Night Blindness

Overview

Night blindness, as its name implies, is a situation in which vision becomes reduced during the night or in times of darkness, making it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to distinguish objects in the dark.

The signs of Night Blindness

The primary symptom of night loss of sight is impaired vision throughout the night or when in darkness. Items become hard to distinguish, for example streets signs become blurry and, in some cases, unreadable. In addition, a clouding halo might be displayed over objects that are lighted, making them difficult to see. In most cases of night blindness, these symptoms vanish during daylight.

Causes of Night Blindness

There are two primary causes of night loss of sight. In many cases, poor diet and nutritional deficiencies, especially a lack of vitamins or zinc oxide cause night loss of sight. The second likely cause is a far more serious eye condition known as retinitis pigmentosa, which is the result of a deterioration of the eye tissue in the retina. This deterioration makes it difficult to distinguish between light and dark.

Caution: If you suspect you or someone in your care suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, seek medical attention immediately, because, left untreated, it can result in a progressive loss of sight and even blindness.

Natural Cures

Ayurveda: According to Ayurvedic theory, most vision difficulties are caused by digestive disorders. Regularly exercise your eyes and try the herbs amla, licorice, as well as triphala to help boost your immune performance and settle your digestive system. Consume a diet rich in organic whole foods with abundant antioxidant rich vegetables such as carrots and spinach.

Bates Method: The Bates Method, created at the beginning of the 20th century by Dr. Bates M.D. (1865-1931) a notable American ophthalmologist, helps improve sight and restore lost vision. Dr. Bates thought the eyes become impaired through strain, tension and as a result of misusing the eyes. The aim of the Bates Technique is to teach people with vision problems such as astigmatism, farsightedness, and nearsightedness methods to get their eyes and minds to work together harmoniously to considerably improve eyesight.

The Bates Method is not really a medical treatment, but a method of re-training that involves active understanding and receptive awareness of how we see, like the appreciation of a painting, a beautiful garden or a cathedral. Dr. Bates believed that healthy eyesight is the result of a calm state of mind and body in which a person feels direct contact with the surrounding world through the 5 senses. Poor eyesight, he believed, is the result of pressure, where the individual is, to some greater or even lesser extent, isolated externally world via being locked in a design of psychological-actual tensions, such as worry, anxiousness, rigidity, day time-fantasizing, boredom, confusion, impatience, etc.

The Bates Method is taught via a student-teacher relationship in which the student is shown how to relax the eyes, then body, and then the body and eyes together. As relaxation progresses, the brain, eyes, and body begin to focus more harmoniously, allowing vision to improve naturally by itself which is very beneficial for the overall health of the eyes.

Psychophysiological Feedback Training: Psychophysiological Feedback Training is helpful for improving a variety of vision problems, including astigmatism, near and farsightedness, and night blindness. Traditional biofeedback instruction helps sufferers become better able to relax the muscles of the forehead, thus reducing pressure on the eyes.

A particular biofeedback device for enhancing poor vision is the Accommotrac Vision Trainer®, developed by optometric physician Frederick, Trachtman, O.D., Ph.D., of New York City. This device works by measuring how clearly and effectively the retina perceives images. As patients change their ocular focus, the Accommotrac transforms the visible images they’re viewing into sound. This enables them to detect and control their focus, therefore enhancing control within the eye muscles themselves. Therapy sessions are usually scheduled once per week for an hour each time. The Accommotrac can provide significant improvements in refractory vision problems, such as astigmatism, near and farsightedness, as well as night blindness.

Diet: Stress a diet of natural, whole foods, with a daily abundance of clean fruits and vegetables. Eat a variety of both but choose those that are rich in antioxidants. These include red, orange and purple bell peppers, carrots, celery, chard, collard, green spinach, romaine lettuce, parsley, tomatoes and yellow squash. Fruits high in antioxidants include berries, especially uncooked or juiced Acai berries, Goji berries, dark-colored berries, purple and red grapes, plums, cherries, mangos, melons and citrus fruits. For a sweet treat to help curb chocolate urges, enjoy antioxidant rich unsweetened cacao. Mixed with natural sweetening such as raw honey or agave syrup, cacao is a scrumptious alternative to the typical refined sugar in conventional chocolate products.

