Blindsight Used in Everyday Life Scenarios

Author: National Institute for Physiological Sciences
Published: 2012/07/03 - Updated: 2022/03/07
Topic: Blindness and Vision Loss - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: Finding indicates blindsight can be used in everyday life of patients with hemianopia by cerebrovascular disorder and possibility patients with visual impairment can recover hidden visual function by rehabilitation. One of examples of unconscious seeing is a phenomenon of "blindsight" - Subjects have no awareness, but their brains can see - in subjects with visual impairment, caused by the damage of a part of the brain called the visual cortex.

Introduction

Scientists proved that "blindsight" is used in everyday life scenes - Subjects with visual impairment turn their eyes to the portion which is conspicuous by 'motion,' 'brightness,' and 'color'. The visual information from eyes is sent into the brain unconsciously even if you are not aware.

Main Item

One of examples of unconscious seeing is a phenomenon of "blindsight" - Subjects have no awareness, but their brains can see - in subjects with visual impairment, caused by the damage of a part of the brain called the visual cortex. Although it is already reported that the patients with damage in the visual cortex, who were not aware of seeing, can walk and avoid obstacles, it was not proved whether this was really blindsight.

In this new study, the international collaborative research team including Assistant Professor Masatoshi YOSHIDA and Professor Tadashi ISA from The National Institute for Physiological Sciences, The National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Japan and Professor Laurent Itti from the University of Southern California demonstrated that blindsight in monkeys is available not only under the specific conditions of the laboratory, but also in everyday environments. This research result will appear in Current Biology as an electronic version.

The researchers previously showed blindsight in monkeys - monkeys with damage in the visual area of the brain are able to turn their eyes to 'unseen' visual stimuli.

At this time, the research team examined whether blindsight occurs not only under the specific conditions of the laboratory, but also in everyday environments. They recorded eye movements of the blindsight monkeys freely watching video clips of everyday life scenes. They found that the monkeys were able to turn their eyes to the prominent portions in term of motion, brightness or color. By looking at eye movements of the monkeys with visual disability, we can understand where they pay attention to, although they do not see.

Assistant Professor YOSHIDA said:

"This new finding indicates that blindsight can be used in everyday life of patients with hemianopia by cerebrovascular disorder. Then, there is the possibility that patients with visual impairment can recover their hidden visual function by rehabilitation."

He also said "measurement of eye movements during viewing movie clips can be an efficient method to examine how well the patients can see unconsciously".

This research was conducted by an international research team consisting of researchers from The National Institute for Physiological Sciences, The National Institutes of Natural Sciences (Japan), University of Southern California (USA) and Queen's University (Canada). This research was supported by Human Frontier Science Program (International Scientific Collaborations; 2005-2008), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (MEXT, Japan) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by National Institute for Physiological Sciences and published on 2012/07/03, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, National Institute for Physiological Sciences can be contacted at nips.ac.jp/eng/ NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.

Explore Similar Topics

• - The new device is believed to be the most advanced navigation tech of its kind for people with visual impairment.

• - If you're born blind, you'll likely never have experienced a magic trick, so can we create tricks that could be enjoyed by people with blindness.

Citing and References

Founded in 2004, Disabled World (DW) is a leading resource on disabilities, assistive technologies, and accessibility, supporting the disability community. Learn more on our About Us page.

Cite This Page: National Institute for Physiological Sciences. (2012, July 3 - Last revised: 2022, March 7). Blindsight Used in Everyday Life Scenarios. Disabled World (DW). Retrieved March 23, 2025 from www.disabled-world.com/disability/types/vision/blindsight.php

Permalink: <a href="https://www.disabled-world.com/disability/types/vision/blindsight.php">Blindsight Used in Everyday Life Scenarios</a>: Finding indicates blindsight can be used in everyday life of patients with hemianopia by cerebrovascular disorder and possibility patients with visual impairment can recover hidden visual function by rehabilitation.

While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, it's important to note that our content is for general informational purposes only. We always recommend consulting qualified healthcare professionals for personalized medical advice. Any 3rd party offering or advertising does not constitute an endorsement.