At 80 years old, New Zealander Lynley Hood had been living with glaucoma-related vision loss for well over a decade. As reported by the Otago Daily Times, Hood experienced an accidental recovery that has spurred further research. Read more about what Hood’s ophthalmologist calls ‘a miracle.’*

Robbed of her passion

Hood is an accomplished author who began noticing vision changes over 12 years ago. While reading one evening, her vision became blurry, which she thought was due to simple fatigue. It was not. She was told she had a fairly rare, acute type of glaucoma that was unlikely to get better. Gradually, Hood became legally blind, no longer able to read and write.

‘An accidental miracle’

Hood suffered a fall in 2020 in which she fractured her pelvis and developed severe back pain. This led to her volunteering for a clinical trial by the University of Otago that investigated a chronic back pain treatment involving electrical stimulation to the head via a special helmet.

• Treatment group participants received simulation directly to their brain.
• Placebo group participants underwent surface stimulation to the scalp only.

Hood was unknowingly part of the placebo group, yet recovered nearly 100% of her highly impaired eyesight after four weeks. Her ophthalmologist dubbed the turn of events a “miracle,” though research co-leader Divya Adhia, Ph.D. prefers to call it “an accidental miracle.” She explains, “It wasn’t the intended outcome, but to see that my research has actually made an impact on people is really miraculous.”

Welcome readjustment

Hood previously lacked central vision in her left eye and had visual problems in her right eye, but can now “see perfectly again” and is able to resume writing. 

At first, she thought she was imagining her newfound sight. Tracking equipment, however, showed the electrical impulses traversing her scalp and entering her eyes. “The equipment showed that the cells in my retina went, ‘hey guys, something’s happening,’ and it sent a whole lot of messages down my optic nerve to the parts of my brain that makes pictures and words and colors out of electrical messages.”

Adhia and her colleagues are currently working on a new study to determine how this event happened so that others can benefit.

Similar technology

Using low-level electrical stimulation to stop glaucoma progression has been the subject of ongoing research. Experimental goggles that a person would wear for a half-hour each day to stimulate the optic nerve and promote self-healing are being tested by South Korean company Nu Eyne. The goggles send electrical impulses through the skin surrounding the eyes, prompting nerve cell regeneration.

A small clinical trial has been underway in South Korea, and the goggles already have supportive research for treating glaucoma.

*Taimur. (2023, May 27). A Placebo Treatment Just Accidentally Restored A Woman’s Eyesight. Wonderful Engineering. https://wonderfulengineering.com/a-placebo-treatment-just-accidentally-restored-a-womans-eyesight

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