Natural egg yolks are also recommended because they are full of carotenoids, an important antioxidants. It is best to eat soft, rather than hard cooked egg yolks to preserve the heat sensitive useful carotenoids. Gently boiled, poached, sunny side up, or even raw eggs are best. Uncooked eggs may be eaten if they come from a trusted organic source and are washed prior to breaking. Salmonella moves on the shell of the egg and makes its way into the egg from the outside, so washing eggs with hot sudsy water minimizes the likelihood of infection.

Avoid all processed and fried foods, sugar and sugars products, simple carbohydrates, alcohol, and unhealthy hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. Milk and dairy products should be consumed sparingly, and preferably only in the raw or organic form. Avoid conventional animal fats and overcooked/grilled meat. In addition, get tested for food allergies, and always avoid those foods for which you test positive.

Also make sure to drink plenty of pure, strained water throughout the day to flush unwanted debris from the eye drainage channels. Hydration is essential for maintaining the flexibility of the eyes’ lenses. Fresh raw green juices should be an important addition to the daily diet of anyone experiencing night loss of vision. See the recipe section for more green juice suggestions.

Exercises: These eye workouts are useful for stopping and reversing most types of vision difficulties.

Rest your vision for 5 minutes each day every 30-60 minutes.

Blink your vision regularly. This reduces eyestrain.

Take regular breaks during the day to inhale deeply for a few minutes, coupled with neck and shoulder stretching. This helps to ensure your eye muscle tissue receive adequate amounts of oxygen.

To further decrease facial tension, yawn in an exaggerated fashion. Doing so helps to stretch and relax your facial muscles.

Cover your eyes with you palms for 5 minutes and inhale deeply. Do this every 1-2 hours.

Spend 20-30 minutes each day rapidly switching your focus from near to far. A good way to do this is to hold your finger 6-8 inches from your eyes. Focus on this for a moment, and then focus on an object in the distance. Keep changing your focus from near to far. This particular method is an excellent way to exercise your eye muscles.

Roll your eyes all the way up and down inside a full round motion with regard to 5 minutes, 3-5 times each day.

Pin a piece of paper with writing on it to the wall and stand 2 feet away, closer if you need to. Each day, step further away from the wall. With regular practice, you will eventually be able to read the same material from the other side of the room. If you’re nearsighted, change this process, beginning as far away from the paper as possible, then gradually moving closer each day until you are able to see clearly standing only a few inches away.

Herbs: The following herbs will help prevent and slow the actual progression of night blindness: Bilberry, curcumin, gentian root, grape seed extract, ginkgo biloba, and pine bark draw out (pycnogenol).

Juice Therapy: Consume 16 oz. of pure carrot juice or carrot juice combined with freshly juiced celery, cucumber, parsley, and green spinach in two divided dosages (8 oz. per serving) each day.

Lifestyle: Minimize eyestrain by avoiding over-working at a computer, or even reading for long periods of time. Additionally, refrain from spending prolonged periods in the dark, or watching television or movies in the dark.

Dietary Supplementation: Helpful nutrients include vitamin A, vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, flavonoids, lutein, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), riboflavin, selenium, taurine, zeaxthanin, and zinc.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): According to traditional Chinese theory, the majority of vision difficulties are caused by reduced liver function. To restore healthy liver performance, TCM practitioners combine traditional Chinese methods with dietary improvements and traditional Chinese herbs, such as ginkgo biloba and ginseng.

Alternative Expert Care

The following professional therapies have been proven useful for preventing and dealing with night loss of sight: Acupressure, Acupuncture, Behavior and Syntronic Optometry, Bodywork (Alexander technique, Feldenkrais, Reflexology, Rolfing, Shiatsu, and Therapeutic Massage), Craniosacral Therapy, Chiropractic Care, Detoxing Therapy, Environmental Medicine, Permanent Magnetic Therapy, Naturopathic Medicine, and Osteopathic Treatments. (See Glossary for explanations of these Alternative Therapies.)