A 19-month-old child in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district lost vision due to malnutrition and severe Vitamin A deficiency, leading to corneal ulcers. The child did not go blind from normal saline nasal drops, as alleged. The child is now receiving treatment at AIIMS Bhopal, where a corneal transplant is planned.
The Acting Chief Medical and Health Officer, Devesh Pateriya, clarified that the child’s malnutrition caused corneal ulcers due to Vitamin A deficiency. The hospital did not have the batch of nasal drops in question, and doctors confirmed that normal saline drops cannot result in vision loss. Investigations are ongoing to determine how the child was given the nasal drops.
The child’s father, Indraj Vishwakarma, claimed that nasal drops were mistakenly given instead of eye drops at Banda Civil Hospital. Initially brought in for cold and eye redness complaints, the child experienced burning sensation and subsequent vision loss. The Health Department formed a committee to investigate the incident following the family’s complaint.
Officials stated that the child’s eye condition was a result of malnutrition, severe Vitamin A deficiency, and corneal ulcers. The committee found that normal saline nasal drops could only cause temporary irritation, not blindness. Police are also looking into the family’s complaint, and appropriate action will be taken if negligence is proven.
