Night Vision Disturbance

What Is Night Vision Disturbance (NVD)?

Night vision is the ability to see clearly in low light conditions. Night vision differs from daytime vision in several ways, but most notably the pupils dilate to allow more light to focus onto the retina.1 However, some people can have problems seeing at night, especially when driving. The most frequent Night Vision Disturbances include blurry vision, difficulty seeing objects at a distance, or glare/halos around lights.1

Glare disability and decreased contrast sensitivity are considered common etiologies of NVD2 although they are not the only cause. There are several ocular disorders that can affect night vision and lead to symptoms of NVD, including cataract, dry eye, glaucoma, previous refractive surgery (LASIK or PRK), and optical aberrations in the periphery of the cornea which becomes utilized when the pupil is dilated.1,2 

Current Treatment Options 

There are currently no approved pharmacologic products available in the United States to treat NVD.   Treatments that may improve poor night vision will depend on cause (e.g., cataracts can be removed surgically, and dry eye may be treated with lubricant eyedrops). Some patients may notice NVD improvements after refractive surgery, but others will not.2 

Our NVK031 Program 

Vyluma is developing a topical pharmacologic agent to improve the quality of vision under low light conditions by reducing the pupil size. We believe this will greatly improve quality of life for adults who have NVD by giving them back their ability to function autonomously at night—particularly when driving.  

In our proof-of-concept clinical study in healthy volunteers, NVK031 was able to reduce pupil size by 1 mm-2 mm, which could substantially reduce glare by focusing light through the center of the cornea and lens.5 Vyluma plans to conduct dose optimization studies in people with NVD under glare and glare-free conditions. 

  1. Goel RD. Night vision. American Academy of Ophthalmology. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/anatomy/night-vision. Published December 19, 2018. Accessed May 27, 2021.  
  2. Fan-Paul NI, Li J, Sullivan Miller J, Florakis GJ. Night vision disturbances after corneal refractive surgery. Surv Ophthalmol. 2002;47(6):533-546. 
  3. Percentage of adults with vision limitations in the U.S. from 1997 to 2016. Statista.com. https://www.statista.com/statistics/190762/vision-limitations-among-adults-in-the-us-from-1997/. Accessed May 27, 2021.  
  4. Data on file, Vyluma.