Do you have trouble functioning in the dark? Amazingly, it’s estimated that more than 20 percent of Americans have a problem with night vision. Night blindness—also known as nyctanopia or nyctalopia—is a medical condition that causes poor vision at night, or in areas that are dimly lit or have no light at all.

This condition also causes a prolonged problem when your eyes try to adjust from a brightly lit area to one that is dim. And not only can night blindness cause you problems getting around at night, but it has been known to lead to a fear of the dark.

Usually, night blindness is the result of a disorder of the retina—because located in the back of the retina are rods which help your eyes to see in low light. And there are multiple common causes for this retina problem, which can lead to night blindness…

• Cataracts—Cloudy areas in the lens of the eyes, which are more common as you age, generally if you are 50 years and older.
• Retinitis pigmentosa—A genetic eye disease which leads to a progressive loss of vision. One of the first signs of the disease in a younger person is night blindness.
• Birth defects—Certain types can cause the retina to be deformed.
• Myopia—Also known as nearsightedness, this condition can cause problems focusing, which can make objects far away appear blurry. This can cause your eyes to have trouble adjusting to darkness.
• Certain drugs—Some medications can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb vitamin A.
• Poor nutrition—especially low levels of vitamin A and beta-carotene. Large quantities are needed for the health and efficient functioning of the retina, so a deficiency causes retinal disorder and makes the eyes very dry.

This vitamin A deficiency is one of the main causes of night blindness. But vitamin A can be found in green leafy vegetables, eggs, whole milk products and animal liver.

And beta-carotene is mainly consumed in yellow and green leafy vegetables such as carrots, red peppers and spinach, and yellow fruits such as apricots, mango and melon. Supplements are also available to ensure that your body has adequate levels of this important nutrient.

Beta-carotene has been used for centuries to help with eye sight. Arabs used carrots to correct night vision because of its high levels of beta-carotene. And Hippocrates gave his patients calves’ liver because of its high vitamin A content—and their night vision would return within 24 hours!

And night vision is not the only eye-related health problem that responds positively to vitamin A and beta-carotene… they both promote good overall eye health and can help give you razor-sharp eyesight well into your 90s! What an easy way to protect one of your most valuable assets—your vision!