Which vitamin deficiency causes conjunctival xerosis?

NVS- 2025

Applied Nutrition & Dietetics

Easy

Appeared in: NVS- 2025

Explanation

Vitamin A (retinol) is crucial for maintaining the health and integrity of epithelial tissues, including the conjunctiva of the eye.
A deficiency of Vitamin A leads to a condition called xerophthalmia, with conjunctival xerosis (dryness of the conjunctiva) being a key sign.
This occurs because the lack of Vitamin A causes a loss of mucus-secreting goblet cells, leading to the drying and keratinization of the eye surface.
Night blindness (nyctalopia) is the earliest symptom of Vitamin A deficiency, which can progress to conjunctival xerosis, Bitot's spots, and eventually keratomalacia (corneal softening) and blindness if untreated.

Option A: Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin essential for the synthesis of clotting factors (II, VII, IX, X) in the liver.
Option C: The Vitamin B complex consists of several different water-soluble vitamins, each with unique functions. Their deficiencies cause a wide range of conditions like beriberi (B1), pellagra (B3), or pernicious anemia (B12), but not specifically conjunctival xerosis.
Option D: Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is vital for collagen synthesis. Its deficiency leads to scurvy.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Vitamin deficiencies and their associated ocular manifestations as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses are pivotal in identifying early signs of Vitamin A deficiency, especially in at-risk populations such as children in low-income areas, pregnant women, and individuals with malabsorption disorders.
Nursing interventions include conducting nutritional assessments, educating patients and families on dietary sources of Vitamin A (e.g., carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, liver, eggs), and administering supplementation as per national health programs.
In India, the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Blindness includes prophylactic administration of Vitamin A to children to prevent xerophthalmia.

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question that tests your knowledge of micronutrients and their deficiency diseases.
First, identify the key term in the question: "conjunctival xerosis".
Recall the meaning of this term, which is dryness of the conjunctiva (the membrane covering the white part of the eye).
Systematically review the functions of each vitamin listed in the options.
Connect "dry eye" or issues with epithelial tissue health to the correct vitamin. Vitamin A is famously linked to vision and epithelial integrity.
Eliminate the other options by recalling their primary deficiency syndromes: Vitamin K with bleeding, Vitamin B with various neurological and metabolic issues, and Vitamin C with scurvy (collagen-related problems).

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Vitamin deficiencies and their associated ocular manifestations.
Stem keywords: vitamin deficiency, conjunctival xerosis
Lead-in keywords: Which
Negative lead-in flag: false

QMaoaqPwmfQeRYXO4hrCFa

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-232 of 464) p. 150-152

E6 Textbook of Biochemistry for medical StudentsDM Vasudevan Part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-239 of 478) p. 121-123

E6 One Stop Resource all for your Exam Needs in Biochemistry (pp 6-135 of 140) p. 76-78