Gluten Free Works: TREATMENT GUIDE Get well and stay healthy living gluten free
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What Is Night Blindness?
Night blindness is a visual defect caused by lack of rhodopsin in the rods of the retina located in the back of the eyeball due to inadequate vitamin A.
Q: How does inadequate vitamin A cause a lack of rhodopsin in the eyeball?
A: Rhodopsin is a visual pigment that requires vitamin A as a component.
Night blindness is characterized by decreased ability to see at night or in the dark because rhodopsin is a chemical required for the retina to distinquish light and dark. It is an early feature of vitamin A deficiency and also decreased content of oxygen in the blood such as anemia.
With increasing vitamin A deficiency, damage to the rods and to the eyeball itself occurs because these tissues also require vitamin A for structure and function.
Night blindness can be brought on by poor diet, gastroenteritis and fever due to increased requirements for vitamin A if stores in the liver are low, malabsorption, and systemic disease that interferes with storage in the liver or transport in the blood.
Breastfeeding infants of mothers who are vitamin A deficient are at high risk since they will not have adequate liver stores and cannot get enough from mother’s milk.
In teenagers it can be the beginning symptoms of retinitis pigmentosa, a group of retinal degenerations that primarily affect the rod photoreceptors.1
What Is Night Blindness In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
- Night blindness is a classic visual sign of malabsorption in celiac disease and an early feature of vitamin A difficiency.2
How Prevalent Is Night Blindness In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity ?
- Night blindness has increased frequency in untreated celiac disease.
- Researchers found 6% of patients at a hospital endocrine department who were diagnosed with celiac disease had nightblindness at diagnosis.3
What Are The Symptoms Of Night Blindness?
Night blindness is marked by these symptoms:
- Difficulty seeing adequately in dim or darkness which puts the indiviual at risk for accidents.
- Adults may avoid driving the car at night.
- Keeping extra lights on in rooms not being used.
- Children may be seen to have difficulty finding things in dim light, avoid being in darkness, unwilling to sleep alone or to be unusually frightened of the dark.
How Does Night Blindness In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity Develop?
- Night blindness results from vitamin A deficiency due to malabsorption in celiac disease, also involving fat and protein malabsorption.
- Protein is required for the absorption from the small intestine, storage in the liver, and transport of vitamin A.
- Vitamin A is a fat soluble nutrient that is absorbed with fatty acids from the small intestine.
Does Night Blindness Respond To Gluten-Free Diet?
Yes. Celiac disease-related nightblindness resolves quickly on gluten free diet with adequate vitamin A.
6 Steps To Improve Night Blindness In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity:
- 1Remove the Trigger. Maintain a Strict, Nutritious Gluten Free Diet:
- Gut health is the foundation to restore ALL health. Restored health will enable you to maintain a strict gluten free diet, just as other life tasks will be easier.
- A strict gluten free diet means removing 100% of wheat, barley, rye and oats from the diet.
- Cutting out bread and other obvious sources of gluten is not good enough for recovery. Even 1/8th teaspoon of flour or bread crumb is enough to sustain the inflammation that is damaging your small intestine, causing increased permeability (leaky gut) and allowing undigested gluten to enter your body where it can damage structures and function, and instigate immune inflammatory responses.
Correct Your Individual Nutritional Needs.
- Eat foods that can replenish missing nutrients. Find them under NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES.
- Take nutritional supplements as needed. Find them under NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES.
Recovery. You should begin to feel better within a week and notice more energy as inflammation subsides and the absorbing cells that make up the surface lining of your small intestine are better able to function.
- Intestinal lining cells are replaced every 5 days. The healing process is like sunburn where the damaged surface layer of skin sloughs off and is replaced with new normal cells.
- Leaky gut normally resolves in two month after starting a gluten free diet and brings about a big improvement in health. Improvement in intestinal permeability precedes morphometric recovery (cell appearance and structure) of the small intestine in celiac disease.4
- The intestinal lining may take up to a year to heal.
