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| - Last Updated on September 2, 2024 by Nivedita
Quick Take
A social media post claims that Dieffenbachia plant can cause permanent blindness or even death. We fact-checked and found the claim to be Mostly False. The scientific evidence shows that the plant contains oxalate crystals that can cause some adverse side effects. However, no evidence directly confirms the plant causes permanent blindness or death.
The Claim
A Facebook post has exaggerated the Dieffenbachia plant’s side effects by claiming that touching the plant can make people blind or even kill them. A post has a screenshot of the plant along with the statement ‘Please read this carefully. My son died because he put a piece of leaf in his mouth and tongue and these swelled to suffocate’. A screenshot of the post is given below:
Fact Check
What is Dieffenbachia plant?
Dieffenbachia plant, also known as dumb cane and leopard lily, is a common household plant and belongs to the Araceae family. Because the plant is aesthetically beautiful and grows well in limited light, it is a great indoor plant. Dieffenbachia benefits people in many ways. It is a great ornamental plant and improves air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide in the house.
Can Dieffenbachia plant make you blind?
It does not seem so. Dieffenbachia plant is poisonous but no evidence confirms that a direct contact with the plant can make people blind. Even the Facebook post does not explain the person’s case history who died, providing us with no details that can allow us to verify the claim made. Instead, the post broadly discusses the risk associated with this plant.
Dieffenbachia is considered dangerous because it contains oxalate crystals that can cause intense pain and swelling when comes in contact with skin tissues. So, eating the plant can irritate the mouth or rubbing eyes after coming in contact with the crystals can irritate the eyes.
In majority of cases, Dieffenbachia is not life-threatening. However, we found a case study of a 70-year-old suffering from severe symptoms after coming in contact with the plant, which could have become deadly if not treated timely.
In a social media post, it was shared that eating garlic, mint, and oregano cures eye degeneration and vision impairment.
We asked Dr. Kashyap Dakshini, General Physician about how symptoms can be treated if a person comes in contact with Dieffenbachia plant. To this, he said, “Some cases lead to skin rash, allergy, redness and dermatitis. If the juice of the plant comes into contact with the eyes, or if the plant is bitten, the same can also give rise to irritation of the eyes or oral cavity/mouth, or blisters. To relieve the symptoms, one can wash the skin with soap and water. It may be self limiting if symptoms are mild. The mouth should also be rinsed with soap and water if the area was in contact with the plant. One can drink milk or ice cream to reduce the redness and burning. Accidental ingestion into the stomach will need to be treated in the hospital depending upon the severity of irritation and pain.”
We asked Dr Aftab Alam, Ophthalmologist, how deadly the eye irritation from oxalates crystals is for humans. To this, he said ‘oxalates crystals can reduce vision if not managed timely by an experienced eye doctor’.
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