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If lightning strikes close to you would you go blind?
Is it dangerous to observe lightning with your
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naked eye? Can it really make one blind?

All related (39) Sort Recommended Can seeing a lightning bolt so close cause
blindness or some eye problem?
Cathy Mcclung · Follow
Former Juried Gallery Artist · 4y What happens when lightning strikes near
you?
My experience was to have everything just go white. It lasted for just a minute or two though
it seemed longer. I had been thrown about 8 feet from the patio door to my dining room wall What does it feel like to get struck by
where I hit in a standing position after flying over the dining table and a chair without hitting lightning?
anything until the wall. The entire time, I thought I was still standing near the patio door. I
never felt movement but was white blind so didn't see what actually happened after the Can lightning damage your eyesight?
blast which was like a cannon going off right in front of me. This was a perfectly clear, hot
summer day in Texas. Not a cloud in the blue sky. This was the third strike, the first woke me What does it feel like when your plane gets hit
from a nap, I saw the second massive bolt but it was a long distance away. That third strike by lightning?
was a surprise. I felt no pain at any time. I lowered myself to a sitting position against the
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wall until my vision returned. It returned completely without any issues as far as I know.
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Upvote · 17

Erin Benoit · Follow

Updated Nov 3

Idk what its like to be super super close to a lightning strike, but there was one time a couple
of years ago; I was at the beach with my dance friends and my family cause we were in the
US for nationals for like a week... anyway, there was a lightning strike that hit the nearest big
building to the beach (I think it hit the lightning rod on it), so not right next to me but
somewhat close. Basically, the ground felt like it shook a bit, everything went white for like
10 or 20 seconds and it was kinda disorienting and pretty scary to me, but my vision came
back normally after everything went white, and as far as I know, it didnt affect my vision at
all, so I dont think so. May depend how close it is, but I'm not sure.
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Vic Graham · Follow

Professional Grammar Editor · Updated 4y

Who has been very close to a lightning strike and what was your
Related
experience?
Well, I was actually struck by lightning. Is that close enough?

I was a teen, around 14, just out riding my bike. I was a couple miles from home at the time
— I liked to go to a park to "check out the babes" as they say. Of course, they were college
girls and wouldn't give me the time of day anyway. But I still appreciated the view.

There were storm clouds in the sky, and it soon started to rain. I headed to a tall, thick-
leaved tree for a bit of shelter from the rain. Big mistake. I should have gone to the gazebo
as quickly as possible. But there were already a bunch of people huddled together for
shelter from the rain. At 14, I just didn't know storm safety, and though a few people yelled
at me to get away from the tree, I was a little slow in heeding that advice.

I was terrified; thunder boomed all around. The storm seemed to have snuck up on us. The
hairs on my arm started standing on end — literally — and the next thing I knew, I woke up in
the hospital. Lightning had struck the tree. According to doctors, the charge went through
the trunk and into the ground. From the ground, it went into me. Apparently I was lucky not
to be standing too close to the tree, otherwise the trunk could have sparked a bolt directly
into me.

From that experience, I got two things: knowledge about what to do during a thunderstorm
and a pretty awesome fractal scar.

None of those pictures are of me, but they give you a visual of what I had on my chest and
arm for several months.

My friends all thought they were cool. I enjoyed showing them off in school. "Yeah, I got
struck by lightning. Wanna see the scars?" It was impressive, to say the least. The girls in my
school thought it was awesome. I figured, hey, maybe this will help pick up some college
girls. While they thought the boy showing off his scar was cute, they weren't willing to date
this kid.

The scars eventually faded. Not a mark left behind. And, fortunately, I've grown older and
wiser — and got rid of the jackassery and thinking I was hot stuff that impeded my social life.
Turns out women want personality in a man rather than a cool story and an awesome scar.
What 14-year-old could know?
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Jayme A. · Follow
Writer, Side-Gig Expert at Betterbuck · Jan 5

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Related questions More answers below

Is it dangerous to observe lightning with your naked eye? Can it really make one blind?

Can seeing a lightning bolt so close cause blindness or some eye problem?

What happens when lightning strikes near you?

Bert Hickman · Follow

Electrical Engineer with 54 years of professional experience · 5y

Because of its extreme brilliance, a nearby lightning strike often causes temporary blindness
and afterimages. Some reported cases of ball lightning may in fact be due to lightning
afterimages.

If you happen to be closer to the strike such that a side flash hits, or if an upward-heading
streamer originates from your head, neurological damage may (rarely) cause permanent
blindness. Fortunately, this is rare (per Cooper et al,"Lightning Injuries: Electrical, Medical,
and Legal Aspects", CRC Press, 1992, ISBN 9780849354588).
Upvote · 4 1

Franklin Veaux · Follow

Professional Writer · 4y

Who has been very close to a lightning strike and what was your
Related
experience?
I lived in Tampa, Florida, the lightning capital of the world, for over a decade. I personally
know two people who’ve been hit by lightning, one of whom was perhaps 20 feet away from
me when it happened. (They both survived.)

