A British teenager has gone blind and deaf after years of living on chips, processed meat and other junk food, says a press statement released by Bristol Eye Hospital, UK on September 2. The 17-year-old, who was reportedly a fussy eater, first went to a doctor’s clinic when he was aged 14, complaining of fatigue. Blood tests showed that he had macrocytic anaemia and low level of B12. He was treated with injections and advised to switch to a healthy diet.
A year later he experienced hearing loss and vision problems which became progressively worse during the next two years. This case report of the Bristol Eye Hospital says the teen’s vision had become progressively worse to the point of blindness by the time he was 17.
Though the exact reasons for onset of blindness are unclear, medical researchers suspect a direct link between his junk food diet and vision loss. Moreover the teenager is suffering an eating disorder known as ARFID (avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder) in which the patient often avoids foods of comon texture, smell and taste.
