Methanol poisoning: Tourist woke up 'gasping for air' and left legally blind after drinking cocktail in Bali

American tourist Ashley King was left legally blind after she ordered a mixed vodka drink at a bar in Bali, Indonesia. She was left in a serious condition while being treated in hospital.

Ashley visited the Indonesian island and ordered a mixed vodka drink at the bar in Kuta back in 2011. She said the seemingly innocent mistake was a near-fatal one.

She told Australian talk show The Project: "It was no different from any other night I had gone out." But just two days later as she travelled to New Zealand, Ashley began feeling unwell.

She said: "Which I just chalked it up to cheap, hostile lighting. And about 10 minutes later I was unable to breathe and I was gasping for air.” Ashley said the incident led to her eyesight deteriorating and that she felt as though she was in "the dark, blind."

She added: "It was something that the doctors hadn’t seen before, and it was kind of a bit of a conundrum for them to figure out what was wrong." It was later discovered Ashley had consumed a large amount of methanol. New Zealand hospital employees alerted her parents and were told to take the next flight to the country as Ashley's prognosis did not look good.

While Ashley managed to survive the ordeal she continues to live with the aftermath of the poisoning. She told the talk show that she needed to learn to live as a legally blind person and that "gaining a disability is really difficult." Ashley shared her story more than 10 years following the incident after the deadly mass poisonings in Laos last month.

At least six people died in the suspected methanol poisoning at a bar in Vang Vieng. Melbourne teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both aged 19, were among six foreign tourists who died. British lawyer Simone White, 28, two Danish women Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21, US man James Louis Hutson, 57, also died from after drinking contaminated drinks.

SmartTraveller updated its latest travel advice for Laos on November 19 warning Australians to avoid the drinks because of “serious safety concerns”. It read: “Lao authorities have issued an order prohibiting the sale and consumption of Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky due to their concerns about these products being a health risk”.

The Laos government said it was "profoundly saddened" and is investigating the the deaths. It has since offered condolences to the victims' families.