A 69-year-old woman experienced progressive difficulty seeing at night, a condition called night blindness. Doctors discovered she had very low vitamin A levels, likely due to previous intestinal surgery that affected her body’s ability to absorb nutrients. After receiving vitamin A supplements, her night vision improved significantly, and special eye imaging showed that the light-sensitive tissue in her eye actually became thicker and healthier. This case demonstrates that vitamin A deficiency, though uncommon, is an important and treatable cause of night blindness that doctors should consider, especially in patients who have had digestive surgeries.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether vitamin A supplements could improve night blindness and eye health in a patient with vitamin A deficiency
  • Who participated: One 69-year-old woman with a history of intestinal surgery, progressive night blindness, and confirmed low vitamin A levels
  • Key finding: After vitamin A treatment, the patient’s ability to see in low light improved, and the thickness of the macula (the part of the eye responsible for detailed vision) increased, showing that the eye tissue was healing
  • What it means for you: If you experience worsening night blindness and have had digestive surgery, ask your doctor to check your vitamin A levels. Vitamin A supplements may help restore your vision, but this should only be done under medical supervision with proper testing

The Research Details

This is a case report, which means doctors documented the medical history and treatment of one specific patient. The 69-year-old woman came to the clinic with progressive night blindness—difficulty seeing in dim light that got worse over time. Doctors reviewed her medical history and discovered she had undergone intestinal surgery in the past, which can interfere with how the body absorbs nutrients from food. Blood tests confirmed that her vitamin A levels were abnormally low. The doctors then prescribed vitamin A supplements and monitored her progress over time using special eye imaging technology called OCT (optical coherence tomography), which takes detailed pictures of the eye’s internal structures.

Case reports are important because they document unusual or instructive patient situations that might otherwise go unrecognized. By publishing this case, the doctors alert other eye specialists to consider vitamin A deficiency as a possible cause of night blindness, especially in patients with risk factors like previous digestive surgery. This can lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment in other patients with similar problems.

This is a single patient case, so the findings cannot be automatically applied to everyone. However, the diagnosis was confirmed with blood tests, and the improvement was documented with objective eye imaging (OCT scans), which makes the evidence more reliable. The main limitation is that we cannot know whether the improvement was solely due to vitamin A or influenced by other factors. Larger studies with more patients would be needed to fully understand how effective this treatment is for different groups of people.

What the Results Show

The patient reported that her night vision improved after starting vitamin A supplements. This improvement was confirmed by objective measurements: OCT imaging showed that the macula (the central part of the retina responsible for sharp vision) became thicker after treatment, indicating that the eye tissue was healing and becoming healthier. Her visual acuity—the sharpness of her vision—also improved. These changes suggest that the vitamin A supplements successfully addressed the underlying cause of her night blindness by restoring the function of photoreceptors, which are the light-sensing cells in the eye that are particularly important for vision in low-light conditions.

The case highlights the connection between vitamin A deficiency and several eye conditions, including xerophthalmia (dry eye disease) and keratopathy (corneal damage). The patient’s history of intestinal surgery was identified as a significant risk factor, as the intestines are where vitamin A is absorbed from food. This finding suggests that doctors should routinely screen patients with malabsorption problems or a history of digestive surgery for vitamin A deficiency.

While vitamin A deficiency is a well-known cause of blindness in developing countries, it is rare in developed nations. This case is noteworthy because it demonstrates that vitamin A deficiency can still occur in developed countries in patients with specific risk factors, particularly those with digestive disorders or previous abdominal surgery. The case aligns with established medical knowledge that vitamin A is essential for photoreceptor function and that supplementation can reverse vision problems caused by deficiency.

This report describes only one patient, so we cannot know how common this situation is or how well the treatment works for other people. We don’t know the exact timeline of improvement or whether the patient experienced any side effects from the supplements. Additionally, we cannot rule out other factors that might have contributed to the improvement. To better understand the effectiveness of vitamin A supplementation for night blindness, larger studies with multiple patients would be needed.

The Bottom Line

If you have progressive night blindness and a history of digestive surgery or malabsorption problems, ask your doctor to test your vitamin A levels. If deficiency is confirmed, vitamin A supplementation appears to be effective and should be started under medical supervision. Do not self-treat with high-dose vitamin A supplements, as excessive vitamin A can be toxic. Regular monitoring with eye imaging may help track your progress.

This finding is most relevant to people who have had intestinal surgery, bariatric (weight loss) surgery, or have digestive disorders that affect nutrient absorption. It’s also important for eye doctors and primary care physicians to consider vitamin A deficiency in patients with unexplained night blindness. People without these risk factors are unlikely to develop vitamin A deficiency from diet alone in developed countries.

Based on this single case, vision improvement appeared to occur over the course of treatment, though the exact timeline is not specified. Realistic expectations would be gradual improvement over weeks to months, with regular monitoring needed to assess progress.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • If prescribed vitamin A supplements, track your night vision quality on a simple scale (1-10) weekly, and note any changes in your ability to see in dim lighting conditions, such as driving at night or navigating dark rooms
  • Set daily reminders to take vitamin A supplements at the same time each day, and schedule regular eye appointments to monitor your progress with objective measurements
  • Keep a log of your night vision experiences and any side effects, and work with your eye doctor to schedule periodic OCT imaging to objectively measure changes in your eye’s structure over time

This case report describes one patient’s experience and should not be used for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. Night blindness can have many different causes, and vitamin A deficiency is rare in developed countries. If you experience progressive night blindness, consult with an eye care professional for proper evaluation and testing. Do not take high-dose vitamin A supplements without medical supervision, as excessive vitamin A can cause serious health problems. This information is educational and not a substitute for professional medical advice.