Let's talk about Veronica Seider, a German woman who was awarded the Guinness World record for her super eyesight and vision.
She was rewarded with a Guinness world record in 1972 because of her exceptional ability to see things even from a mile away.
She was born in 1951 and was known for her very keen vision. According to science and medicine, normal people have a vision of about 20/20, while Veronica had a vision of around 20/2, which is very rare for a normal human being to have such a vision. (1)
What superpowers did she have?
She could see and identify people even from a mile away which is roughly 1.6 km, while a normal human finds it difficult to identify even from half the mentioned distance.
She could estimate the relative distances between objects and people with great precision.
She could see microscopic structures with great ease.
Dr. Ashish Markan, MD (AIIMS), MCh (PGI), FRCS (UK) FICO DNB FAICO, Vitreoretina eye surgeon, explains through his Instagram handle @your_retina_doctor about the case of Veronica Seider.
Understanding the science behind it: Although cases like Veronica's are very rare to happen, it is quite astonishing to see such a miracle in the human genetic system.
The reasons for such keen eyesight could be because of the following reasons:
Retinal cones: The retina, which is located at the back of the eye contains photoreceptor cells called cones, which help us see objects in a very clear way in bright light conditions.
Cone Density: A good and enhanced come density is responsible for seeing very fine details which might be the case for Veronica.
Vision acuity: According to the Snellen chart the average normal human vision acuity is 20/20, while in Veronica’s case, it was 20/2, which can be the reason for her supervision. (2)
But, Dr. Ashish Markan also said that there is no definite reason why this might be possible for a human and it might also be a hoax even with a Guinness World Record certification. Because according to the law of optics, it is not possible for a human to have such exceptionally good vision.
What do you think about this exceptional supervision? If it is a hoax, then why is her name still on the Guinness World Record?
References:
Guinness World Records. "Smallest Visible Object." Guinness World Records. Accessed January 4, 2025. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/smallest-visible-object.
Biomedical Insights. "Veronica Seider: The Woman with Superhuman Vision." Medium. Accessed January 6, 2025. https://medium.com/@biomedicalinsights/veronica-seider-the-woman-with-superhuman-vision-d0c7c7e3878a.
By Anam Khan