Many people assume that blindness equates to utter darkness, a void of visual experience. This common misconception, often perpetuated by metaphors and analogies associating blindness with darkness, is far from the truth. For many blind individuals, the world is not black. In fact, it can be quite the opposite – a vibrant and dynamic experience of light and form.
So, if sight is lost, what replaces the conventional 3D, technicolor vision we understand? For many, including the author of the original piece, the answer is light. Not the organized, structured light of the seeing world, but a different kind of light – a shifting, colorful, and often intense visual phenomenon.
Describing this experience is challenging, yet crucial to understanding the reality of blindness. Imagine a constant interplay of colors and abstract shapes. One moment, a blind individual might perceive a dark brown background illuminated by a turquoise luminescence. The next, this might morph into a green hue, then a bright blue speckled with yellow, with hints of orange threatening to dominate the entire visual field.
Beyond these dominant colors, the field of vision can be filled with a kaleidoscope of indescribable geometric forms, squiggles, and cloud-like patterns. These visual elements are not static; they are in constant flux, changing and evolving in a continuous display. Closing the eyes does not shut out this visual world. This internal visual experience is persistent, an ongoing aspect of sensory perception after sight loss.
This constant visual activity contrasts sharply with the memories of peaceful darkness that many newly blind individuals may cherish. Moments of quiet visual respite, such as walking in the dim light of streetlamps at night, the comforting shadows cast by a fireplace, or the gentle glow of cat’s eyes reflecting in car headlights on a late-night drive, become nostalgic reminders of a different kind of visual peace.
Understanding what blind people “see” moves us beyond simplistic notions of darkness and light. It reveals a complex and dynamic sensory reality, one that is rich with experience, even in the absence of sight as sighted individuals perceive it. This understanding is essential for fostering empathy and dismantling outdated and inaccurate perceptions about blindness.
