Dry eyes may indicate vitamin deficiency

Vitamin deficiency: a reason for eye diseases

20/01/2014

American doctors at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital had diagnosed a puzzling eye disorder in a 32-year-old American. In addition to a red and dry eye, the eye encrusted while the patient slept.

The man who used drugs in the past abstained from going to the doctor and treated himself instead. Only when he could see only blurry in one eye and could be distinguished only light and dark with the other eye, he decided to investigate allow. He had no pain. This was reported by Melvin Blanchard and his colleagues in the journal "The New England Journal of Medicine".

During the examinations, the physicians diagnosed a pain in the right hip, which had been present for about a week, radiating down to the knee, as well as acne and a rash on the lower legs. At first glance, nothing unusual. Only at the eye examination, the doctors had several problems detected. In addition to massive corneal damage and a purulent eye, the doctors noted bleeding in the patient's mouth and nodules with reddish discoloration on the legs. In psychiatric examinations, the doctors noticed a lack of emotional sensitivity of the patient, but a symptom recognizable for the symptoms was missing. Also, the blood test did not reveal any autoimmune disease or infection with staphylococci that could have been responsible.

Drug use increases the need for vitamins
Doctors focus on drug use in search of the right diagnosis. Thus, the partially smoked illegal drugs could be a cause for the eye complaints, because crack, for example, crack but also methamphetamine attack the nerves of the cornea. An insufficient amount of blinking as a result of consumption could have led to dryness, which then no longer supplied the blood vessels and cells of the eyes with nutrients. However, regular wetting with tear fluid is necessary.

Scurvy - rare deficiency symptoms in industrial nations
For the physicians came because of the symptoms, emaciated, mentally conspicuous and with unusual hair growth, nodules and redness on the body, but also scurvy in question. In industrial nations, this disease is actually considered extremely rare. Fragile nails, dry skin and eyes, anemia, persistent headaches, increased fatigue and fatigue, and poor wound healing are often associated with vitamin deficiencies, ultimately leading physicians on the right track.

For example, vitamin A, which can often lead to dry eyes and corneal complaints in case of undersupply. In laboratory tests of blood levels then showed values ​​that were far below the average of the population and to the astonishment of the doctors lacked the patient any vitamin -D. The initiated vitamin treatment improved the skin symptoms and also the hip pain disappeared. The reason for the dramatic vitamin deficiency see the Boston doctors, however, in the diet of the patient and not in the past drug use.

Over a well-balanced diet, the body receives all vital substances that are needed daily. Especially vitamins, which are mainly contained in fruits, vegetables, dairy products, eggs, fish, meat, whole grains, nuts and vegetable oils, must be supplied to the body in sufficient quantity. Smokers, but also some people who need to take medication permanently because of a chronic illness, can develop a higher need. You should pay more attention to a healthy diet. (Fr)