Low Vitamin A Led to Woman’s Vision Loss

Vitamin A deficiency caused an eye problem in a young New York City woman, her doctors report. The woman was 24 and pregnant. She went to Columbia University Medical Center, complaining of a decline in vision. She said it had been getting worse for the last 7 weeks, especially at night. Doctors tested her blood and found that her vitamin A was extremely low. After she took supplements, she could see normally again. The woman had anorexia nervosa. She told doctors she had eaten little except white onions, white potatoes and red meat for the last 7 years. Doctors also said her body could have been taking vitamin A from her blood to nourish the fetus. The journal Lancet published the study online July 18.