New Research Suggests That Magic Mushrooms Could Yield Lasting Improvements Among Individuals With Color Vision Deficiency (CVD)

But in the recently reported case, one individual living with red-green CVD decided to take a different route.

The subject self-administered an examination known as the Ishihara Test to determine the duration and degree of color vision improvement after taking five grams of dried psilocybin magic mushrooms.

The data showed partial color vision improvement, with the gains peaking at eight days post-psilocybin treatment. Then, the effects lasted for at least eight more additional days.

The subject disclosed that they had previous experiences with psychedelics. In the past, they reported using MDMA once and psilocybin mushrooms twice. Additionally, the subject had orally taken LSD five times and inhaled dimethyltryptamine (DMT) seven times.

Following these prior experiences, the individual reported color vision improvement that lasted for months.

Prior to ingesting the magic mushrooms, the individual administered the Ishihara Test by themselves. This test consists of various mosaic dot graphics that vary in size, hue, and color.

The cards were designed to conceal specific test images from individuals with color blindness that would otherwise be visible to individuals with color vision.

So, during the subject’s baseline test, they reported a score of 14 from plates one to 21– which indicated mild red-green blindness. Another set of four cards also indicated a different version of CVD known as Deuteranomaly, which causes greens to appear redder.

Then, the subject used psilocybin and reported that colors intensified. Although, the individual’s score only slightly improved to 15 when the test was self-administered again 12 hours post-psilocybin use.

After 24 hours post-psilocybin use, however, the individual’s score rose to 18– which was just one point above the Ishihara Test’s threshold for normal color vision classification.

Still, the subject’s test score did not peak until day eight, when it reached 18. And for four months following psilocybin administration, the individual reported remaining within the normal vision range.