The Blind Can See Again?
New developments in neuroplasticity happen frequently these days but every so often something turns up that truely inspires awe and wonder. The most recent such news comes from University of Rochester Eye Institute where they have just completed a study in which subjects partially blinded by strokes were able to regain some vision by doing specially designed exercises on a computer every day over a period of several months. The program involved seven patients at the Institute and was led by Dr. Krystel Huxlin who commented at the conclusion, “This is the type of brain damage that clinicians and scientists have long believed you simply can’t recover from. It’s devastating and patients are usually sent home to somehow deal with it the best they can.” He added that the results provide a ray of hope for others with damage to the visual cortex as a result of strokes. With this kind of injury patients typically have trouble reading, driving or even doing ordinary chores such as grocery shopping. The visual cortex acts as a gateway to other areas of the brain and although these patients can technically see they can’t make sense of the information.
The exercises consisted of visual dots moving within a circle on a computer screen and although the patients could not initially “see” anything, they were instructed to stare at the screen anyway and guess which way the dots moved. If their choice, or guess, was correct they heard a chime.
All of the participants had improved vision and were able to see in ways they couldn’t before and two of them were actually able to resume driving. Huxlin commented that the exercises were grueling but who of us would not persevere in similar circumstances to regain our vision…