An 8-year-old boy in Malaysia has permanently lost his vision due to an extremely poor diet, highlighting the dangers of severe vitamin deficiencies in children.
According to iHeart, the child had reportedly eaten little else but chicken nuggets, sausages, and cookies since infancy. His condition only came to light when he asked a teacher: “Why can’t I see anything?” The concerned school staff then rushed him to the hospital.
Doctors diagnosed the boy with severe vitamin A deficiency, a condition that, while rare in developed countries, remains one of the leading causes of childhood blindness worldwide. In this case, the deficiency led to optic atrophy – irreversible damage to the optic nerve that causes permanent vision loss.
Dr. Erna Nadia, a well-known Malaysian physician with a strong social media presence, shared the case on Facebook to raise awareness. “As a mother, I understand it’s not always easy to prepare nutritious meals when you’re busy. Pity for the parents of this student – it’s not easy for them to accept,” she wrote.
