Imagine this: It’s Friday night and you have plans to meet your BFF for dinner. I chose a shared ride and when I got into the car, I noticed that the lights were blindingly bright, with beams shooting upward from passing headlights, making it difficult to see.
If this sounds familiar, you may be experiencing dim light disorder (DLD), formerly known as night vision disorder or night blindness.
People with DLD can see well during the day or in brightly lit areas, but have difficulty seeing in dimly lit areas. DLD can have a serious impact on quality of life, but new hope is just around the corner.
What is dim light disturbance?
Dim light disorders represent a wide range of symptoms that affect the quality of vision in dark environments.
Symptoms include:
- View halos around light sources
- Monocular double vision (diplopia)
- haziness
- starlight — streaks or rays surrounding a light source
- Glare disorder – impaired vision due to intense light
How do your eyes adapt to dim light?
Your eyes are always adjusted to see even in the dark.
The iris, the colored part of the eye that surrounds the pupil, controls the size of the pupil and manages the amount of light entering the eye.
When it gets dark, your pupils get bigger to let in more light.
In people with DLD, larger pupil sizes worsen defects in the eye’s lens or cornea, causing symptoms such as light scattering and image distortion.
What causes dim light disturbances?
Dim light disturbances may be a side effect of a medical condition or eye surgery.
Causes of DLD include:
- Corneal refractive surgery (e.g. LASIK, PRK, SMILE)
- Keratoconus, an eye disease that changes the shape of the cornea
- cataract
- dry eye syndrome
- corneal scar
In some people, DLD may persist for months or years after common surgeries such as LASIK.
Treatment for Dim Light Disorder
There are currently no FDA-approved treatments for DLD. However, there are promising developments ahead.
Researchers are investigating phentolamine eye drops to help improve DLD symptoms. Eye drops help keep your pupils small and block out-of-focus light rays, resulting in clearer vision. So far, the study has shown promising results, including increased visual acuity and an overall reduction in glare disturbances, halos and glare in patients with DLD.
Accommodation for dim lighting distractions
There are several accommodations that people can make to help with DLD.
- Get an eye exam every year and update your prescriptions.
- If you wear glasses, use anti-reflective coating to reduce glare.
- Get treatment for medical conditions, such as dry eye, that may affect your vision.
- Add more lights around your home
- Dim your dashboard lights to reduce glare when driving.
- When driving, stick to familiar streets and well-lit roads.
Ask your health care provider about your night vision.
Dim light disturbances can negatively affect your vision, which can be especially dangerous when driving at night.
If you have symptoms of DLD or notice changes in your vision when moving from a brightly lit area to a dimly lit area, contact your health care provider (HCP) immediately. Your healthcare provider can properly test your eye condition and help you find the best path forward.
This training material was created with support from Viatris, a member of the HealthyWomen Corporate Advisory Board.
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