It's easier to read my wife's lips as she says "I love you" if I'm deaf than to see her t*** if I'm blind...
Hey, yeah! Can't I just choose to deaf in one ear and then blind in one eye? I think would go right ear, left eye, just so no one would try to sneak up on me from my weakside.
I once read a story about a poor soul who was both deaf and blind. That might be the worst luck ever in the history of mankind.
BLIND mice have had their sight at least partially restored after scientists injected immature stem cells to replace damaged cells of the retina. The world first brings hope to those with vision loss, particularly those who have been robbed of sight by macular degeneration or diabetic complications. The mice had a form of eye damage known as photoreceptor loss. It is the loss of the light-sensitive rod and cone cells on the retina vital to capture light and convert it to chemical signals that are sent through the optic nerve to the brain to form images. Researchers from University College London and London's Moorfields Eye Hospital used basic cells with the ability to turn into different types of tissue to restore the vision in blind mice. Until now, there was no way of reversing the damage. Previous attempts at stem cell transplants had failed. In this trial, published in the journal Nature, scientists used cells that were slightly more mature than those used by other scientists. "We worked on the theory that cells at a later stage of development might have a higher probability of success upon transplantation," team leader Prof Robin Ali said. The research team used cells, known as precursors, that had developed to the point at which they were committed to becoming rods but had not developed into mature photoreceptors. Previously, immature stem cells had been used before they were assigned their specialist function. Researchers realised their success when, by shining light into the animals' eyes, they were able to show that vision had been restored to about a quarter of normal levels. British scientists predict human retinal stem cell transplants could occur within a decade but it might be possible to use cells already found in the human eye. Using a patient's own cells would avoid the possibility of rejection.
Helen Keller wasn't mute her entire life. I don't think her non-speaking was really as much that she was mute (by that I mean, she was fully capable of speaking, unlike other mutes) as that she didn't know how to speak until later in life.
I don't know, most of the blind people I know live almost completely normal lives and are fairly well adjusted. I can't say the same for a deaf person.
Well, I didn't mean abnormal. I just think deaf people have a harder time socializing with people unless those people know sign language. On the other hand, I've lived with a blind guy before. I go to law school with a blind student. Maybe I don't know enough deaf people, but the blind people I've met have been fairly successful operating in a sighted world.
