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Day Blindness (Hemeralopia) Causes Symptoms and Treatment

Day Blindness (Hemeralopia)

Daytime blindness, also known as hemeralopia, is a condition in which a person's ability to see clearly in bright light or daylight is reduced, such as during the day or in a brightly lit environment. This is in contrast to nyctalopia (nighttime blindness), where vision is lost in low light conditions. Daytime blindness is characterized by a significant decrease in visual acuity in the eye exposed to the eye, while their vision remains relatively normal in low light or nighttime conditions.

Causes of Day Blindness

The most common causes of day blindness (hemeralopia) are vitamin and mineral deficiencies and certain genetic developments can cause hemeralopia, chronic or long-term injury or disease affecting the accessory nerve can also cause day blindness.

  • Cataracts: Cloudiness in the lens of the eye can cause sensitivity to bright light and difficulty seeing in daylight or difficulty seeing clearly in any lighting conditions.

  • Cone dystrophy: This is a group of inherited retinal diseases that affect the cones, it includes difficulty seeing in bright light and a reduced ability to see colors and may also include day blindness.      

  • Retinal disorders: Conditions such as cone-rod dystrophy or macular degeneration can affect the photoreceptors responsible for vision in daylight, causing difficulty seeing.
  • Albinism: Lack of pigment in the eyes can cause difficulty seeing in bright light such as photophobia (sensitivity to light)

  • Medications: Some medications such as phenothiazines can increase photosensitivity and medications used to treat acne or psoriasis can affect daytime vision as a side effect.

Symptoms of Day Blindness 

  • Difficulty seeing clearly in bright light while having better visibility in dim light than bright light 
  • The symptoms start from childhood with the child losing his spatial orientation in bright light conditions
  • Exposure to bright light may also cause weakness, strain, pain, redness and swelling in the eyes
  • A person suffering from day blindness often has to squint his eyes or feels uncomfortable in bright light-sensitive
  • People suffering from day blindness may notice glare or halos around lights on sunny days or in a brightly lit room.


Risk Factors 

Risk factors for daytime blindness are conditions or circumstances that increase the likelihood of developing visual impairment Risk factors for daytime blindness include vitamin A deficiency, certain genetic disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa and cone-rod dystrophy. Additionally, conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy can also increase the risk of developing hemeralopia. Excessive exposure to light, certain medications and eye injury are other possible risk factors for this condition.These risk factors are often related to underlying eye disorders, genetic conditions or environmental factors


Diagnosis of Day Blindness 

To diagnose daytime blindness, your eye doctor will perform a thorough eye examination, including visual acuity testing and a review of a detailed medical history. Since daytime blindness is often considered a symptom of an underlying eye disorder or systemic condition, the diagnostic process may involve several steps. And consultation with a retina specialist may be necessary for further evaluation and management of daytime blindness.
  • A thorough eye examination includes a review of symptoms, family history, and any underlying health conditions
  • Checking for abnormalities in the structures of the eye Evaluating how glare affects your vision.
  • Special tests, such as electroretinography (ERG), may be performed to assess the electrical responses of the retina's rod and cone cells to light stimuli.
  • Visual acuity tests Visual field tests may be performed to evaluate the extent of vision loss in different areas of the visual field.
  • Using ophthalmoscopy or imaging techniques to evaluate the retina and optic nerve.
  • Assessing the function of cone cells and detecting color blindness.
  • Imaging studies such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) can provide detailed images of the retina for diagnostic purposes




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