A teenager reportedly went blind and lost his hearing after eating a diet full of junk food for years. A study was released earlier this week involving a teen from the UK. The study — which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that at age 14, the teen had been complaining about excessive fatigue. Blood tests had confirmed that he was vitamin B12 and iron deficient. He was reportedly a “fussy eater” and was treated with B12 shots. A year later, he had been suffering with hearing loss and poor vision but MRI scans and eye exams did not reveal a diagnosis. By age 17, he was considered legally blind. Further testing showed that his optic nerve was damaged and he was still low on B12, copper and vitamin D. After his doctor’s questioned him about his diet, he told him that he didn’t like the texture of certain foods and that his daily meals usually consisted of french fries, white bread, processed ham, sausage and Pringles potato chips. After ruling out other causes of vision loss, they diagnosed him with “nutritional optic neuropathy” — an example of how nutritional deficiencies can cause cellular nerve damage. Authors of the study said the “picky eater” actually has what psychologists call “avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder,” a diagnosis attributed to adults who avoid certain textures, colors and other arbitrary characteristics, without concern for their own health. If caught early, the disorder can be cured.
Teen goes blind after eating only junk food for years: study https://t.co/VWJCT31fDi pic.twitter.com/N8JDe1TR1r
— New York Post (@nypost) September 3, 2019
