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Although there are many health risks associated with drinking alcohol, it still remains a socially popular way to celebrate various occasions. However, a young government employee in Bihar had to pay a heavy price for getting drunk at his friend’s wedding.
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Delhi-based neurologist Dr Rahul Chawla took to Instagram on December 22 to share the story of how the man lost his vision after a night of revelry, and explained why we should be careful about the source of our beverages.
How did that man lose his sight?
Dr. Chawla shared the case of a young man who went to his friend’s wedding in Bihar after securing a government job.
There, he consumed what was presented as ‘premium branded whiskey’ that was obtained through illegal means. This was because Bihar has been a dry state since 2016, where the sale, purchase and consumption of alcoholic liquor is strictly prohibited.
Under the influence of people at the party, who assured him that all of them in the state were poisoned in the same manner, the man attended the festivities.
The next day, he woke up to find that he was completely blind. Brain MRI and fundus photography were performed, which showed signs of methanol poisoning.
breaking down methanol poisoning
Methanol is chemically the simplest organic alcohol, which is toxic in nature. It finds its utility in industrial work and is not suitable for consumption. However, methanol is sometimes added to adulterated or illegally obtained liquor as a method of cost cutting.
“Once it enters the body, the liver breaks it down into more dangerous substances, primarily formic acid,” Dr. Chawla said. “These toxins reduce oxygen delivery at the cellular level and directly damage nerve tissue.”
“Methane-induced toxic optic neuropathy, in simple terms, means that the optic nerve gets damaged due to the consumption of methanol,” he further said. “Even minor exposure to methanol metabolites can cause inflammation, swelling, and damage to nerve fibers.”
As a result, loss of vision is often sudden and painless. It’s common for people to wake up with blurred vision, tunnel vision, or complete blindness, as happened in this case.
“This is what makes methanol poisoning so dangerous,” the neurologist said. “There is no ‘safe’ dose, and once the optic nerve is damaged, modern medicine has very limited ability to reverse it.”
What is takeaway?
The threat of methanol poisoning through counterfeit liquor is not limited to the poor and marginalized sections of the society, and is also present at cocktail parties, especially in the dry state.
A bottle that appears to be branded may still be adulterated, and there is no way for an average man to tell the difference, because both the appearance and the taste are so similar, Dr. Chawla warned. Thus, it is always safer to err on the side of caution when it comes to beverages.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions you may have about a medical condition.
This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
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