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Science

Man Learns To See Again After 40 Years Of Blindness 41

Posted by Hemos from the relearn-it dept.
MonTemplar writes "BBC News Online reports the story of Mike May, from California, who lost one eye and was blinded in the other at the age of three after an accident. Now, doctors have been able to restore the sight to his remaining eye by transplanting corneal and limbal stem cells. The operation, and their subsequent work with Mr May to monitor his recovery, in an attempt to better understand how the brain learns to interpret the signals from the eyes, have been published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Ironically, being able to see again has meant Mr May has had to re-learn some activities, such as skiing or crossing the road, where he had become proficient when blind."
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Man Learns To See Again After 40 Years Of Blindness More

Man Learns To See Again After 40 Years Of Blindness

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  • He doesn't know where his towel is (Score:5, Funny)

    by kinnell ( 607819 ) on Monday August 25, 2003 @08:00AM (#6783208)
    Ironically, being able to see again has meant Mr May has had to re-learn some activities, such as skiing or crossing the road, where he had become proficient when blind

    ...a problem which he could avoid by wrapping a towel around his head.

  • This makes me very happy... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by KCardoza ( 593977 ) on Monday August 25, 2003 @08:05AM (#6783234) Homepage
    Maybe this kink of thing will become commonplace in curing blindness caused by injury. My mother would sure appreciate it, seeing (No pun intended) as how she's already lost the sight in one eye, and the other is slowly losing sight as well. She's only 43, so she'll probably still be around if and when this becomes available to her.

  • Still is guessing (Score:2, Interesting)

    by glassesmonkey ( 684291 ) *
    It's fascinating that this guy has had sight (stem-cells can do that?? when did this happen??) for *years* and still looks at someone and isn't sure (I think it said 60% or 80% certain) if it is his wife or not.
    • This is because learning to distinguish faces is mostly a learned skill... there seems to be a certain stage of development in early life where the brain is "primed" to learn this sort of thing... and if you miss this opportunity (due to blindness etc...) it becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible, to learn to distinguish faces later in life. An appropriate parallel would be with "wild children", kids that grow up in the wild unattended (it happens occasionally) and don't learn to speak. There seem
      • The speech thing makes me think that adapting to a new sense as an adult must be very like learning a foreign language as an adult -- which is of course possible, but it's much easier for a child, especially when they're dealing with other children. I remember having a French cousin, who was four years old and spoke no English (her mother, my aunt, is American, but she's lived in France for years and I believe the family only speaks French in the home) come to visit; I took her to a nearby playground, and
    • Perhaps this is blessing in disguise ??? When you get caught fooling around on your wife, you could just say you thought it was her.

  • learning to recognize objects by sight (Score:3, Insightful)

    by amcnabb ( 682951 ) on Monday August 25, 2003 @08:58AM (#6783584) Homepage
    His 3D perception and face and object recognition was still severely impaired. Mr May could only identify around a quarter of common objects shown to him. And he was also only able to tell if an unfamiliar face was male or female 70% of the time.

    I thought this was really interesting. We tend to take so many things for granted. There must be millions of objects that he is very familiar with by touch and sound, but he's never had the chance to see what they look like. It must take a really long time to learn what everything looks like.

    Reading this story, I feel very grateful that I can tell the difference between men and women (with a few exceptions).

    • Anthropologist on Mars (Score:3, Informative)

      by Ieshan ( 409693 )
      If you're interested, 'The Anthropologist on Mars' by Oliver Sacks (a neurologist who's very famous for writing case studies) has a very detailed and informative description of sight restoration.

      His novel focuses heavily on the neurological basis for the phenomenon and it's possible failure as an effective cure. Read on, it's great stuff, and available in paperback. :)

  • Similar Concept: (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Momomoto ( 118483 ) on Monday August 25, 2003 @09:01AM (#6783601) Homepage
    This reminds me of a documentary [www.cbc.ca] that the CBC showed not too far back about Jens Naumann, who was blind due to two separate accidents but regained sight through the use of eyeglasses-mounted cameras [www.cbc.ca]. The image from the camera was then processed and routed to his visual cortex via cables.

  • The most amazing thing is... (Score:5, Funny)

    by digerata ( 516939 ) on Monday August 25, 2003 @09:04AM (#6783622) Homepage
    ...Mr May has had to re-learn some activities, such as skiing...

    He could freakin ski when he was blind??!! Sonny Bono is rolling over in his grave right now.

  • Not surprising... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by WildFire42 ( 262051 ) on Monday August 25, 2003 @09:06AM (#6783637) Homepage
    Ironically, being able to see again has meant Mr May has had to re-learn some activities, such as skiing or crossing the road, where he had become proficient when blind."

    Interestingly, most blind people don't really consider blindness a "disability" per se, but simply a challengee to get used to. I've met countless people with various types of disabilities that really don't count them as "disabilities". For instance, I've spoken with the Deaf/Hard of Hearing who don't consider themselves "disabled", merely more of a "linguistic minority".

