Nutrient Deficiency and Blindness: Unveiling the Impact

News out of the University of Bristol recently examined a patient who suddenly went blind after a year of suffering gradual hearing loss. After endless testing, it was determined that the patient went blind from lack of nutrients after consuming only potato chips, french fries, and white bread since elementary school. It all started with exhaustion for which doctors offered dietary and lifestyle changes for more energy. A short year later the same patient visited the doctor again with visible signs of hearing and vision loss.

Doctors blame the lack of vitamin B12 along with low copper and selenium levels contributing to the loss. Vitamin B12 is regularly found in fish, meat, eggs, and milk. Researchers determined that nutritional optic neuropathy, a dysfunction of the optic nerve, is what officially caused the blindness. Fortunately, this condition is completely reversible if it’s caught in its early stages. There is a growing risk of nutritional optic neuropathy and it’s all due to our diet. “Our vision has such an impact on quality of life, education, employment, social interactions, and mental health,” said study lead Denize Atan, an ophthalmologist at Bristol Medical School and Bristol Eye Hospital. “This case highlights the impact of diet on visual and physical health, and the fact that calorie intake and BMI are not reliable indicators of nutritional status.” And it doesn’t stop there. See how ingredients in diet soda links directly to diabetic blindness here. 

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