The disease results in uncontrollable tremors and shaky, stiff, and slow movements. Sometimes, visual cues seem to bypass the diseased part of the brain and spur movement. We've known that visual cues can play a role in helping patients move, but there's never been a practical way to use that information. Patients do try a variety of visual cues to get moving again, Counihan says. Some install tile floors, whose patterns help them navigate across a room more easily than a plain floor.
Some patients put strips of tape on floors, then step toward the stripes.
When freezing does happen, a few flip their cane, using the curved top as a guide to walk toward. A laser pointer is an easy way to give yourself a visual cue. Clark, for one, now carries a laser point faithfully. It's also difficult to see the laser spot outdoors on sunny days. And Counihan says that a laser that emits a line instead of a spot might work even better.