14 DAY TRIAL // Daredevil Gabriel Licina claims that, having let fellow researchers with California-based biohackers group Science of the Masses drip a special cocktail of chemicals into his eyes, he kind of, sort of became a superhuman.
In a nutshell, the biochemistry researcher insists that the drops he was administered gave him night vision. More precisely, he says that the chemicals poured into his eyes allowed him to see in the dark about 50 meters (almost 165 feet) ahead.
True, the effects were only temporary, but while they lasted, odds are Gabriel Licina was the coolest guy in the world. In case anyone was wondering, it looks like the science enthusiast did not experience any serious side effects following this little experiment.
What exactly did they drip into his eyes?
The substance that biohacker Gabriel Licina was administered contained Ce6 (Chlorin e6), which the Science for the Masses team says is commonly used to treat cancer and to address visibility trouble, together with insulin, saline and one other compound dubbed DMSO (dimethlysulfoxide).
During this odd experiment, Gabriel Licina had 50 microliters of the Ce6-containing substance dripped into his eyes. He and his team imagined that, since this compound is known to treat visibility issues, it might also work to enhance eyesight in healthy individuals.
As it turns out, they were right. Thus, the human guinea pig says that, although immediately after administration he found himself looking at a peculiar greenish-black blur that was obscuring his sight, things eventually cleared up and he could see better than ever.
Two hours after the substance was dripped into his eyes, Gabriel Licina had no trouble distinguishing shapes in a dark room, including those as much as 10 meters (33 feet) away from him. When taken out into the woods, he recognized silhouettes 50 meters (165 feet) away.
“The Ce6 subject consistently recognized symbols that did not seem to be visible to the controls. The Ce6 subject identified the distant figures 100% of the time, with the controls showing a 33% identification rate,” the group details in a statement.
Do not try anything of the sorts at home
The idea that perfect night vision might be just a few eye drops away is enticing to say the least. Still, it's important to keep in mind that these experiments were carried out by self-proclaimed biohackers, i.e. armchair researchers. Hence, you might want to refrain from trying to replicate them.
True, Gabriel Licina did not experience any serious side effects after the Ce6-based substance was absorbed by his eyes. However, this does not mean that the procedure is safe. On the contrary, further research into how this one compound affects vision in healthy individuals is very much needed.
