Vitamin A Deficiency and Childhood Blindness

In the world’s poorest countries, where finding food to survive is often a struggle, vitamin A deficiency is the number one cause of childhood blindness.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. All it takes is three bright red capsules containing a concentrated dose of vitamin A to protect a child from going blind for an entire year!

Through your gifts, cbm distributes hundreds of thousands of these tablets across the developing world, each year.

NIRY – the girl whose eye “melted”

Meet Niry. This little girl from Madagascar was brought to a cbm eye clinic, her eyes weeping uncontrollably. They were at the end stage of a disease caused by vitamin A deficiency. In fact, our ophthalmologist described Niry’s eyes as “melting”. One eye was already lost.

Thankfully, Niry received treatment straight away in the form of large doses of vitamin A and a nutrition program to improve her health. In just a few days, the sight in her remaining eye was saved.

Niry is proof of the difference you can make in a child’s life simply by providing Vitamin A.

FACTS ABOUT VITAMIN A

• Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of childhood blindness in the world.
• Each year, 350,000 children are permanently blinded by vitamin A deficiency. According to the World Health Organization, the majority of them will die in childhood.
• One annual dose of vitamin A, costing just 60 cents including distribution, is enough to prevent a child from becoming vitamin A deficient.
• Vitamin A is found naturally in dark green leafy vegetables, orange fruits and vegetables, meat, milk and eggs. So eat them every day.
• Babies get vitamin A from breast milk.

For further information on Vitamin A, please contact:

Lindsay O'Connor
Public Relations Manager, cbm Canada
Toll Free: 1-800-567-2264 or (905) 640-6464 x289
loconnor@cbmcanada.org