ব্যবহারকারী আলাপ:Amolbamane/খেলাঘর

The most common cause of blindness in developing countries is vitamin A deficiency (VAD). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 13.8 million children to have some degree of visual loss related to VAD. Night blindness and its worsened condition, xerophthalmia, are markers of VAD, as VAD can also lead to impaired immune function, cancer, and birth defects.

Night blindness is the difficulty for the eyes to adjust to dim light. Affected individuals are unable to distinguish images in low levels of illumination. People with night blindness have poor vision in the darkness, but see normally when adequate light is present.

Decreasing night blindness requires the improvement of vitamin A status in at risk populations. Supplements and fortification of food have been shown to be effective interventions. Supplement treatment for night blindness includes high doses of vitamin A (200,000 IU) in the form of retinyl palmitate to be taken by mouth, which is administered two to four times a year. Intramuscular injections are poorly absorbed and are ineffective in delivering sufficient bio-available vitamin A. Fortification of food with vitamin A is costly, but can be done in wheat, sugar, and milk. Households may circumvent expensive fortified food by altering dietary habits. Consumption of yellow-orange fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids, specifically beta carotene, provides pro-vitamin A precursors that will prevent VAD related night blindness.

        AUTHOR– DR. AMOL BAMANE
                    (M.D., AYURVEDA. RASASHASTRA AND BHAISHAJYAKALPANA,
                     DR. D.Y. PATIL SCHOOL OF  AYURVEDA NERUL, 
                     NAVI MUMBAI, MAHARASTRA,INDIA.)