A 12-YEAR-OLD boy has been left blind because he would only eat burgers and doughnuts.
The unnamed child who lived in the US had autism and struggled to eat many foods as he didn’t like the texture.
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The kid began experiencing eye problems earlier this year, with his vision “darkening” in the mornings and evenings, only improving briefly during the day.
His parents took him to get his eyes checked, but no major issues were discovered.
Within six weeks, he could no longer walk without leaning on his parents for support and frequently stumbled into doors and walls.
One night, he woke up screaming because he couldn’t see.
The lad was rushed to hospital, where doctors discovered his poor diet had left him dangerously low on nutrients crucial for healthy eyesight.
Despite supplements and feeding therapy, experts wrote in the New England Medical Journal that the boy’s vision loss may be permanent.
Doctors from Boston Children’s Hospital said the boy has avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), an eating disorder affecting about half of autistic children to some extent.
The previously little-known eating disorder is reportedly on the rise in the UK.
The eating disorders charity Beat said in 2019 calls from people with ARFID have risen sevenfold in the last five years, according to The Guardian.
Similarly, in the US, ARFID appears to be on the rise, with recent hospital data showing a marked increase in cases.
The condition can cause people to limit their food choices due to anxiety or dislike of specific colours, tastes, textures, or smells.
The boy had no underlying conditions other than autism and ADHD.
He also had speech, cognitive, and motor delays.
But two days before he was taken to the hospital, his parents noticed his eyes were getting puffy and crust was building around them.
The boy’s parents told doctors he was a “picky eater” and avoided trying new foods.
His diet involved just hamburgers, french fries, ranch dressing, glazed doughnuts, and juice boxes.
He also refused to take vitamin pills or gummies because he disliked the taste or texture.
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Doctors found that the boy had suffered optic neuropathy, a condition caused by a dysfunction of the optic nerve caused by a lack of certain nutrients.
The disease causes a painless decrease in vision but if caught early, can be treated with dietary supplements to replenish the missing nutrients.
However, if left untreated or not immediately linked to nutrition – like in this case – it can lead to optic nerve atrophy, which cannot be reversed.
What is avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder?
Avoidant- restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder
Children with ARFID are extremely selective eaters and sometimes have little interest in eating food.
They may eat a limited variety of preferred foods, which can lead to poor growth and poor nutrition.
ARFID usually starts at younger ages than other eating disorders and is more common in boys.
What Are the Signs of ARFID?
Kids with ARFID fall within three main categories:
- Some kids are very selective eaters who may have strong negative reactions to smells, tastes, textures, or colors of foods. They may be highly fearful of new foods, called “neophobia,” and scared of negative experiences related to unfamiliar foods
- Some kids may have an overall lack of interest in eating and have a very low appetite or find eating minimally rewarding or not at all. These kids often deny feeling hungry
- Other kids are afraid of what might happen when they eat; for example, experiencing pain, choking, or vomiting
Some kids with ARFID fall within just one of these categories, while others are in more than one.
Many kids with ARFID are underweight. Others reach a normal weight but may eat such a limited diet that they don’t grow, or it gets in the way of their school, family, and social lives.
They believe the boy’s vision loss was due to severe deficiencies in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, copper, and zinc from the boy’s limited diet.
The boy’s lack of nutrients also caused him to develop horizontal ridges on his toenails, as they had become brittle.
The researchers noted that autistic children may be more likely to have ARFID and other issues with food due to their unique sensory challenges, which leave them especially sensitive to textures, tastes, and smells.
‘Cannot be reversed’
The boy received supplements of vitamins A, C, D, and K, as well as calcium, thiamine, copper, and zinc, while in the hospital and his nutrient levels recovered.
He even started eating lettuce and cheese on his hamburgers after starting behavioral therapy.
His parents managed to sneak clear supplement to his juice boxes, but he evetually noticed and started to refuse them after a couple of weeks.
Writing in the journal, the researchers said: “Unfortunately, the patient’s optic atrophy was severe.
“This severe degree of vision loss cannot be reversed when it is found at such an advanced stage.
“If it is found earlier in the disease course, reversing the nutritional deficit can lead to some improvements in vision.”
In 2019, a mum whose son went blind after only eating crisps and chocolate spoke to The Sun to raise awareness of the ARFID.
Kerry James, 45, was concerned when her teenage son Harvey Dyer, 18, told her he was unable to see.
Doctors carried out tests on the boy who also had ARFID and found all of his vitamin and mineral levels were dangerously low.
Medics put his vision loss down to a lack of nutrition in his diet.
Meanwhile, Bella Mildon, an autistic child from the UK, went blind after her limited diet of Marmite sandwiches, fries, and water.
Medics said the 12-year-old had a vitamin A deficiency.
