night-blind

A person who is night-blind uses a flashlight to walk along a dark path.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Affected by nyctalopia: "night-blind" describes a condition in which a person has difficulty seeing in low light or darkness, often due to a deficiency in vitamin A or a retinal disorder.

Usage Examples

• (He has difficulty seeing in dim light.)
• (They cannot see well in darkness.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be born night-blind": to have the condition from birth, often due to a genetic disorder.

  • She was born night-blind and has always used a flashlight to move around after sunset. (She has had nyctalopia since birth.)

• "to become night-blind": to develop the condition later in life, often due to nutritional deficiencies.

  • After months of poor diet, he became night-blind and needed vitamin supplements. (He acquired nyctalopia.)

Variants and Related Words

• Night blindness (noun): the condition of being night-blind; nyctalopia.
  • Night blindness can be reversed with proper treatment. (The condition of poor night vision.)

Synonyms

• Nyctalopic: having or relating to nyctalopia (night blindness).
• Dark-adapted (in a medical context): pertaining to reduced vision in low light.

Related Idioms

• "blind as a bat in the dark": a simile describing extreme difficulty seeing in low light, similar to being night-blind.
  • Without my glasses, I'm blind as a bat in the dark. (I cannot see well in dim light.)

Phrasal Verbs