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A teen who ate nothing but Fry , splintering and other dust food for thought for years slowly went blind as a outcome of his poor dieting , consort to a new theme of the suit .
The face highlights a perhaps little - known fact about inadequate diets : In improver to being tied to obesity , heart diseaseand Crab , they " can also for good damage the nervous organization , particularly vision , " according to the study , published today ( Sept. 2 ) in the daybook Annals of Internal Medicine .
The teen ’s problems began at age 14 , when he go to the doc ’s authority complaining of fatigue .
The teen was reportedly a " fussy feeder , " and profligate tests showed he had anaemia and modest levels ofvitamin B12 , the report say . He was care for with injections of vitamin B12 along with advice on how to improve his dieting .
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However , by old age 15 , he develop hearing loss and vision problems , but doctors could n’t seem to find the reason — results from an MRI and center exam were normal .
Over the next two years , the teen ’s vision got progressively worse . When the son was 17 , an optic run showed that his vision was 20/200 in both eyes , the limen for being " legally unsighted " in the United States .
Further tests showed the stripling had developed damage to hisoptic nervus , the bundle of nerve fibers that connect the back of the oculus to the mind . In addition , the teen still had low levels of vitamin B12 , along with downcast level ofcopper , Se and vitamin D.
These deficiencies motivate doctors to ask the teenager about the food he ate . " The patient role concede that , since elementary school , he would not run through certain textures of food , " the writer , from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom , write in the report . He told doctors that the only things he ate were fries , french fries — specifically , Pringles — white bread , processed ham slice and blimp .
After ruling out other potential case for his visual sense loss , the teen was diagnosed with nutritionary optic neuropathy , or damage to the visual nerve that result from nutritional deficiencies . The shape can be have by drug , malabsorption of food , poor dieting or alcoholic drink maltreatment . " Purely dietary campaign are rarefied in developed countries , " the authors order .
It ’s known that the B vitamins are essential for many cellular reactions , anddeficiencies in these vitaminscan lead to the buildup of toxic byproducts of metabolism , and eventually to the damage of nerve cells , according to theUniversity of Iowa .
visual sense loss from nutritional optical neuropathy is potentially reversible if overhear ahead of time . However , by the prison term the teen was diagnosed , his vision deprivation was permanent . What ’s more , wearing glasses would not facilitate the adolescent ’s vision , because damage to the ocular nerve can not be corrected with lenses , said sketch lead author Dr. Denize Atan , a advisor senior lector in ophthalmology at Bristol Medical School and Bristol Eye Hospital .
The teen was prescribed nutritional supplements , which forestall his visual sense loss from getting any unfit .
The teenager was also referred to mental health services for an eat upset . The investigator remark that the adolescent ’s dieting was more than just " fussy eating " because it was very restrictive and cause multiple nutritional deficiency .
A comparatively new diagnosis known as " avoidant - restrictive food for thought intake disorder " ( previously known as " selective feeding disorder " ) necessitate a want of interest in solid food or avoidance of nutrient with certain texture , colors , etc . , without care to body weightiness or shape . The status usually take off in childhood , and patient often have a normal body mass index ( BMI ) , as was the case for this patient , the authors enjoin .
Originally published onLive scientific discipline .