    The problems they run into are simply a lack of equal access that people without a disability (or a severe disability) take for granted. For instance, in that old building that has yet to be renovated, a person with full usage of their legs will have no issue getting up the stairs, but someone who requires the use of a wheelchair, or might be in crutches, or has to use a walker, etc., will find it impossible to get into that building.

    What most people forget, when responding to ADA [usdoj.gov] laws, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act [section508.gov], W3C WAI [w3.org], etc., is that these principles of equal and timely access do not just help those with disabilities, but those without as well.

    For instance, trying to move a big cart full of computer equipment into that building? It sure would be easier with curbcuts, an elevator, and recessed door frames. Trying to access the web via that shiny new PDA you just bought? Too bad the site uses Flash navigation without a text equivalent... ad nauseum

    The fact that this disability was part of his life, means that it wasn't a roadblock for him, merely an alternate route. He simply did things a different way.

    • "Linguistic Minority" = Assholes (Score:5, Interesting)

      by TheOnlyCoolTim ( 264997 ) <tim.bolbrock@nOspam.verizon.net> on Monday August 25, 2003 @10:10AM (#6784161)
      It is apparently a huge social taboo in the deaf culture to do anything to try and cure your deafness. An example [thejournalnews.com] is this woman who got fired for getting a cochlear implant. This is just fucking dumb. Can you imagine if all the people with amputated legs would hate you if you lost your leg and got a prosthesis?

      Another thing along the same lines, that I can't find with a quick Google, is babies. Apparently this genetically deaf couple decided to get a sperm and egg donation so that their baby would be able to hear. They got ostracized.

      Tim

      • Re:"Linguistic Minority" = Assholes (Score:5, Interesting)

        by WildFire42 ( 262051 ) on Monday August 25, 2003 @10:34AM (#6784361) Homepage
        It is apparently a huge social taboo in the deaf culture to do anything to try and cure your deafness.

        I've heard of this, but I've never met anyone who has tried to "repair" hearing damage get this kind of treatment (perhaps because those that have tried have not been Deaf/Hard of Hearing for their entire life or a great part of it). I've also heard of such attitudes occuring in the other disability communities as well.

        I believe this negative attitude towards those that attempt to repair/replace their disabilities through such means stems from two different reasons:

        1. The likelihood that the procedure will fail, make the problem worse, or, in the case of the article above, subject the person to "re-learning how to live". They have lived a great deal of their life with this disability, and it has not hindered them at all, merely given them an alternate view of the world. To change this view, forces the person to change the way they do even simple matters, and can disrupt everything they do.

        2. The disabled community is very tight-knit. They have had to be in past, and many I know have called the last 15 to 20 years the Civil Rights movement for disabilities. Some of these people, can be a little extreme, granted. As I said in my previous post, most of the people in the disabled community don't consider themselves disabled, merely requiring alternate and equal access. When one of the members of their community attempts to remove their disability through surgery or other invasive medical means, it is as though that person is admitting defeat and admitting that they have a severe, crippling debilitation. An example, going back to the Civil Rights Movement analogy, would be a prominent African American pop-star taking on a progressively paler complexion to his skin over a few years (I won't name any names, but his initials are Michael Jackson).

        I would like to point out, that this is not my view, personally, but I'm sure I'll get flamed to hell for it. I understand where the community is coming from, and why they think the way they do. But I sure don't agree with it personally. I feel that if someone wishes to overcome their disability through such a means, then that is their wish, and it is their body to change as they please. If someone else doesn't agree to it, then they have a Constitutional right to that opinion.

        • Re: Michael Jackson (Score:5, Informative)

          by cloak42 ( 620230 ) on Monday August 25, 2003 @12:56PM (#6785716) Homepage
          An example, going back to the Civil Rights Movement analogy, would be a prominent African American pop-star taking on a progressively paler complexion to his skin over a few years (I won't name any names, but his initials are Michael Jackson).

          Actually, in slight defense of MJ, his skin lightening has nothing to do with surgery or any voluntary act. Michael Jackson has a condition known as Vitiligo [webmd.com], which causes his skin to become progressively paler over the years as it loses its pigment. I ought to know, as I have the condition as well. As I get older, I'll get whiter and whiter until I have no real pigment left in my skin. It spreads from a patch or two to the whole body, and is extremely pronounced in black people (it's pretty pronounced in me because I'm mixed-racial, but I'm only 24 years old so it won't get really bad for several years). It's the reason Jackson wore a glove in the 80's.

          Of course, this skin condition--also known as Leukoderma--has NOTHING to do with the fact that he now has no nose.

