day blindness
Very LowTechnical / Medical
Definition
Meaning
An inability or impaired ability to see clearly in bright light or daylight.
A visual disorder (hemeralopia) characterized by poor vision in well-lit conditions, often contrasted with 'night blindness'.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term is primarily used in ophthalmology and optometry. It is less common than its opposite, 'night blindness'. It describes a symptom, not a disease itself.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Both varieties use the term identically.
Connotations
Technical medical term with no strong regional connotations.
Frequency
Equally rare in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Patient + suffer from + day blindnessDay blindness + is caused by + conditionVocabulary
Synonyms
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used in medical and biological texts.
Everyday
Extremely rare; a layperson might say 'I'm blind in bright light'.
Technical
Primary context; precise medical terminology.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- The day-blind patient wore dark glasses indoors.
American English
- She has a day-blind condition that makes driving difficult.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Some people have day blindness and need to wear sunglasses even inside.
- The condition known as day blindness, or hemeralopia, can be caused by a retinal defect.
- Patients suffering from congenital stationary day blindness exhibit markedly reduced visual acuity in photopic conditions.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
DAY blindness means you can't see on a bright DAY.
Conceptual Metaphor
SEEING IS POSSESSING LIGHT; Blindness is a lack/loss.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate literally as 'дневная слепота' without medical context; the established Russian medical term is 'гемералопия'.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing it with 'night blindness'. Using it to mean general blindness. Misspelling as 'dayblindness' (should be two words or hyphenated).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary medical context for the term 'day blindness'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Day blindness refers specifically to poor vision in bright light; vision in dim light may be normal or near-normal.
The opposite is night blindness (nyctalopia), where vision is poor in low light.
Treatment depends on the underlying cause. It may involve corrective lenses, medication, or managing an associated condition.
Yes, hemeralopia is the technical medical term for day blindness. Confusingly, in some non-English European languages, the same word root is used for night blindness.