NYCTALOPIA (NIGHT BLINDNESS)- AN AYURVEDIC PREVIEW

Abstract

Nyctalopia commonly called as night blindness is a visual symptom characterised by the reduced ability to visualize at night or in dimly lit area. The person may find harder or may take longer time to visualize in dimly lit area. Night blindness is not a disease itself, but instead is a symptom of some inherited ocular disease like retinitis pigmentosa some syndromes like Wagner syndrome ,congenital stationary night blindness etc. Acquired diseases like vitamin A deficiency, corneal opacities, paracentral lenticular opacities and congenital high myopia. The principle pathology involved in night blindness is rod cell dystrophy. In ayurvedic samhitha’s also night blindness is mentioned as a lakshana rather as a separate individual vyadhi, under different drishtigata rogas such as kapha vidagdha Drishti, nakulandhya, doshandhya,rathrandhya, nakthandhya, ushna vidagdha Drishti, hriswa jadya by different acharyas. The pathology involved in all the above mentioned disease is different but have night blindness as common symptom.