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Blindsight and extraocular vision: what they have in common
Blindsight: a mystery of the brain
What is blindsight?
Blindsight is a rare phenomenon in which a person whose visual system shows no dysfunction cannot see consciously because of damage to the visual cortex, located at the back of the brain.
Despite this damage, the eyes still work: they pick up visual information and send it to the brain through the optic nerve as far as the thalamus (just above the hypothalamus, where the pineal gland is located, which is also connected to them).
However, the visual information cannot be processed consciously, because the visual cortex is not working properly.
In some rare cases, brain damage can destroy the primary visual cortex and leave the person unable to process the images coming in from outside. In these cases we can speak of blindsight.
How does blindsight work?
In the usual cases of blindness, it is the eyes or the optic nerves that are damaged, which prevents the thalamus from receiving visual information. In blindsight, however, the thalamus does receive information from the surroundings, even though it never reaches the person’s awareness.
The most curious thing about this phenomenon is that, although the person cannot “see” consciously, their subconscious receives the visual information and allows them to react to certain stimuli by reflex.
Surprising cases of blindsight
People with blindsight can:
✅ Avoid obstacles without being aware they are doing so.
✅ Sense movement around them without understanding exactly what they are picking up.
✅ React to certain visual stimuli, such as changes in light or shadows.
In other words, even though their conscious mind does not process the image, their subconscious “sees” and guides the body automatically.
The link between blindsight and Intuitive Vision
Some researchers, such as Makoto Shichida, argue that the brain’s right hemisphere is able to pick up information from the outside world and turn it into images without going through the eyes (see the brain hemispheres).
If this hypothesis is correct, people with blindsight could develop a new way of seeing by re-educating the right hemisphere.
If, on the other hand, Intuitive Vision depended on a healthy visual cortex, this approach would not help them regain their sight.
Future research and the power of the subconscious
To confirm these theories, more scientific experiments are needed using electroencephalograms to identify which areas of the brain become active when a person uses their Intuitive Vision. Discover our research commissions.
What is certain is that blindsight shows us the immense power of the subconscious, which is able to perceive the outside world without the conscious mind taking part.
To learn more about blindsight
🎥 Watch this video:
To go deeper into this subject, and many others, read our book Seeing Without Eyes Is Possible.
Do you feel this is going to become part of your life?
Not as something to achieve or to teach, but as a way of living.