Blindness may have a protective effect against schizophrenia.
In a new study in the journal “Schizophrenia Research”, researchers examined the health records of 467,945 children. Although 2.3% of subjects suffered from either schizophrenia or another psychotic illness, not a single blind child was affected by any of these conditions.
Conclusions
Neurological adaptations and reorganization occurs in response to the absence of vision, and these adaptations may have protective effects towards preventing against schizophrenia or other psychotic illnesses.
References
Morgan, V. A., Clark, M., Crewe, J., Valuri, G., Mackey, D. A., Badcock, J. C., & Jablensky, A. (2018). Congenital blindness is protective for schizophrenia and other psychotic illness. A whole-population study. Schizophrenia research, 202, 414-416.