Scientists Have Brought Dead Human Eyes ‘Back To Life’ In Breakthrough Move

Photo 55008501 © Nandha Kumar | Dreamstime.com

It was an eye-opener, to say the least. A team of researchers at the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah and other international colleagues successfully restarted the eyes of people who had passed recently, pointing at possibilities in brain-death reversals.

The eyes, which came from organ donors, responded to bright light, colored lights, and even dim flickers up to five hours after death. This indicated activity in the neuron cells—which was startling, since death comes with the loss of neuron activity.

The scientists also showed that the eyes could interact with one another after death, transmitting signals similar to those of living eyes.

In particular, the team managed to revive dead b-waves for the first time, BGR reports. These are rhythmic oscillations that exist in living brains—although, most recently, they were observed in the last moments of a person’s brain, too.

With this revelation, scientists are hoping to accelerate breakthroughs in eye treatments and eye-related neurodegenerative diseases.

[via BGR and Indy100, cover photo 55008501 © Nandha Kumar | Dreamstime.com]