Language
Country/Area
No result found
From Ancient Rome to Modern Times: How Night Blindness Reveals the Importance of Vitamin A?
Nyctalopia, a vision disorder that makes it difficult or impossible to see in low light, has been documented throughout history, dating back to the ancient Romans. Because the condition can result from a variety of eye diseases, or from injury or malnutrition (such as vitamin A deficiency), night blindness shows how humans have evolved in their understanding of the importance of vitamin A.
The most common cause of night blindness is retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease that gradually destroys the light-sensitive rod cells in the retina.
Night blindness has been explored by physicians since ancient times. For example, in 30 AD, the physician Aulus Cornelius Celsus described night blindness and recommended pork liver as an effective dietary supplement. He mentioned: "There is a kind of weakness of the eyes, in which the vision is good during the day, but at night it is completely impossible to see." This proves that people have been aware of vitamin A in food for thousands of years.
For generations, liver has been considered a good source of vitamin A, which is significantly helpful in improving the vision of patients with night blindness.
As time goes by, scientists' understanding of night blindness has gradually deepened. In addition to retinitis pigmentosa, vitamin A deficiency is listed as one of the main factors causing night blindness. Vitamin A is not only essential for the skin and immune system, but is also required for the synthesis of rhodopsin in photoreceptors (i.e. rods) in the retina. In low-light environments, the sensitivity of photoreceptor rods to light is particularly critical, and a lack of vitamin A can lead to impaired night vision.
People with night blindness often need a longer time to adapt when switching from a bright environment to a dim environment, which also shows that the visual ability to adjust to light is affected.
Modern medical research indicates that the impact of night blindness is not limited to vision, but also affects the patient's quality of life and mood. Statistics show that vitamin A deficiency is particularly serious in some areas, especially among malnourished communities, so public health agencies have begun promoting programs that use foods such as liver as nutritional supplements.
In addition to affecting humans, night blindness can also be observed in animals, particularly certain breeds of horses such as the Appaloosa, which have a genetic mutation that affects their vision in dim light. This suggests that vitamin A deficiency may cause similar visual impairment in different species.
Primates, especially horses, are also affected by night blindness, which also poses challenges for horse breeding.
In today's society, with the prevalence of obesity and unbalanced diet, night blindness seems to be on the rise. Experts warn that this will become a health indicator that needs to be taken seriously in future health checks, because the onset of night blindness not only affects vision, but may also indicate deeper nutritional deficiencies.
Both the history and modern understanding of night blindness point to one common fact: the importance of vitamin A. From ancient Roman liver foods to modern nutritional supplements, humanity's understanding of this vitamin is still deepening. However, through such scientific exploration, can we eliminate the threat of night blindness in the future and allow everyone to enjoy the night view?
