night-blindness

A person with night-blindness uses a flashlight to walk along a path at dusk.

Definition

Noun (uncountable): - Medical condition: "night-blindness" is the inability to see clearly in dim light or at night, often caused by a deficiency of vitamin A or a retinal disorder. It is also known as nyctalopia.

Usage Examples

• (A medical condition affecting vision in low light.)
• (Treatment for the condition.)

Advanced Usage

• "to suffer from night-blindness": to experience the condition.
  • Many people with night-blindness avoid driving at night for safety reasons. (They have the condition that impairs night vision.)

Variants and Related Words

• Night-blind (adjective): affected by night-blindness.
  • The night-blind patient used a special flashlight to navigate in the dark. (Describes someone with the condition.)
• Nyctalopia (noun): a synonym for night-blindness, used in medical contexts.
  • Nyctalopia is often associated with retinitis pigmentosa. (A clinical term for the same condition.)

Synonyms

• Nyctalopia: the medical term for night-blindness.
• Moon blindness: an informal term, though less common.

Related Idioms

• "As blind as a bat in the dark": an informal expression comparing poor night vision to a bat's supposed inability to see (though bats can navigate in darkness).
  • Without his glasses, he is as blind as a bat in the dark, but his night-blindness makes it even worse. (Exaggerated comparison for poor vision at night.)

Phrasal Verbs

• "Stumble into": to encounter something unexpectedly due to poor vision.
  • Because of his night-blindness, he often stumbles into furniture when the lights are off. (Accidentally bump into things in the dark.)