LONDON: A British teen has been left blind and partially deaf after living off a diet of chips, sausages, and crisps.
The boy’s diet was so bad he suffered from a condition normally only seen in malnourished third-world children.
It is believed to be the first case of its kind in the UK.
The 17-year-old only ate chips, Pringles, sausages, processed ham, and white bread – for up to a decade.
He told doctors he did not like the “texture” of fruit and vegetables.
Corresponding author Dr. Denize Atan, of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, said: “He had a daily portion of fries from the local fish and chip shop and snacked on Pringles (Kellogg), white bread, processed ham slices, and sausage.”
The shocking lack of vitamins damaged his optic nerve – which connects the eye to the brain.
He was found to have a condition called nutritional optic neuropathy (NON) – usually only seen in Africa and other undeveloped countries.
Dr. Atan said the youngster’s blindness was caused by junk food. He was suffering from a rare eating illness known as ARFID (avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder).
Dr. Atan said: “The conditions remained undiagnosed for several years.”
The boy was blind by the time he reached 17. Experts at Bristol Eye Hospital were mystified.
The little sight he had left stabilized – but “did not improve”, said Dr. Atan.
Purely dietary causes of NON are rare in the Western world.
His lack of vitamin B and copper “likely contributed to the patient’s vision and hearing loss”, said Dr. Atan.
The vital nutrients are found in liver, seafood, poultry, dairy produce, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
His bone weakness was probably caused by not consuming oily fish, cheese and eggs – which contain vitamin D.
(Agencies)
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