A call to arms aids recovery of sight
By Bruce Bower
After suffering a stroke that damaged right-brain tissue, including the primary visual cortex, a 68-year-old college professor could no longer see most objects on his left side. Then, under the supervision of Krista Schendel and Lynn C. Robertson, both of the Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System in Martinez, the professor literally reached out to recapture some of his lost sight.
His vision improved markedly when he extended his left arm toward computer-displayed items positioned within reach on his blind side, Schendel and Robertson report in the July-Aug. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. This is the first evidence that a well-placed arm can partly reverse vision loss following an injury to the brain’s visual hub.