{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T14:14:20Z","timestamp":1790691260174,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,27]],"date-time":"2025-05-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1748304000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institutes of Health P30 Core","award":["P30-EY025585"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["P30-EY025585"]}]},{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University","award":["P30-EY025585"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["P30-EY025585"]}]},{"name":"Research to Prevent Blindness to the Department of Ophthalmology, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University","award":["P30-EY025585"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["P30-EY025585"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Dark adaptometry is a non-invasive functional test that assesses the retina\u2019s ability to recover sensitivity in low-light conditions following photobleaching. This review explores the physiological mechanisms underlying dark adaptation (DA), including photopigment regeneration and the critical role of the retinal pigment epithelium in the visual cycle. We detail clinical protocols for dark adaptometry using modern instruments such as the AdaptDx, highlighting methodological advances that improve testing efficiency and reproducibility. The clinical utility of dark adaptometry is examined across a range of inherited and acquired retinal disorders, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Stargardt disease, diabetic retinopathy (DR), cone\u2013rod dystrophy (CRD), vitamin A deficiency, and congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB). Dark adaptometry has emerged as a sensitive biomarker capable of detecting functional deficits before structural changes are evident, making it a valuable tool for early diagnosis and monitoring disease progression. However, limitations such as age-related variability, patient compliance, and lack of standardization remain challenges to broader clinical adoption. Continued refinement of dark adaptometry protocols and instrumentation is essential to maximize its diagnostic potential in ophthalmic practice.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14113742","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,27]],"date-time":"2025-05-27T09:29:36Z","timestamp":1748338176000},"page":"3742","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Dark Adaptometry as a Diagnostic Tool in Retinal Diseases: Mechanisms and Clinical Utility"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-7388-0688","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anas","family":"Bakdalieh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44272, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Layth M.","family":"Khawaja","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44272, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3115-8930","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Minzhong","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University Hospitals Eye Institute, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"},{"name":"Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"},{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"710","DOI":"10.1016\/j.exer.2010.08.017","article-title":"Dark adaptation during transient hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes","volume":"91","author":"Holfort","year":"2010","journal-title":"Exp. 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