Nyctalopia in antiquity - A review of the ancient Greek, Latin, and Byzantine literature

Objective: To investigate the original definition and use of the term nycta lopia in ancient medical literature in view of the controversy between the English and some continental European literatures. Design: Historical manuscript. Methods: We review the use of the term in ancient Greek, Roman, and early B yzantine medical literature (5th century BC-7 century AD) and include a qui ck reference to the theories on its etymology. Results. Physicians of antiquity defined as nyctalopia the symptom of defec tive dark adaptation, most commonly in the clinical setting of vitamin A de ficiency. An alternative definition, the improvement of vision at night, is not recorded before the 2(nd) century AD and seems to result from a broade r interpretation of the word, lacking medical acceptance at that time. Conclusions: We propose to the ophthalmic community the use of the term nyc talopia exclusively for the description of defective dark adaptation. Ophth almology 2001;108:1917-1921 (C) 2001 by the American Academy of Ophthalmolo gy.