Night blindness is associated with deficiency of which vitamin?

• A. Vitamin A (retinol)
• B. Vitamin D
• C. Vitamin C
• D. Vitamin B12

Answer: (A)

Night vision relies on a pigment in rod cells called rhodopsin, which needs 11-cis-retinal derived from vitamin A. When vitamin A is deficient, retinal production drops, so rhodopsin can’t be regenerated efficiently after light exposure. This impairs the eye’s ability to adapt to low light, producing nyctalopia, or night blindness. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin stored in the liver, and deficiency shows up first with impaired night vision before broader-eye changes if it progresses. The other vitamins listed don’t play a direct role in photopigment regeneration or rod function, so they aren’t linked to night blindness.