Still think the talk about healthful carrots was invented by grandmothers who wanted their grandchildren to eat more vegetables from the garden? But no. It turns out that avoiding vegetables in general and carrots in particular can lead to dire consequences. The story of a Canadian boy who lost his sight due to an improper diet is just about that.
Science Alert describes the case of an 11-year-old Canadian who was admitted to a clinic in the country with severe visual impairment. The culprit, as it turned out later, was a strict diet. Namely, the lack of vitamin A-rich foods on the menu. The little patient was hospitalized after eight months of growing vision problems, which included dry eye syndrome, night blindness, sensitivity to light, and gradual deterioration of vision in general terms.
By the time the boy was brought to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, he could only see hand movements no more than 30 centimeters from his face. Doctors almost immediately established that such consequences are the result of nutrition, since the patient had previously been diagnosed with eczema and food allergies, that is, his diet was extremely limited.
“Because of concerns about food triggers, the child's menu consisted exclusively of potatoes, pork, lamb, apples, cucumbers and cornflakes,” the doctors wrote in their report. Obviously, none of these foods contain adequate amounts of vitamin A, which, through sad experience, is even more important to eye health than we thought.
Indeed, the photoreceptors in the retina require vitamin A to detect light. In addition, he takes responsibility for the optimal moisture of the cornea and its protection from all kinds of damage. Doctors saw that the boy's eyes were very dry, and they noticed Bitot spots on the pupil - a typical symptom of a lack of vitamin A in the body. The analyzes confirmed that the level of the vitamin in the patient's body was very low (14.33 mcg / dl versus 25.79-48.71 mcg / dl).
“Vitamin A deficiency is a disease that primarily affects people with low food resources. For example, the population of developing countries, where the choice of food is limited,”- explain the doctors. Despite the fact that the treatment could not be called timely, after six weeks the boy's vision improved and Bitot's spots almost disappeared. But, unfortunately, the patient's vision will not be able to return to the starting point, no matter how much effort is made for this.
“The loss of vision associated with vitamin A deficiency can be completely reversible, but in cases with established optic nerve atrophy in question, this is not possible,” the experts explain. This is why children and adults alike need to eat balanced meals on a regular basis. And, of course, do not forget to include in the diet foods with vitamin A (liver, kidneys, caviar, eggs, leafy green vegetables, carrots, milk, sour cream) at least 4-5 times a week.
