Night Blindness

Night blindness

In order to be able to see in twilight and in the dark, special cells (receptors) of the retina are necessary - the rods. They convey black and white vision.

If these cells are partially impaired in their function, the ability to see at dusk and in the dark is restricted. If the rods fail completely, the person concerned is night blind.

Therapy varies and is based on the cause of night blindness.

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• Night blindness - what is it?
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Night blindness - what is it?

Night blindness can be congenital or acquired. It occurs as an early indication of vitamin A deficiency, which can result from malnutrition, absorption disorders in the intestine or liver cirrhosis. Night blindness can also be an early symptom of a hereditary disease (retinopathia pigmentosa).

Diagnosis of night blindness

Night blindness is not always noticed immediately by those affected. The ophthalmologist will get an idea of ​​possible complaints and carry out various tests and examinations. In order to determine the cause of the symptoms - and to rule out other diseases - examinations of the visual field and the fundus are carried out. With the help of a special device, the adaptometer, the ophthalmologist can determine the dark adaptation of the eye. Checking twilight vision (glare sensitivity, immediate adaptation, etc.) is also carried out using a special device, the nyctometer.

Note In the course of acquiring a driver's license, sufficient twilight vision is checked. Under certain circumstances, the acquisition may be associated with restrictions (e.g. restriction to daytime driving, limited driver's license) - or the driver's license may not be granted.

In addition to the functional restriction of the rod cells, diseases of other structures of the eye - such as cornea, eye lens and optic nerve - can lead to impaired vision even at dusk and in the dark. It can happen that the visual aids (glasses or contact lenses) are incorrectly adjusted and patients therefore have an alleged night blindness or see poorly at night.

Therapy for night blindness

The therapy is based on the cause of night blindness. If this is the result of a vitamin A deficiency, the vitamin is supplied in sufficient quantities. There is no therapy for congenital night blindness (congenital inpatient night blindness). If the impaired vision or adaptation problems are based on other diseases (clouding of the cornea or lens, optic nerve and retinal diseases - e.g. glaucoma), these will be treated. Various measures can support those affected - e.g. sufficient light sources at night.

Whom can I ask?

Ophthalmologists diagnose night blindness and its causes and initiate therapeutic measures.

How are the costs going to be covered?

The costs of clarifying night blindness and the therapy are usually covered by the responsible health insurance company.

For more information, see

• Costs and deductibles (visit to the doctor)
• The recipe

You can also find out about the respective provisions from your health insurance provider, which you can find on the social security website.