n eight-year-old boy has gone permanently blind after his parents made a common mistake regarding his diet.
The incident unfolded in Malaysia, but it’s a story that will resonate with many parents across the world.
Kids can be notoriously picky eaters and sometimes it feels easier to give in to their demands just to get them to eat something.
Sadly, this can lead to serious consequences.
The child, who had subsisted on just chicken nuggets, sausages, and cookies since infancy, suffered from severe vitamin A deficiency, which ultimately damaged his optical nerves, per the Sun.
The boy’s ordeal came to light during a second-grade class in Kuala Lumpur, when he suddenly cried out: “Teacher, why can’t I see anything?”
He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors confirmed the extent of the damage caused by his poor diet.
Vitamin A is essential for the production of rhodopsin, a light-sensitive protein crucial for vision in low-light conditions.
A deficiency can lead to optic atrophy, where cells in the optic nerve waste away over time, causing irreversible blindness.
Dr. Erna Nadia, a popular doctor and social media influencer in Malaysia, shared the case in a Facebook post.
“As a mother… we can’t always cook because we are busy… pity for the parents of this student… it is not easy for them to accept,” she wrote.
She urged parents to watch for symptoms of vitamin A deficiency, which include dry eyes, gray spots on the whites of the eyes, night blindness, or difficulty producing tears.
Foods rich in vitamin A, such as spinach, carrots, mangoes, eggs, and sweet potatoes, can help prevent such deficiencies.
This case mirrors other incidents of severe nutrient deficiencies in children globally, including in the United States.
Last year, a 12-year-old boy from Massachusetts went blind due to a similar diet-related condition, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The boy, who had autism and a severe aversion to certain food textures, reportedly survived on a diet of plain burgers, fries with ranch dressing, donuts, and juice boxes.
Doctors found he was severely deficient in multiple nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and D, as well as copper and zinc.
While cases of severe nutrient deficiency remain rare in developed nations, they are increasing.
Approximately one in 100 American children are deficient in vitamin A, while up to 70% of children under 11 are believed to lack adequate vitamin D. Meanwhile, one in five U.S. children doesn’t get enough vitamin C, a deficiency that can lead to scurvy.
Scurvy, a condition historically associated with sailors lacking fresh food, has made a surprising resurgence in the U.S., particularly among children in food deserts – areas with limited access to healthy, fresh food.
Between 2016 and 2020, cases of scurvy tripled, rising from eight per 100,000 children to nearly 27 per 100,000.
