# So what do blind people actually "see"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 10, 2000, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905 "2000-08-10T23:32:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![labradorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/21 "2000-08-11T16:26:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kunilou \* > **Someone with RP gradually loses the sight right in front of them, but retains peripheral vision. Think of a donut.** Except donuts have holes in the middle… I think RP is more like having a Timbit over your pupil. ---
**Author:** ![PaulT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@PaulT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulT)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/22 "2000-08-11T17:41:09Z")
You should also consider that people who are born blind would never have developed a sight sector in their brains – those neurons would probably be adapted to other purposes, and the entire concept of sight wouldn’t be explicable to them, except perhaps by reference to sound. As for people who lose their sight, I’m not sure. We’ll have to ask one. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/23 "2000-08-11T20:15:43Z")
I once had the interesting experience of nearly passing out, due to attempting to donate plasma on an empty stomach. I lost my vision for a minute or so, but never lost conciousness. I presume that the cause was a shutdown of my brain’s vision center, rather than a problem with my eyes. What I saw can only be described as “null”- the total absence of vision. It was **not** like seeing the color black. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/24 "2000-08-11T21:12:09Z")
This reminds me of an exchange between ASTOUNDING Editor John Campbell and Isaac Asimov, back in the 1940s. Supposedly, it went something like this: Campbell: “What do you see when you close your eyes?” Asimov: “Nothing” Campbell: “Don’t you see darkness and little flashes of light?” Asimov:“That’s nothing.” Campbell:“Really? What do you see with your ear?” ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/25 "2000-08-11T21:56:29Z")
Cripes, the 1940s _were_ the Golden Age of Science Fiction! Asimov and Campbell were holding discussions of the hallowed pages of ASTOUNDING, the concept of a Martian invasion could still frighten the masses, and anyone who could correctly predict the miniaturization of computers was assured a place in history. Kind of makes me sad that Asimov died in 1992. A whole universe of robots governed by three immutable laws died with him. (Derleth, who read the old SF during his younger years and can still quote the Three Laws of Robotics _verbatim_ on command.) ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/26 "2000-08-11T22:36:32Z")
[hijack] **Aenea!** [rushes forward to embrace new also-legally-blind soulmate and trips over coffee table] My kids think it’s really cool to be able to tell their friends, “Yeah, my mom’s legally blind.” Even when they were babies, Mommy’s glasses were like a paranoid’s holy relics–look but don’t touch. I was the only person I knew who got totally hysterical when they went through the glasses-grabbing stage. And every morning for years it had to be, “NO! PLEASE don’t bring Mommy her glasses off the dresser, thank you, sweetie, Mommy will get them herself.” Those are Mommy’s $300 super-light plastic lens (non-coke-bottle, better living through technology, at long last, thank you god) special order bifocals, for the truly vision-challenged. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/27 "2000-08-11T22:39:17Z")
“that would make him legally blind” What would make him illegally blind? It’s like deafness, 100% deafness is extremely rare…even then they hear sparks…you know energy in the brain. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/28 "2000-08-11T23:25:53Z")
Y’know, that’s funny… Every time I can remember passing out or coming close to it (no, not alcohol induced, BTW), I’ve seen white. It looks sort of snowy, like white noise on the TV, but it’s definitely white. ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/29 "2000-08-11T23:54:19Z")
I’m not blind, but I’m half deaf…I think that some parallels can be drawn. With my right ear (the bad one) it’s just… an absence of sound. I always hold the phone to my left ear, because if I switch to the other ear it’s just… nothing. If that makes any sense. There are varying degress of blindness, as well as deafness. A body compensates. I have a blind friend who can pick out exactly where people are in a room just by their normal breathing. andygirl ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2000, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/30 "2000-08-12T14:39:34Z")
Im quite deaf myself. I can assure everyone, it is NOT quite…there are sparks & all sorts of noises if one listens intently. ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2000, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/31 "2000-08-13T01:49:36Z")
**handy,** what kind of deafness do you have? It’s my understanding-and correct me if I’m wrong- that there are several different types of deafness: conductive and nerve damage. I don’t know if there’s any difference between the way that those different types effect the hearing. Any ideas? I have conductive deafness, but it’s an odd kind- I had to get the bones taken out of my right ear, so everything’s basically shot to pieces. I can’t hear sparks at all. andygirl ---
**Author:** ![fierra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58956e/32.png) [@fierra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fierra)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2000, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/32 "2000-08-13T02:39:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\*(Derleth, who read the old SF during his younger years and can still quote the Three Laws of Robotics _verbatim_ on command.) \*\* Four laws - you’re forgetting the zeroth… ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2000, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/33 "2000-08-13T03:11:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\* > Im quite deaf myself. I can assure everyone, it is NOT quite…there are sparks & all sorts of noises if one listens intently. \*\* Handy, I’m the pc hardware geek at the local Deaf School. So, what are sparks? How do you knock on a deaf person’s door? The super will open your door and flick your lights on and off. ---
**Author:** ![Yankee\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7ea924/32.png) [@Yankee\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankee_Blue)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2000, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/34 "2000-08-13T13:32:00Z")
A good friend of mine was born blind and people always ask him what he can ‘see’ the answer is nothing - not light, no shape, no movement, he really has no concept of ‘see’ - so he describes things alternately: “That man has a voice like chocolate.” “This feels like chewing brillo.” “You sound like your wearing extra small undies.” That kind of thing. To him color is temperature or texture, again no visual fallback. It can be interesting to try and get the sense of what he’s describing. ---
**Author:** ![Feynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@Feynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feynn)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2000, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/35 "2000-08-13T14:34:50Z")
I’ll have to look up my cousin, he was blinded in an industrial accident some years ago and his eyes were so badly damaged they had to be removed. Without the optic nerves he doesn’t get any input. He knows what things used to look like. Cruising chicks used to be fun, he would always joke that we would set him up with “ugly” girls every chance we got… He went to talk to someone about insurance benefits once and the interviewer started saying that because he he was visually impaired in his accident… he stopppped her right there, took off his dark glasses to reveal the sockets where his eyes used to be and told her that he wasn’t visually impaired… he was f\*\*\*\*\*g blind. A sense of humour will carry one a long ways… ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2000, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/36 "2000-08-13T15:09:01Z")
andygirl, Ive been poked & prodded by so many specialists & none of them seem to agree what it is, so who knows? But Im going to have deafness in triplicate. 1. for unknown reasons, probably the nerve. 2. from surfing 3. old age. The bionic ear implant is weird. In order to get it, they must cut the auditory nerve, thus the person becomes completely deaf in order to get it… What’s so great about hearing anyway? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2000, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/37 "2000-08-13T21:33:47Z")
Handy, first off, love your sig. Didn’t you say in chat one time you can hear when you’re lightly sleeping, or drunk? Wouldn’t that mean it’s more of a psychological problem than a neurological or organic problem? –Tim ---
**Author:** ![jbird3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/aeb1de/32.png) [@jbird3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbird3000)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2000, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/38 "2000-08-13T22:35:41Z")
I figure that a blind person wouldn’t see anything at all. It’s like when you look as far to the lef tor right as you can without turning your . What do you see past the edge of your vision? Nothing. Not blackness, you simply can’t see there. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2000, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905/39 "2000-08-13T23:31:37Z")
‘blind person wouldn’t see anything at all’ ‘Seeing’ the way you see, yes, probably not. However, there are other ways to see, they can feel-see. Yeah, Homer, when asleep I can hear pretty well. That might make it hysterical deafness or it could be a spiritual way of hearing too. That would be some debate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-blind-people-actually-see/28905.md?page=1)