Abstract
A simple and replicable field test to measure dark adaptation time has been developed. It required a darkened room with a 5 watt bulb covered with a piece of black cloth, a spherical white object of 22 cm diameter suspended vertically from a horizontal string, a stool, a black curtain, a Maxwell electronic photographic flash unit and a stopwatch. The spherical object behind the closed curtain was hung 1.5 m away from the subject either to his left or right, or in the centre of the room. The seated subject was then exposed to 3 consecutive flashes, the curtain drawn, and the time taken to identify the position of the object was noted on the stop-watch. The test was conducted for 3 consecutive days on nonnight blind young adult girls (n = 46) of the high income group (PC); underprivileged schoolage children (n = 44) with a positive history of nightblindness (NB), and their age/sex pairmatched (n = 44) non-night-blind controls (NNB). The NB group had a significantly higher mean dark adaptation time as compared to the NNB and PC groups (14.9 sec vs 11.9 and 11.3 sec respectively). The mean serum vitamin A levels of NB, NNB and PC groups (15.8, 17.5 and 29.5 jxg/dl respectively) were correlated with the dark adaptation times.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
McLaren DS.Nutritional Opthalmology, ed. Academic Press Inc., 1980.
Sharma K.Study on factors contributing to vitamin A deficiency in the underprevileged school child 1984. M.Sc. Dissertation, Department of Foods and Nutrition, M.S. University, Baroda.
Kanani S.Intervention studies with antiparasitics, vitamin A and iron supplements on mid-day meal program beneficiaries 1984. Ph. D. thesis, Department of Foods and Nutrition, M.S. University, Baroda.
International Vitamin A Consultative Group (IVACG):The symptoms and signs of vitamin A deficiency and their relationship to applied nutrition. A report of IVACG, Washington DC, 1981.
Interdepartmental Committee on Nutrition for National Defence (ICNND), ed. National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 1963.
Snedecor GW, Cochran WG. (eds)Statistical Methods. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co., 1967.
Thornton SP. A rapid test for dark adaptation.Ann Opthalmol 1977; 9: 731–741.
Vinton NE, Russell RM. Evaluation of a rapid test for dark adaptation.Am J Clin Nutr 1981; 34:1961–1966.
Dhanmitta S, Stoecker B, Manechine A, Valyasevi A. Dark adaptation, plasma vitamin A and urinary calcium of vitamin A supplemented children in North-East Thailand.Nutrition Reports International 1983; 27:67–75.
Solomons NW, Russell RM, Vinton E, Guerrero A, Mejia L. Application of a rapid dark adaptation test in children.J Pediatr Gastroenteml Nutr 1982; 1: 571–574.
Duarte Favaro RM, DeSouza.NV, Vannucchi H, Desai JD, DeOliveira JE. Evaluation of Rose Bengal staining test and rapid dark adaptation test for the field assessment of vitamin A status of preschool children in southern Brazil.Am I Clin Nutr 1986; 43: 940–945.
Van Gran CH, Du Plessis JP, Steffens FE, Alberts A. Effect of blood vitamin A levels on the dark adaptation of mine workers.S Afr Med J 1915; 49: 884.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Patel, P., Gopaldas, T. & Pant, I. A simple field test for identification of night-blindness. Indian J Pediatr 56, 201–206 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02726607
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02726607