An ophthalmologist warned of the threat of irreversible blindness due to surrogate alcohol

Toxic impurities in low-quality alcoholic beverages can damage the optic nerve and lead to blindness, warned Nikolai Shchemerov, an ophthalmologist at the Happy Eye optical chain. He assessed the risk of irreversible loss of vision due to surrogate alcohol in a conversation with Lenta.ru.

According to Shchemerov, surrogate alcoholic beverages often contain methanol, a toxic alcohol that does not look any different from regular alcohol and may not have a special smell or taste. “When it enters the body, it turns into dangerous compounds that damage nervous tissue, including the optic nerve. As a result, toxic optic neuropathy may develop, a condition in which the optic nerve stops transmitting information from the eye to the brain, which leads to irreversible loss of vision,” the ophthalmologist explained.

As Shchemerov pointed out, the main danger lies in the fact that the symptoms of methanol poisoning may not appear immediately: sometimes after consumption a person feels normal for several hours, and then the condition begins to deteriorate sharply. He noted that possible damage to the optic nerve may be indicated by a sharp decrease in vision, a feeling of fog and flies, double objects, and acute photophobia. At the same time, general signs of poisoning may appear: severe weakness, headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, confusion, the doctor added.