A doctor has spoken out online after hearing about a young boy being left with ‘total blindness’ in both eyes as a result of his diet.
An eight-year-old boy from Kuala Lumpur was left ‘blind beyond recovery’ as a result of a crucial nutrient missing from the food he was eating.
And a doctor is now raising awareness of his story on social media as a ‘reminder’ to parents and caregivers.
According to a doctor who shared the story on Facebook, a teacher in a second grade class was suddenly alerted by a student who shrieked: “Teacher, why can’t I see anything?”
The post – shared by Dr Erna Nadia – continues: “[Translation] The whole class was shocked, suddenly she screamed like that. The teacher immediately called the student’s parents and immediately the student was sent to the hospital.
“Total blindness. Vision loss in both eyes.”
And various tests later revealed the cause of the vision loss – Vitamin A deficiency.
The doctor explained it was discovered the child’s diet was made up of ‘only processed foods’ such as ‘nuggets, sausage and cookies’.
Indeed, Cleveland Clinic explains: “Vitamin A deficiency is when your body lacks the amount of vitamin A it needs to function properly. Vitamin A deficiency can cause vision loss and blindness. It can also lead to complications with your skin, heart, lungs, tissues and immune system.”
Specifically regarding the eyes,’ Vitamin A is vital for your vision’ your eyes needing ‘to make specific pigments for your retinas to work correctly’.
“Your eyes also need vitamin A to produce moisture to keep your corneas properly lubricated. If your corneas get too dry, they can become damaged, which can lead to blindness,” Cleveland Clinic adds.
The doctor noted the ‘blindness is beyond recovery’ before they continued: “When my friend shared this story, I started to feel angry because of what is the point of being parents but it’s bad like this but in a while when I look at our lives that are always busy to live a comfortable life I feel sorry for them.
“[…] As a mother, if we cannot cook it’s always because we are busy, but we try to buy the right food that is complete.”
The doctor noted she’s not ‘sharing’ the story to ‘condemn anyone’ but as a ‘reminder’ even to herself because she doesn’t ‘cook everyday either’.
But how can you ensure you get enough Vitamin A in your diet?
Well, Cleveland Clinic advises eating green vegetables such as broccoli, alongside orange and yellow fruits and vegetables, liver, beef and chicken, salmon, eggs and dairy products.
And if needed, you can always take supplements too.
