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A teenager from Bristol has been left blind and deaf after years of simply eating microchips, Pringles, white bread, processed ham and sausages.
The unnamed teenager began to lose his hearing at persons under the age of 14, with his eyesight also indicating rapid impairment.
By the age of 17, the son was blind on account of his serious nutritional insufficiency. The injury imposed is said to be irreversible.
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The teen was diagnosed with nutritional optic neuropathy( NON ), a condition typically found only in regions struck with famine, struggle and catastrophe.
The lack of vitamins in his diet had led to damage to his optic nerve, the nerve which connects the eyeball to the brain. He lost nerve fibres in the retina, the organ which transmits light signals to the brain.
The case is now being publicly discussed after it was written about by Dr Denize Atan, in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
As reported by The Independent, Dr Atan said:
When this behaviour starts as small children it tends to continue as an adult. The processed food was not the problem per se. It was he was only devouring that type of food and nothing else.
Nutrients are very important for eyesight and hearing- but a lot of people are not aware of that.
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Now 19, the teen has been left with no chore and no social life, and has sadly been forced to drop out of his IT course due to his health concerns.
He is said to suffer from an anorexia nervosa called ARFID( avoidant-restrictive food uptake disorder ), a condition where sufferers evade certain foods due to the texture, smell, preference or appearance.
According to The Independent, his mother said he began to develop concerning eating habits at the age of seven 😛 TAGEND
The first we knew about it was when he began coming home from primary school with his jam-pack lunch untouched. I would construct him nice sandwiches and threw an apple or other fruit in and he wouldn’t devoured any of it. His educators became concerned too.
His brother and sister have never stopped devouring. They desire everything. But he was just as fit and healthy as them. He has always been skinny so we had no weight concerns. You hear about junk food and obesity all the time- but he was as thin as a rake.
The obsessed mom continued 😛 TAGEND
We couldn’t believe it when we were told what had happened. His sight went downhill very fast- to the point where he is now legally blind.
We are told the damage is irreversible; it’s been a nightmare. He has not yet been social life be talking about now. After leaving academy he got into college to do a course in IT but he had to give it up because you are not able to determine or hear anything.
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Much is spoken about the impact poor diet can have on a person’s BMI, but there is far less understanding of the effect this can have on bodily functions such as eyesight and hearing.
Hopefully this case will help to raise some vital awareness about ARFID, and will help others who are suffering.
If you’re experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably( CALM) is there to support you. They’re open from 5pm-midnight, 365 periods a year. Their national amount is 0800 58 58 58, and they also have a webchat service if you’re not comfortable talking on the phone.
Read more: unilad.co.uk
