His poor diet led to him losing his sight

The boy, who is from Malaysia, reportedly had a poor diet from a young age.

Popular Malaysian doctor Dr Erna Nadia explained the case in a post on Facebook.

"As a mother, we can't always cook because we are busy. Pity for the parents of this student. It is not easy for them to accept," the doctor put.

Dr Nadia explained that the boy was deficient in a vitamin that is essential for keeping optical nerves healthy.

Concerns over the child's vision were first raised when he asked his teacher: "Teacher, why can't I see anything?"

He was then rushed to hospital, where he was diagnosed with a severe vitamin A deficiency.

Vitamin A is cruical to rhodopsin, a protein that is sensitive to light and helps produce pigments in the retina to help with seeing in low light.

Dr Nadia urged parents to be aware of the signs of vitamin A deficiency. These include dry eyes, shadows or gray spots on the whites of the eyes, trouble seeing in the dark, or being unable to produce tears.

Foods that are high in vitamin A include green vegetables and orange and yellow vegetables

This includes carrots, spinach, mangoes, sweet potatoes and broccoli.

Chicken, fish and eggs are also high in vitamin A.