Vision recovery after blindness linked to brain development

Mike May lost his vision when he was 3, just as his brain was learning how to interpret images. Had his blindness happened when he was older and his brain was more formed, he might have had a better chance of seeing again after eye surgery.

…BY ADAM GORLICK
Mike May was 3 years old when a chemical explosion in his family’s garage burned out his left eye and blinded his right one.
Surgeries immediately following the accident couldn’t restore his vision. But 43 years later, doctors figured out how to replace his cornea and keep it clear by transplanting stem cells around it. There was a chance May would see again, and he took it.
The operation 10 years ago was a procedural success, but May still cannot use his sight to read or see the expressions on the faces of his wife and sons. At best, he can detect light and motion and identify colors. While his new cornea is healthy and his retina appears to send all the right signals to his brain, his brain can’t properly interpret them.
Stanford researchers think they know why: May’s blindness came at a crucial time in his brain’s growth. While his brain had already produced the cells needed to interpret large images, sets of smaller cells that decipher more refined resolution were just starting to come…

Excerpt from:
Vision recovery after blindness linked to brain development

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