Definition

1. Noun:
   • Recurrent eye inflammation in horses; sometimes resulting in blindness: A specific veterinary condition affecting horses, characterized by periodic inflammation of the eye.
   • Inability to see clearly in dim light; due to a deficiency of vitamin A or to a retinal disorder: A medical term for night blindness, a vision impairment where sight is poor in low light.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The veterinarian diagnosed the horse with moon blindness and began treatment.
  • A diet lacking in essential nutrients can lead to moon blindness in humans.

Advanced Usage

• The term "moon blindness" is a historical or colloquial name. In modern human medicine, the condition is more precisely called nyctalopia.
• In equine medicine, the recurrent form is formally known as equine recurrent uveitis (ERU).

Variants and Related Words

• Nyctalopia (n): The technical medical term for night blindness.
• Equine Recurrent Uveitis (ERU) (n): The formal veterinary term for the recurrent eye condition in horses.
• Night blindness (n): A more common term for the human condition of poor vision in dim light.

Synonyms

• Night blindness: Poor vision in low light.
• Nyctalopia: The medical term for night blindness.

Notes on Meaning

• The term has two distinct meanings: one is a specific veterinary condition (equine recurrent uveitis), and the other is a description of a symptom in humans (night blindness). The shared name is historical and based on the association of poor vision with moonlight.

Noun

1. recurrent eye inflammation in horses; sometimes resulting in blindness
2. inability to see clearly in dim light; due to a deficiency of vitamin A or to a retinal disorder