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Sunday, December 2, 2012

Pensioner who went blind after drinking vodka has his eyesight saved... by a bottle of whisky!

Incredible: A bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky saved Denis Duthie's eyesight
Incredible: A bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky saved Denis Duthie's eyesight

As any hardened drinkers know, too much alcohol can severely impair your sight. But for one man in New Zealand, a whole bottle of whisky actually led to his eyesight being saved.  Denis Duthie suddenly went blind after vodka he had been drinking reacted with his diabetes medication.   The 65-year-old had decided to have a few drinks to celebrate his parents' 50th wedding anniversary. But when he walked into the bedroom of his home in Taranaki, New Zealand, he suddenly found that he could not see anything.



Speaking to The New Zealand Herald, he said: 'I thought it had got dark and I'd missed out on a bit of time but it was only about half-past-three in the afternoon. I was fumbling around the bedroom for the light switch but ... I'd just gone completely blind.' He hoped he would be able to sleep it off, but after waking the next morning still unable to see a thing he went to Taranaki Base Hospital. Doctors immediately decided he needed to go to surgery straight away. The situation was so serious that doctors even told his wife to say goodbye before he went into theatre.

Grim: The situation was so serious that doctors at Taranaki Base Hospital even told Mr Duthie's wife to say goodbye before he went into theatre
Grim: The situation was so serious that doctors at Taranaki Base Hospital even told Mr Duthie's wife to say goodbye before he went into theatre

As surgery got underway, the doctors thought he could have formaldehyde poisoning, which can be treated by administering ethanol, which is a strong type of alcohol found in drinks such as whisky. Unfortunately, the hospital did not have enough medical ethanol so a registrar was sent to the local store to buy a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky.


This was then dripped into his stomach through a tube. The results were incredible. 'I woke up five days later and I could see as soon as I could open my eyes,' Mr Duthie said. Mr Duthie was later told that his illness was caused by the vodka reacting with his medication for diabetes.

 Daily Mail UK

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