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When Michael May regained his sight through an innovative corneal transplant, his visual processing abilities proved elusive.

Mike May Photo: Bruce Brown

May, then of California and blind since an accident at age 3, had his sight restored through a stem-cell procedure in 2000. But what he could see afterward remained limited — colors, motion and some shapes. That prompted Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ researchers to study what happened to May, and to learn more about how vision develops and how the brain responds when vision returns. The result was a in 2015 that described the visual processing skills, such as of objects and faces, that were acutely impacted during a key stage of their development.

Now May, along with Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ psychology professor , will speak about their experiences at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, at Kane Hall.

The event, “Seeing the World through New Eyes: Sight Restoration from the Perspective of a Scientist and a Patient,� is part of the 12th annual Allen L. Edwards Psychology Lectures series.

Boynton will discuss his research into “virtual patients� that simulate restored vision, while May — who worked at the CIA and has had a career in business — will talk about his efforts to see.

Register for the free lecture .

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