Afraid of the Dark
A dread of dimly lit basements, sinister closets and that black void under the bed is common to almost all children, but in some it verges on terror. In such kids, it is often attributed to attention-seeking behaviour or dismissed as an irrational reaction that the child will outgrow. Yet for a few, that fear might have a physiological explanation. The British Medical Journal reports that a small percentage of people have a form of night blindness that prevents their eyes from adjusting to low light conditions. Known as congenital stationary night blindness, this hereditary disorder primarily affects the function of light receptors in the eye’s retina. Since it does not usually impair vision in well-lit conditions, it is easily missed by physicians. And though the disorder has no cure, it fortunately does not get worse over time. Parents can help by giving affected children control of their lighting conditions. And what high-tech antidote do the learned doctors recommend? A good old-fashioned night light.
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