- 2 Reduce Inflammation. Foods to Eat and Foods Not to Eat:
Because gluten is inflammatory, eliminate OTHER inflammatory foods from your diet to reduce an additive effect to gluten. At the same time, try to eat foods that reduce inflammation (anti-inflammatory).
- Damaging Foods. In susceptible persons, includes corn, dairy (cow), and soy. Lactose, the sugar in any animal milk disrupts intestinal permeability causing leaky gut.5
- Allergenic Foods. Includes foods that trigger the immune sytem to produce IgE antibodies. Allergy testing is the usual way to discover these offending foods.
- Shelf Stable Processed Foods. Includes any that contain additives and preservatives. Look for them on the nutrition label of the box or package. Additives and preservatives also disrupt intestinal permeability causing leaky gut.5
- Fats. Limit deep fried foods, trans-fats, saturated fats (animal fat/butter), and EXCESSIVE omega-6 fatty acid oils like corn oil. Rancid fats, sodium caprate (a medium chain fat), and sucrose monester fatty acid (a food grade surfactant) induce significant disruption of the intestinal barrier that causes leaky gut.5.
- Excessive Refined White Flours (bran layer removed). Includes products made from them such as cookies, bread, cakes, pies. Bran contains the vitamins and minerals that metabolize grains and slows the otherwise rapid entry of sugar from their digestion into the bloodstream. Also disrupt intestinal permeability causing leaky gut.5
- Refined Sugars. Includes white sugar, corn fructose and high fructose corn syrup.
- Certain Spices. Includes paprika and cayenne pepper which disrupt intestinal permeability causing leaky gut.5
- Alcohol and Caffeine. Disrupt intestinal permeability causing leaky gut.5
- Fruits. Contain ample amounts of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals which are naturally occuring components in plants that detoxify toxins, carcinogens (reducing the risk by 50%) and mutagens.
- Non-Starchy Vegetables. Support intestinal integrity and provide ample amounts of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Includes lettuce, kale, onion, broccoli, garlic, and others.
- High Quality Complex Carbohydrates. Provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber while boosting serotonin levels to help you relax and feel calm. Includes whole grains, legumes, and root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, turnips, red beets, and others.
- Antioxidants. Protect the body from inflammatory oxidant molecules that continually occur and help us handle stress and reduce irritability. Includes vitamin C-containing foods such as lemon, grapefruit, apricot, Brussels sprouts and strawberries, and others. Also, includes vitamin E-containing foods such as nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, and others. Cocoa is good, too.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Balance opposing omega-6 fatty acids and bad fats. Fish sources includes tuna, salmon, cod, and others. Plants sources include flax, chia seeds, canola oil, and others.
- Probiotics. Supply normal microbes needed for colon health and health of the body such as these fermented foods: yogurt, kefir, and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar.
- Prebiotics/ High Fiber Foods. Food with fiber keeps our population of colonic microbes healthy.
- Protective Herbs and Spices. See below #6 below for examples.
- 3 Information Sheet You Can Take to Your Doctor or Other Health Professional:
- 4 Manage Your Medications Safely:
Certain medications cause vitamin A deficiency that causes night blindness. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about this possible adverse effect if you are taking any of the drugs listed below. Do not stop prescribed medications without supervision.
This is not a complete listing.
WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS THAT BIND FAT also interfere with absorption of some nutrients.
- Zenicol (Orlistat®) depletes Vitamin A, Beta-carotene.
CHOLESTEROL DRUGS
- Colestid® and Questran® deplete Vitamin A.
ANTACIDS / ULCER MEDICATIONS
- 5Nutritional Supplements To Help Correct Deficiencies:
The type and quantity of nutritional supplements that may be needed depend on which nutrients are deficient.
- Multivitamin/mineral combination once a day is useful to improve overall nutrient levels. This is a safe dose, but always check with your doctor to avoid interactions with medications.
