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Poor Night Vision May Signal Blocked Arteries
HealthNews from the publishers of the New England Journal of Medicine A stroke or repeated, temporary losses of vision, memory, or speech are often the first and only warning sign that the arteries carrying blood to the head and brain are clogged with cholesterol. More subtle indicator may be problems seeing at night. Two papers published in the November Neurology explore the connection between clogged carotid arteries and night vision. Swedish researchers found that in 21 people with blocked carotid arteries—all of whom were scheduled for an artery-opening operation—it took 33 percent longer for their eyes to adapt to dark vision than it did for 31 people who were similar in age but who didn't have any carotid closure. After the operation, called a carotid endarterectomy, sensitivity to low light levels often doubled. Poor blood flow to the eyes isn't the only reason for trouble adapting to the
dark and poor night vision. More common culprits include too little vitamin A in
the diet, cataracts, and eye diseases such as macular degeneration. But if you
are having trouble seeing at night, or it takes a long time for your eyes to
adjust to the dark, and your health care provider rules out the more common
causes, a look at your carotid arteries might be in order, says HealthNews
associate editor Arthur
Feinberg, MD. This isn't the only connection between vision and blood
flow—a transient blindness called amaurosis fugax often occurs when a clot
temporarily blocks the carotid artery, he points out. |
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