What Is Night Blindness
What is Night Blindness
Night blindness means having difficulty seeing in the dark or in low light. One of the most common issues with night blindness is difficulty driving in the evening or at night.
Night Blindness Causes
There are several common causes of night blindness:
Lack of vitamin A, which can cause a disorder of the retina and make the eyes very dry
Cataract , which are cloudy areas in the lens of the eye
Some forms of retinal degeneration, such as Retinitis Pigmentosa
Trouble adjusting from low levels of light to high levels of light
Certain medications
Birth defects
What is beriberi?
Beriberi is a disease caused by a lack of vitamin B1 (thiamine) in the body. Although beriberi can occur in anyone who is poorly nourished, it is very rare in the United States due to the addition of vitamins to many of the foods we eat.
What causes beriberi?
Beriberi is caused by a lack of thiamine in the body. This lack of thiamine can be due to a lack of thiamine intake into the body or to an inability of the body to use the thiamine. Because many foods in developed countries are supplemented with vitamins, a lack of thiamine intake sufficient to cause beriberi is very rare in the United States. Rather, beriberi is more commonly caused by the body’s inability to use the thiamine. This can be due to excessive alcohol use or poisoning, or it may be caused by a rare hereditary disorder.
The most common cause of beriberi in the United States is alcoholism. Heavy alcohol use can inhibit the body’s ability to absorb thiamine, leading to a deficiency. Rarely, beriberi can be inherited. Inherited beriberi creates a dysfunction in a person’s ability to take up and use thiamine. Beriberi can also sometimes be found in nursing infants whose mothers’ diets are inadequate in thiamine and in formula-fed infants whose formula is inadequate in thiamine.
Night blindness means having difficulty seeing in the dark or in low light. One of the most common issues with night blindness is difficulty driving in the evening or at night.
Night Blindness Causes
There are several common causes of night blindness:
Lack of vitamin A, which can cause a disorder of the retina and make the eyes very dry
Cataract , which are cloudy areas in the lens of the eye
Some forms of retinal degeneration, such as Retinitis Pigmentosa
Trouble adjusting from low levels of light to high levels of light
Certain medications
Birth defects
What is beriberi?
Beriberi is a disease caused by a lack of vitamin B1 (thiamine) in the body. Although beriberi can occur in anyone who is poorly nourished, it is very rare in the United States due to the addition of vitamins to many of the foods we eat.
What causes beriberi?
Beriberi is caused by a lack of thiamine in the body. This lack of thiamine can be due to a lack of thiamine intake into the body or to an inability of the body to use the thiamine. Because many foods in developed countries are supplemented with vitamins, a lack of thiamine intake sufficient to cause beriberi is very rare in the United States. Rather, beriberi is more commonly caused by the body’s inability to use the thiamine. This can be due to excessive alcohol use or poisoning, or it may be caused by a rare hereditary disorder.
The most common cause of beriberi in the United States is alcoholism. Heavy alcohol use can inhibit the body’s ability to absorb thiamine, leading to a deficiency. Rarely, beriberi can be inherited. Inherited beriberi creates a dysfunction in a person’s ability to take up and use thiamine. Beriberi can also sometimes be found in nursing infants whose mothers’ diets are inadequate in thiamine and in formula-fed infants whose formula is inadequate in thiamine.