What are the consequences of Retinol deficiency?

• A. Excess hair growth and improved night vision
• B. Weight gain and increased immune function
• C. Night blindness, lowered immune system, and can cause blindness in infants
• D. Increased bone density

Answer: (C)

Retinol (vitamin A) deficiency disrupts two major roles: vision in low light and maintaining mucosal barriers plus immune function. Lacking retinol impairs the retina’s ability to form and use rhodopsin, which is essential for adaptation to darkness, leading to night blindness. It also compromises epithelial integrity and immune defenses, increasing susceptibility to infections. In severe cases, especially in infants, deficiency causes xerophthalmia—keratinization of the ocular surface that can progress to corneal ulcers and irreversible blindness. That combination of night vision problems, weakened immunity, and risk of blindness in young children fits the described consequences precisely.