In a Nutshell:
- Lynley Hood, an 80-year-old author from New Zealand, accidentally regained her vision, lost to glaucoma 12 years ago, during a placebo treatment for her chronic back pain.
- Participating in a University of Otago study, Lynley was part of the placebo group receiving superficial scalp electrical stimulation. Remarkably, after four weeks, her vision restored almost to full capacity, a result that left her ophthalmologist stunned.
- Intrigued by this unforeseen recovery, the study team, led by Dr. Divya Adhia, plans to conduct further research into how scalp electrical stimulation might aid in restoring eyesight, potentially leading to a revolutionary breakthrough in treating blindness.
In a surprising twist of medical events, a placebo treatment designed to alleviate chronic back pain inadvertently restored the vision of an 80-year-old blind woman.
Lynley Hood, from Dunedin, New Zealand, an award-winning writer, had lost her eyesight over a decade ago to a rare form of glaucoma and found the world in color once again thanks to a back pain treatment study at the University of Otago.
Hood’s journey into darkness started 12 years ago when her left eye suddenly became blurry while reading a book.
Assuming it was due to fatigue, she retired for the night, only to wake up to a world that hadn’t regained its clarity.
She was soon diagnosed with a rare form of glaucoma and informed by her doctors that there would likely be no improvement in her condition.
Hood eventually became legally blind, which put a pause on her passion for reading and writing.
But life had an unexpected plot twist in store for Hood.
A painful fall in 2020 fractured her pelvis, leading to severe back pain, which strangely, became the pathway to her unexpected vision recovery.
This incident led her to participate in a chronic pain treatment research project conducted by the University of Otago.
The project, split into two groups, involved participants undergoing electrical stimulation sessions while wearing specially wired helmets.
One group received electrical stimulation directly to the brain, while the placebo group, including Hood, received superficial scalp-level stimulation.
Unbeknownst to her, Hood was in the placebo group.
After just four weeks of electrical stimulation, Hood discovered her vision had returned to nearly 100%.
The dramatic improvement left even her ophthalmologist astounded, who couldn’t resist but call it a “miracle.”
“Miracle is not a word we use very often in science, but it was — an accidental miracle,” project co-leader Dr. Divya Adhia told the Otago Daily Times.
“It wasn’t the intended outcome, but to see that my research has actually made an impact on people is incredible.”
Having lived with severely impaired vision for over a decade, Hood is now readjusting to a life that’s in clear sight.
With her vision restored, she is eager to return to her love for writing.
“At first, I thought I was imagining it,” Hood said, expressing disbelief at the return of her sight.
She detailed how the electrical currents, traced by advanced equipment, stimulated her retina, sparking an array of signals down her optic nerve and restoring her vision.
The intriguing question of how the electrical stimulation managed to bring Hood’s eyesight back remains unsolved, but Dr. Adhia and her team are eager to find out.
They’re now planning another study to understand this unexpected visual resurgence better, potentially opening a new window of hope for others living with blindness.
Source
Grandpa
November 24, 2022 at 8:19 am
“What’s for dinner, hon?”
“Saran Wrap!”
CPO Bill
November 24, 2022 at 9:18 am
Tin foil desert.
Helen
November 24, 2022 at 7:36 pm
“The food films dissolve in water by almost 90% in 24 hours.“
How will that work for semi-liquid leftover scraps to bin and frozen foods thawing?
OLD DOG
November 24, 2022 at 9:12 pm
MAY NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD HELP. I’LL TRY IT.
BOB
January 24, 2023 at 7:59 am
Let’s see the way I understand this is a wrap that is consumable. Ok now everyone who goes through the store handles this product. Seems to me we are going to inhance some communicable diseases. Not a very good idea.
1PatriotForever
January 24, 2023 at 8:21 am
The Fear Mongers bitched about Paper and Trees, so they gave us the answer of FOAM and Plastic. Now that that turns into stupidity they want to give us another “Great Idea”
Had NEW YOUR Not been DUMPING TRASH for 200 years in the ocean and others given license to drop chite in the ocean instead of “BURNING IT” we wouldnt be 9iin this lace of stupidity
Burning it in indoor facilitates that reprocessed the smoke was the answer
1PatriotForever
January 24, 2023 at 8:27 am
The Fear Mongers bitched about Paper and Trees, so they gave us the answer of FOAM and Plastic. Now that that turns into stupidity they want to give us another “Great Idea”
Had NEW YORK Not been DUMPING TRASH for 200 years in the ocean and others given license to drop chite their trash in the ocean instead of “BURNING IT” we wouldnt be in this place of stupidity
Burning it in indoor facilitates that reprocessed the smoke was the answer and land fills for a while, the problem isnt GUNS its the people who use them as TRASH isnt the problem its the people who THROW it away and mouse it and try like Gas Stoves to Undo what works
Doug Litchfield
January 24, 2023 at 11:49 am
Strap it over your head for quicker results.