Being close to a lightning strike is scary. It happens really, really fast. When my friend Sean
got hit, the two of us were racing for my apartment. I felt this weird tingle, I smelled ozone,
and then there was an explosion like the end of the world. The thunder was so loud it felt like
ice picks being jammed in my ears. It picked him up and threw him on his face. He ended…
(more)
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Great Writing, Simplified · Updated 1y

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Rhydian Harper · Follow

2y

Is it dangerous to observe lightning with your naked eye? Can it really

Related
make one blind?
I’m a little late to the party, but in short: yes, it can.

I have been unfortunate enough (or fortunate enough, if you think about it) to see a very
close positive lightning strike with the naked eye.

These are my own screenshots from a video I took in my garden in England. I had my phone
pointed at the sky to the side of my head and was looking at the same place my phone was
when that strike came from nowhere. Sounded like a cannon going off and I had the
simultaneous pleasure and displeasure of looking directly at it. Lightning is 5x hotter than
the sun and 600x brighter. After seeing that bol… (more)
Upvote · 17

Sara LaBissoniere · Follow

Former Unemployed · 5y

Who has been very close to a lightning strike and what was your
Related
experience?
It just happened actually. Like a dumbass I thought I was safe hanging on my screened
porch during a nasty thunderstorm. I was petting my pet pig and one of my cats when
suddenly I saw a flash of white in the middle of the backyard about 20 feet away. Almost
instantly the thunder clapped and it was so loud I instinctively put my hands over my ears.

The piggy and the cat went flying (out of fear, not because of a jolt of electricity thankfully).
Once the rumble of the thunder subsided, I took my hands off my ears and it felt like the
rings on my fingers were vibrating. I also had a new pain deep… (more)
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Tim Cole · Follow

Astronomy enthusiast, science educator, devotee of science, history, and interests that mu… · 4y
te without warning
Originally Answered: Can lightning blind you if you stare at it when it’s close to you?
The brilliance of lightning can cause temporary flash blindness. While I haven’t had a close
look at a lightning bolt, I have seen one or two electrical arcs at closer range than I’d have
preferred. It took a few seconds before I could see anything but weird patterns, and the
afterimages (similar to the effect you get when you close your eyes after a camera flash)
lasted for a few hours.
Upvote · 3

Bill Otto · Follow

Consulting Optical Physicist and Systems Engineer (1977–present) · 3y

Related Can a lightning bolt blind you?

Thanks for asking. There are good answers here.

Lightning ranges up to around 30,000 K. Some people say “degrees Kelvin” but it is more
correct to say “Kelvins” or “Kelvin.”

If the plasma radiating as a blackbody is that hot, then it is brighter than the Sun.
Fortunately it only lasts 0.2 seconds, but at close range (<25 feet or so) there is a 10%
probability of some permanent eye damage if you are looking right at it.

For the other 90% of us, there is the experience of temporary blindness ranging from a few
seconds to a few minutes.

People who survive a lightning strike are generally not in a dir… (more)
Upvote · 52 2

Rowena Portch · Follow

Blind author of the Spirian Saga. Available on Amazon.com. · 5y

Is it true that being in complete darkness for more than three days can
Related
cause blindness?
Well, technically, the moment you submerge yourself in darkness, you are blind. However,
this condition is merely temporary and your eyes will again adjust to seeing.

After three days of blindness, your other senses will begin to kick in, enabling you to
function better without sight.

When I was training to finish guide dogs—many years ago, before I knew I was going blind—I
had to wear a blackout sleep mask for ten days, using only a guide dog to lead me around. It
was a funky experience for sure, but it prepared me for a journey I had never expected.

Just for clarification, I did not go blind fr… (more)

Upvote · 187 18 1

John F. Eldredge · Follow

Former Batch computer operator at Deloitte (company) (2020–2020) · 5y

If it strikes close enough, that is a possibility. The blindness might be permanent, or

temporary. I have seen a major lightning strike from about fifty feet away, and saw illusory
glowing spots for a couple of minutes afterward.
Upvote

Ben Wilkinson · Follow

Former Ophthalmologist (1972–2003) · 4y

Originally Answered: Is it bad for the eye to see lightning up close?

How the ??? do you see lightening up close?

Retinal damage depends on the amount of energy focused on a point in the retina for a
continuous period. The energy depends on the brightness of the source, and the
wavelength, Infra Red being most damaging to the retina.

Lightning is very transient, and, therefore has to be extremely bright, probably brighter than
the sun, to cause damage in the time that it exists.
Upvote

Simon Hockenhull · Follow

Laboratory Technician (2016–present) · 4y

No. It might leave you temporarily blinded especially at night. Lightning although extremely
bright is also very short in duration.
Upvote

Joseph Perkins · Follow

Computer science engineer with some experience in practical physics. · 5y

Possibly. The light can be bright enough to either temporarily or permanently blind
someone. Also deafness can occur for similar reasons. A lightning strike is quite loud. You
can also be killed or cooked if enough of the current flows through you.
Upvote

5 answers collapsed (Why?)

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