      • Re:"Linguistic Minority" = Assholes (Score:1, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Many parents of deaf children are against cochlear implants because of the health hazard. Without proper care it's possible to transmit infections to the brain. Also, as far as I understand, deaf people don't consider themselves disables because they can effectively communicate via sign language. If someone can communicate already, why would they risk their health to communicate in a different way? If someone is treated differently after they get their child cochlear implants, it's because the parents o

    • Re:Not surprising... (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Saganaga ( 167162 ) on Monday August 25, 2003 @10:11AM (#6784171) Homepage
      I find the phenomenon of a "Deaf subculture" interesting. Today there are deaf parents with deaf children who are reluctant to have their children outfitted with cochlear implants (which provide rudimentary hearing) because, among other reasons, they are happy with their child being a member of the "deaf community" and fear that having them able to hear will change that.

      But why would parents not allow their child the chance to be able to hear when the chance is offered?

      As a personal example, I stutter. I also have a new daugther born two months ago. Now, say that when she gets older she also starts to stutter. Say also that a new technology or technique is developed that can cure stuttering. Would I even consider not allowing my daughter to have this cure? Even if the cure only worked for children (and so I couldn't use it myself), I would not even hesitate to have my child's disability taken away from her. Why is deafness any different? I think it's become different because deaf people have isolated themselves so much that they have become a subculture, and the idea of losing a child to the mainstream culture overcomes the natural instinct that parents have to give their children the best life possible.

      However, I realize that I may be way off base here. It would be especially interesting to hear from any deaf /.ers who have a personal experience with cochlear implants.

      See this position paper [deafchildren.org] for more background material on a deaf parents' organization's position on cochlear implants.
      • I don't know how much study has been made of it, but there was a device that helped control stuttering by giving modified speech feedback.. the inventor said he had cured himself, and could talk freely without it now. Source: documentary on invention fair, sponsored, IIRC, by "The Sharper Image" or other novelty gadget store.

      • Re:Not surprising... (Score:2, Interesting)

        by drakaan ( 688386 )
        I think that the problem I hear with most of the analogies stated so far, is that they just don't fit (I will refrain from using the comparing apples to oranges [improbable.com] analogy).

        I think an appropriate comparison would be if I was a non-mind-reader in a mind-reading community, and my child couldn't read minds either. If I learned of a new procedure that could give my child mind-reading abilities, I might not run out to get her a mindwave 2000 implant for a variety of reasons (jealousy, fear, not understanding the

      • Language is an important componant of culteral understanding, identification etc. I went to a Uni with had a sizeable deaf population, they had plays where the actors signed and a narrator recited the dialogue. For my part I would find it amusing if this man's problems were not at all typical and he just happened to be a little slow on the uptake.
    • Interestingly, most blind people don't really consider blindness a "disability" per se, but simply a challengee to get used to. I've met countless people with various types of disabilities that really don't count them as "disabilities". For instance, I've spoken with the Deaf/Hard of Hearing who don't consider themselves "disabled", merely more of a "linguistic minority".

      It really sucks to have a disability, so people resort to denial to protect themselves from it.

      Of course, most people humour them. What
  • I am sure we have all herd of a person losing a particular sense, be is sight, hearing etc.. and thier other senses becoming more acute as a result. However, as this mans sight is now regained, if he had developed such enhanced senses, will they be lost?
    • It's not so much "more acute" as "you learn to pay more attention".

      If you're a sailor, you pay more attention to water currents, and exactly what the waves look like today. You learn that if there's 2 patterns of waves crossing like this, it means one thing, but if they're crossing like that it means another. No additional sensory ability needed, just experience and learning. It just manifests as being able to look at the water, and know there's a storm coming...

      If you happen to be a farmer or hunter,
    • I understand that each sighted person has the retinal ability to perceive a number of UV light wavelengths (the number might be '1', I forget), and that only the UV opacity of our corneas restricts us from seeing them; seeing the patterns bees see on flowers and such. Cornea replacements can bypass this, as could future genetic engineering. Maybe we will all look back at the way things appear now and see our current vision as partially disabled.

  • washinton post has an article too (Score:5, Informative)

    by \\ ( 118555 ) on Monday August 25, 2003 @09:46AM (#6783997) Homepage
    the washington post also has an article [washingtonpost.com] on the guy, perhaps a little more in depth. pretty neat stuff.
  • However, his 3D perception and face and object recognition was still severely impaired

    Hmmmm.....maybe he has bad 3D perception because he only has one eye

    Just a thought...

    -Pinkoir

  • Visual Cortex (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Bowling Moses ( 591924 ) on Monday August 25, 2003 @02:51PM (#6786819) Journal
    I got to say that as cool as the technique to restore his sight was, I'm more interested in the neurology. For 40 years his visual cortex was utilized for other functions than sight, otherwise one would expect them to atrophy away. Will he lose some functions that his brain has mapped onto those areas now that they are needed again for sight? What would be super cool would be to see EEG or MRI scans (or both or whatever--I am not a neurologist) of his visual cortex before and after the operation, to see what changes in brain activity have taken place. I imagine something like that is in the Nature Neuroscience article, but I don't have access to it here. Anybody read the article?
  • will he toss his braile porn now?

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