Do people who became blind early in life develop a better sense of smell? A psychophysical study.

Using a set of psychophysical tests, we compared the olfactory abilities of 8 persons who became blind early in life and 16 sighted persons in a control group who were matched for age, sex, and handedness. The results indicated that those who became blind early in life developed compensatory perceptual mechanisms in the olfactory domain that involve basic sensory processes, such as the detection of odors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]