What it’s like to read without sight

“Surely the part of my brain that I used to read with must have shut down at the same time as my sight?” asks Red Szell in this video. The 53-year-old Londoner lost his sight several years ago due to the degenerative eye condition Retinitis pigmentosa – and has used audiobooks ever since.

But earlier this year, Szell decided to learn Braille, with unexpected results – as he outlines in this video for BBC Culture’s A Sensory World series. In it, he interviews a brain scientist whose studies have revealed surprising findings.

Video written and presented by Red Szell; filmed and edited by Chris Griffiths; animation by Archie Crofton.

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