- Vitamin A as prescribed following blood test for status.
Storage Note: Store container tightly sealed, away from heat, moisture and direct light to avoid loss of potency. That is, in a safe kitchen cabinet – not in the bathroom or on the kitchen table.
- 6Manage Natural Remedies:
- Eight glasses of water are recommended per day unless there is a contraindication such as kidney or heart disease. The Institute of Medicine recommends approximately 2.7 liters (91 ounces) of total water, from all beverages and foods, each day for women and 3.7 liters (125 ounces) daily of total water for men.
- If you are thirsty, drink water. Add fresh, squeezed lemon to water. Lemon is anti-inflammatory, alkalizing and provides vitamin C.
- Hydration Test: Urine should be pale yellow. Fingertips should be plump, without pruning but this may not be reliable when fingers are swollen with edema. Lips should be plump, without puckering. The feeling of thirst can be unreliable.
- What is wrong with soda, coffee, tea, and alcohol? These drinks are dehydrating, increase acid, and deplete nutrients.
Carminative Food Remedies:
- Raspberry.
- Carrot is also a cleansing digestive tonic.
- Grape is also bile stimulating and a cleansing remedy for sluggish digestion and laxative.
- Redbeets also stimulate and improve digestion and are easily digested.
- Cabbage also stimulates and improves digestion and is also a liver decongestant.
- Lettuce also stimulates and improves digestion and is also an alterative, meaning it improves the function of organs involved with the digestion and excretion of waste products to bring about a gradual change.
- Potatoes are antispasmodic (due to atropine like properties) and a liver remedy.
Carminative Herb Remedies:
- Sage is also a digestive, astringent, bile stimulant and energy tonic that heals the mucosa. Drink as tea or use in cooking.
- Chamomile, lemon balm, and fennel, (as a tea) also help relieve nervous tension.
- Parsley also relieves indigestion.
- Rosemary as a tea and in cooking also is a nervous system tonic for stress and fatigue, bile stimulant, and can relieve headaches and indigestion.
- Thyme is also soothing remedy useful for stimulating digestion of rich, fatty foods.
Carminative Spice Remedies:
- Cloves are also antispasmodic.
- Nutmeg is also useful for indigestion.
- Ginger.
Exercise improves circulation and rids the body of toxins.
- Walking is aerobic exercise that reconditions the whole body to improve stamina. Read more about Exercise and Fitness.
- Weight training builds muscle. Read more about Exercise and Fitness.
- Stretching improves flexibilty. Read more about Exercise and Fitness.
Note: Exercise is important, but the amount and type of exercise undertaken depends on your health. Your first priority is to heal.
What Do Medical Research Studies Tell About Night Blindness In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
RESEARCH STUDY SUMMARIES
“Endocrine manifestations of celiac disease.” This study investigating the prevalence of endocrinopathies in 36 patients from a hospital endocrinology department, who were diagnosed with celiac disease, found 6% of patients had night blindness.3
- Gordon K. Klintworth, MD, PhD. The Eye Pathologist.com [↩]
- Sommer A, Hussaini G, Muhilal, Tarwotjo I, Susanto D, Saroso JS. History of nightblindness: a simple tool for xerophthalmia screening. Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 Apr;33(4):887-91. [↩]
- Philip R, Patidar P, Saran S, Agarwal P, Gupta K. Endocrine manifestations of celiac disease. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2012 December; 16(Suppl 2): S506–S508. [↩] [↩]
- Cummins AG, Thompson FM, Butler RN, et al. Improvement in intestinal permeability precedes morphometric recovery of the small intestine in coeliac disease. Clinical Science. Apr 2001;100(4):379-86. [↩]
- Farhadi A, Banan A, Fields J, Keshavarzian A. Intestinal barrier: an interface between health and disease. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2003;18:479-91. [↩] [↩] [↩] [↩] [↩] [↩]
