-- Posted by JohnTheNormalOne at 12:02 pm on Oct. 16, 2008 When we close our eyes, it is not true that we don't see anything. We see black, and that is the inside of our eyelids, and it looks black because there is no light there. But I was thinking what feeling do the blind people have? It is probably not the same as when we close our eyes. They probably don't have a sense of 'seeing' anything at all. It is normal for them, but it is actually really hard to imagine for people who were never blind. So does anyone know what happens there? Has anyone heard someone that was blind and then gain vision, or the other way around, talk about that? Please post if you know about that... Also the similar thing with the deaf people: When people think in their heads they tend to think using words and voices. But how do the deaf people do it? Also, if anyone knows any examples of people going deaf, or other way around, talking about that, please post. -- Posted by medjai at 8:59 pm on Oct. 16, 2008 It depends on whether or not their optic nerve is in tact, in other words, the type of blindness that they suffer. If they do not have a signal coming from the optic nerve then they likely don't see black. -- Posted by Bearsy at 7:05 am on Oct. 19, 2008 This is my understanding. If it's eye damage: human vision has a short range on the light spectrum, and when no perceivable light is sensed by your eyes you see black. Since completely eye-blind people's eyes don't sense any light, their occipital lobe perceives a lack of light. Complete darkness (blackness) is perceived in the brain. If it's brain damage: "seeing" really happens in your brain, not your eyes. If you damage your occipital lobe (the part that perceives vision, located in the back of your brain) and become blind from it, you won't just lose your vision but ALL memories of vision. That's why sometimes when it gets damaged, people won't even know it's damaged. They don't know vision anymore... these people don't see black, they just don't see. Nothing is perceived because they don't have the ability to perceive light/lacktherof. -- Posted by Bearsy at 7:29 am on Oct. 19, 2008 Quote: from medjai at 8:59 pm on Oct. 16, 2008 It depends on whether or not their optic nerve is in tact, in other words, the type of blindness that they suffer. If they do not have a signal coming from the optic nerve then they likely don't see black. What makes you think that?