Several news stories appeared on TV and online about Doug Harkey, a man who regained his eyesight after a chiropractic adjustment. Two of the stories appeared on January 11, 2008 in the Telegraph Herald from Dubuque Iowa, and KCRG-TV news from Cedar Rapids Iowa. (Click here to read TV news story and to play video)
Doug Harkey, a 38-year-old resident of Dubuque Iowa, was legally blind in his left eye for 12 years. As he reported it, “I woke up one day and I didn’t have vision in one eye.” Being legally blind did not limit Mr. Harkey’s ambitions as the stories reported that he did parachute out of a plane in 2006.
Doug Harkey’s fiance, Gina Connolly was going to a chiropractor, Dr. Tim Stackis, and convinced Doug to attend a new-patient class. Harkey admited, “I was skeptical about chiropractic”. However, in spite of his skepticism, the stories note that on January 3, 2008 Doug received a chiropractic adjustment, and his world was changed.
Harkey recalled the events after that adjustment, “My blind eye starting watering after I left there and it watered for 45 minutes straight. It started making my good eye water. I went to wipe my right eye and I could see out my left again.” His enthusiasm continued as he remarked, “While I wiped my right eye, I could see out of my left.” He then told a friend, “Oh my God, I can see!”. To which his friend responded, “You always could.” Harkey then exclaimed, “No, out of my LEFT eye!”
Dr. Stackis explained in an interview, “I’ve heard of cases of people regaining their sight, but I’ve never experienced something like Doug’s magnitude. Miracles can happen and some of those miracles are pretty big.” He continued his explanation of what happened by noting that some of the bones in Mr. Harkey’s neck were out of alignment (subluxation), “That interferes with the messages and energy the brain sends down to the rest of the body.” Dr Stackis continued, “Your nerve system controls and regulates every function of your body,”
Harkey concluded his remarks and summed up the situation and optimism for his future by saying, “I’ll have everything back except my peripheral vision. In the daytime, it will be great to see everything
