Deaf People May Develop "Super Vision" To Compensate For Hearing Loss

According to a recent report, scientists believe the brain adapts to the loss of hearing by rewiring itself to enhance sight.  Parts of the brain that normally locate sound can learn to do the same job using vision instead.  Some experts believe that losing one sense early in life at a time when nerve connections are still being made allows the brain to rewire itself to compensate. As a result, deaf [people] have an enhanced ability to observe moving objects.

Study leader Dr Stephen Lomber, from the Centre for Brain and Mind at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, said: “The brain is very efficient, and doesn’t let unused space go to waste.  ”The brain wants to compensate for the lost sense with enhancements that are beneficial. For example, if you’re deaf, you would benefit by seeing a car coming far off in your peripheral vision, because you can’t hear that car approaching from the side; the same with being able to more accurately detect how fast something is moving.”

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