Nyctalopia in antiquity: a review of the ancient Greek, Latin, and Byzantine literature.

Abstract

To investigate the original definition and use of the term nyctalopia in ancient medical literature in view of the controversy between the English and some continental European literatures. Historical manuscript. We review the use of the term in ancient Greek, Roman, and early Byzantine medical literature (5th century BC-7th century AD) and include a quick reference to the theories on its etymology. Physicians of antiquity defined as nyctalopia the symptom of defective dark adaptation, most commonly in the clinical setting of vitamin A deficiency. An alternative definition, the improvement of vision at night, is not recorded before the 2nd century AD and seems to result from a broader interpretation of the word, lacking medical acceptance at that time. We propose to the ophthalmic community the use of the term nyctalopia exclusively for the description of defective dark adaptation.