Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. It is necessary for vision and helps maintain the epithelial tissues such as skin, lungs and intestines. If your daily diet does not contain adequate amounts of the vitamin, you will have vitamin A deficiency. This deficiency is often seen in poor and developing countries. It can also occur due to alcohol consumption and liver disorders. In addition, any intestinal disorder affecting the absorption of fats will result in deficiency of vitamin A.
Vitamin A Deficiency Symptoms
Vitamin A aids the eye's light-sensitive parts so you can see in dim light and at night. A deficiency of this vitamin can make it difficult to see at night. Your eyeball may also become dry, thick and lusterless. In advanced deficiency, the advanced deficiency, the cornea develops erosions and inflammation, according to Merck's Manual. This condition is called keratomalacia. Severe vitamin A deficiency results in total blindness.
A deficiency also affects the skin, which. It may become rough, dry and scaly. Dry hair and broken nails are other symptoms.
According to the World Health Organization, vitamin A deficiency is the most common cause of preventable blindness in children. The deficiency also makes it harder for children to fend off infection, making measles and malaria sometimes fatal and increasing the chance of respiratory and diarrheal infections.
Diagnosis
Your doctor will examine your eyes. He may see gray triangular spots on the white part of the eyeball. Special eye tests are done to diagnose night blindness. Laboratory tests will show low levels of vitamin A in your blood.
Treatment
If you are deficient in vitamin A, you should add more liver, eggs, meat and milk to your diet. You should also eat plenty of yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, papayas, carrots, mangoes, red peppers and pumpkin. Your doctor may also suggest taking vitamin A capsules or receiving vitamin A injections.
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