B12 Deficit May Cause Blindness

B12 Deficit May Cause Blindness

PARIS--Published in the March 23 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, a33-year-old man became blind after 11 years as a vegan, a diet consisting of no animal orfish proteins, eggs or milk. It was found that the man's plasma levels of folate, B1 andB12 were low, as well as his levels of vitamins A, C, D, and E. It has been noted that avitamin B12 deficiency in vegetarians may cause neurologic disturbances, and deficienciesof both B12 and B1 may be responsible for optic neuropathy. The optic neuropathy in thispatient was apparently related to these as well as other deficiencies.

The man did not smoke or drink alcohol, and his medical history did not show a geneticpredisposition for blindness. For more information, visit www.nejm.com.