A New Zealand author in her 80s who was unable to read due to failing eyesight is making headlines after being treated for back pain and regaining her sight.
Dr. Linley Hood, 80, a prolific author of books, unexpectedly regained her sight after participating in a trial at the University of Otago to relieve chronic back pain, according to local media including the New Zealand Herald and NewsHub.
According to reports, Dr. Hood has been treated while lying in bed wearing an electrode cap that sends an electric current to areas of the brain associated with pain안전놀이터. “I joined the project because I started having low back pain after injuring my pelvis in 2020,” he said, “and it’s a three-month treatment where you lie still.”
Within a month, he saw results in unexpected places. His eyesight, which had been impaired by glaucoma for more than a decade, improved to the point where he couldn’t read or write properly, let alone drive. “I can now read and write without any difficulty,” says Dr. Hood.
What’s even more remarkable is that he was part of a placebo group of project participants who received a so-called “sham treatment”. The experimental treatment project, which included 20 patients in total, was divided into two groups, each receiving treatment five days a week for a month. One group received actual electrical stimulation to the part of the brain that controls pain, while the other group received only skin stimulation, and Dr. Hood was in the latter group.
“The skin stimulation appears to have reached the area responsible for vision and had an impact,” says Dr. Divya Adhia, who led the project, adding that over the course of four weeks, Dr. Hood’s vision steadily improved and is now almost 100%. “His recovery is so remarkable that even his eye doctors are calling it a miracle,” Dr. Adhia said, adding that the issue is currently being studied further with eye doctors. Dr. Hood said he feels like he’s been given a new lease on life with his vision and is making plans to write some of the books he’s been thinking about.