in the visual analyzer. This is a twilight vision disorder, which is characterized by a strong decrease in the ability to navigate in the dark. In the people, hemeralopia is "night blindness." This name is given to the disease due to an analogy with the peculiarities of vision in birds.
The pathology itself can be a congenital anomaly in the formation of the light-perceptive system or an acquired ailment that usually occurs with malnutrition or other diseases. Treatment of the disease involves the use of certain medications in an individually selected dosage.
A little information
Hemeralopia is the scientific name of the popular night blindness. In most people, the eyes are built so that the rods required for normal night vision are 18 times larger than the cones that control this process in the daytime. In case of violation of this full-fledged ratio, the structure of the eye changes, which unambiguously entails a loss of ability to distinguish objects in the dark.
More rarely, hemeralopia, or "night blindness," is observed with impaired activity of the rods in the standard ratio of their number to the number of cones. Various eye pathologies contribute to this phenomenon.
We can say that hemeralopia is a consequence of the poor functioning of the visual organs.
Varieties
There are four types of night blindness. Each of them has its own flow characteristics.
- Congenital type. Such a disease is transmitted at the genetic level and its symptoms can be detected at an early age. Genetic defects and retinitis pigmentosa are capable of causing the development of pathology.
- Essential look. This is one of the forms of hemeralopia that is triggered by malfunctions of the retina. This condition can be caused by a lack of vitamins PP, A, B 2 , a little less often - zinc. Hemeralopia is observed in violation of the processes of entry of these substances into the body. Unhealthy diet, food shortages, digestive tract diseases, liver failure - all this can trigger the appearance of "night blindness".
- Symptomatic, or functional, hemeralopia. This type of blindness is possible in the presence of eye pathologies covering the optic nerve or retina. They can cause such a disease: glaucoma, chorioretinitis, siderosis, myopia, nerve atrophy, tapetoretinal dystrophy.
- False form. It is provoked by ordinary eye fatigue, which appears due to the constant watching of TV or working at a computer. In such a situation, night blindness is not a pathology, but rather a signal that the eyes need rest and a good rest.
Further treatment depends on the type of disease.
Causes of hemeralopia
There are a number of conditions that contribute to the appearance of pathology. These include:
- age-related changes - most often this disease affects people of advanced age;
- deviations in the functioning of cones and rods, which regulate the perception of shades;
- genetic mutations.
It is noteworthy that in most cases the patient may well live and work with such a diagnosis.
Symptomatology
The following symptoms can indicate the presence of a disease such as "night blindness":
- impaired vision and lack of ability to distinguish surrounding objects in the dark - the patient loses the ability to navigate at night;
- poor perception of shades - patients notice the appearance of white spots with a sudden change of bright light to dim;
- abnormal changes in the fundus - the patient may complain of a feeling of dryness, regularly occurring skin diseases near the eyes and accumulation of pus on the conjunctiva.
According to patients' reviews, most often they have only one sign of the disease - visual impairment in the dark. Usually, this is quite enough to suspect the presence of such a problem as "night blindness."
If at least one of the described symptoms is detected, you should immediately contact an ophthalmologist.
Other manifestations
Other symptoms may indicate a problem. So, for the essential form, according to doctors, the occurrence of specific xerotic Iskersky-Bito plaques on the conjunctiva of the eyeball is characteristic. At its core, these are dry flat spots, usually located within the palpebral fissure.
With a pronounced deficiency of vitamin A, necrosis and the melting of corneal tissues are possible. With general vitamin deficiency, typical symptoms of insufficiency of necessary trace elements are observed. These include abnormal weight loss, bleeding gums, excessive dry skin.
When examining visual fields, their narrowing is observed, especially as a reaction to blue and yellow colors.
With functional and congenital hemeralopia, changes in the fundus depend on the underlying pathology. With the essential form of night blindness, this part of the visual apparatus does not change.
Probable complications
In itself, hemeralopia does not pose any serious danger to human life and health. But it is worth taking into account the fact that mainly pathology is the result of other, more global diseases. In addition, a deficiency of vitamins entails a gradual depletion of the structural elements of the eye. And this phenomenon already leads to all sorts of complications, for example, cataracts, glaucoma and other difficult to treat pathologies.
The consequences are an increased possibility of manifestation of other severe defects. In addition, not all forms of hemeralopia can be cured. It all depends on the type and severity of the disease.
Diagnostics
A specific diagnosis can only be made by an ophthalmologist based on the identified symptoms and complaints of the patient.
The main diagnostic technique used to detect hemeralopia is electro-radiography - it makes it possible to well consider all the defects in the structure of the retina. The visual organs respond to special electrical signals, and the results of the study are recorded using an oscilloscope.
In addition to this technique, coherence tomography and refractometry are also used, in some cases, tonography.
A true and timely diagnosis at times increases the chances of a full recovery.
Hemeralopia treatment
Before proceeding directly to therapy, it is worth clarifying that the congenital form of this pathology does not lend itself to it at all. There are only three methods of eliminating this defect - medication, folk and surgical. Each of them is in demand, but the final decision is always up to the doctor. The specialist chooses the type of therapy, depending on the form of the disease and the severity of its manifestations. True, numerous reviews indicate that in almost all cases, the doctor prescribes therapy with drugs.
Drug therapy
A great drug to help get rid of night blindness is Riboflavin. It contains many useful vitamins and substances that make it possible to normalize all processes in the visual system. Thanks to the use of this drug, tissues are enriched with oxygen and conduct nerve impulses much better.
Instill the drug twice a day, one drop in each eye. The duration of the course of treatment is determined individually for each patient. It is worth considering that the drug can cause side effects in the form of an allergy to the constituent ingredients. These include the loss of habitual visual acuity for the entire period of use of "Riboflavin".
In complex therapy, you can use other drugs containing vitamins B2, A and PP.
Surgical intervention
This technique is used exclusively in cases where hemeralopia is provoked by glaucoma or myopia. An operation to correct vision or another intervention is performed.
Folk recipes
Alternative medicine insists on a healthy diet and diet. A person’s daily diet with a diagnosis of "hemeralopia" should be replenished:
- dairy products;
- blackberry;
- a lot of greens;
- cod liver;
- eggs
- blueberries;
- vegetables
- cheese
- peaches;
- blackcurrant;
- mountain ash;
- Cherries
- gooseberries;
- apricots.
Folk remedies are effective only if they are combined with medicines.
A further prognosis is favorable in the treatment of essential hemeralopia. As for the symptomatic form of the disease, the outcome depends on the severity and nature of the main pathology. In addition, it should be borne in mind that the prognosis is determined by the age of the patient. The larger it is, the less likely it is to recover completely.
Prevention
In order to avoid hemeralopia or night blindness, you must adhere to the rules of a healthy lifestyle and eat well. It is advisable to make a schedule of rest and active work so as not to strain your eyes. It is also worth refraining from using a bright monitor in the dark. In the case of constant work at the computer, you need to take a rest once every half an hour.
In daylight, wearing sunglasses is recommended. Fans of ski resorts should use a special mask to help protect their eyes from bright light reflecting off the surface of the snow.
Compliance with preventive measures is necessary for each patient. They will help not only reduce the risks of developing pathology, but also improve overall well-being, giving vitality and strength.