History Main / BlindMistake

* In ''Film/TheGreatEscape'', Colin inadvertently tips off his roommate Hendley that something is wrong with his vision when he mistakes him for someone else at only a few feet's distance. He tries to play it off but Hendley isn't fooled, and quickly confirms his suspicions by asking another question that Colin is unable to answer correctly.

** At one point, while on a "date" with Akane, Ryōga (who has good eyesight) is frisked in the darkness of an ocean-themed haunted house by Shampoo. Elated by what he thought is a forward advance from Akane, he quickly turns around and hugs the first thing he found -- a giant ocean sunfish model. He thinks Akane feels a little chunky, but he still doesn't open his eyes to realize his mistake.

* In ''{{Manga/Gintama}}'' anytime Sacchan takes off her glasses she ends up mistaking somebody or even something for Gintoki. In the Glasses Arc she gets from him a pair of glasses that aren't her prescription and refuses to wear her own, which almost gets her killed, because you ''really'' shouldn't do that if you're an assassin on a job.

* A non-comedic form of this trope happens in [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/8513371 ''I Never Really Knew'']] as one the things that tells Satsuki there's something wrong with Ryuuko's eyesight, as she had ran into a wall trying to go through a doorway. A sequel, ''Orange Juice'', Ryuuko brings home the titular liquid instead of milk because the cartons feel identical, however, this trope is more directly invoked, as the workers at the convenient store played a prank on her involving this trope because they know she can't tell the difference.

* Vitruvius from ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie''. During the big break in to Lord Business' fortress, the heroes place him on watch. Cue him looking at a wall with a pair of binoculars.

'''Ron:''' Did I stutter? I'm '''[=BLIND=]'''

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' book ''Literature/FeetOfClay'', Angua (a werewolf) takes Cheery to an undead bar. One of the regulars is a normal old lady, who started going to the location when it was a normal pub and can't see well enough to realize it's full of undead now.

[[folder:Print Media]]
* A limerick from a Games Magazine puzzle ran more or less as follows:
->"A nearsighted [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} umpire]] named Spike\\
"Could not tell a ball from a strike\\
"To end this appalling\\
"Long string of miscalling\\
"The coaches yelled, 'Spike, take a hike!'"
[[/folder]]

* A whole range of advertisements for [=SpecSavers=] opticians in the UK, featuring, amongst others, a shepherd who shears his sheepdog, an elderly couple who get on a rollercoaster thinking it's a park bench, a volleyball player who spikes a seagull instead of a ball, a lifeguard who mistakes a seal for someone who needs rescuing, an overly enthusiastic aerobics instructor who shows up in an elderly bingo and WesternAnimation/PostmanPat crashing his van through fields and picking up a sack of vegetables instead of mail. All ending with the slogan "Should have gone to [=SpecSavers=]", which has rather successfully [[MemeticMutation entered the vernacular]].

* ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'' has an entire character, Blinkin, who exists to act out this trope (see the page pic). Ironically, Blinkin is so [[DisabilitySuperpower surprisingly competent and skilled]] that his blindness is the only thing keeping him from liberating England by himself. He catches an arrow in mid-flight before it hits Robin Hood, saying he could hear it coming a mile away... and then asks who's talking when Robin congratulates him.

** In "[[Recap/TheBrittasEmpireS5E2BlindDevotion Blind Devotion]]", Colin is blinded by an explosion and promptly makes several errors, including almost pissing in the middle of Brittas' office and dropping drawing pins into a cup of coffee which he then drinks from. It all culminates in his attempts to recuse a drowning child, which leads to several people being knocked out in the pool and Tim with a GroinAttack and a concussion.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1331499131010348200

[[quoteright:250:[[Film/RobinHoodMenInTights https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blinkin_6913.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:"But you grew some nice boobs."]]

* ''Film/CastleFreak1995'' the blind, teenaged DamselInDistress, Rebecca, has been stalked around her family's castle by the monstrous, [[AntagonistTitle titular]] Giorgio. But when they meet face to face she doesn't know it's him, mistaking him for her mother, and prattles on to him about her feelings as she [[{{Fanservice}} undresses for bed]], even handing the monster her shirt as he waits on her attentively.

* In ''Series/StanAgainstEvil'', Stan ends up with TemporaryBlindness after drinking some homemade liquor, and while impaired looks at a wall when talking to the others and grabs a taxidermy duck apparently mistaking it for a weapon.

* A tearjerker variety happens in the backstory of ''Manga/RurouniKenshin''. Kenshin is subjected to a bout of TemporaryBlindness and deafness thanks to a series of attacks, and is forced to fight their leader barely able to see or hear. As a result, he can't see his wife Tomoe jump in front of him to try and block the leader's blade until it's too late, and winds up accidentally killing both of them.

* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}'', a Magoo-like character crashes into Mung Daal's kitchen, mistaking it for his home, and tries to make out with Schnitzel, whom he mistakes for his wife. Throughout the episode, he confuses a boiling tea kettle for a phone (the which he burns Schnitzel's face with) and eats plates. Due to this, he's also a wanted criminal.

* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}'', a Magoo-like character crashes into Mung Daal's kitchen, mistaking it for his home, and tries to make out with Schnitzel, whom he mistakes for his wife. Throughout the episode, he confuses a boiling tea kettle for a phone (the which he burns Schnitzel's face with)and eats plates. Due to this, he's also a wanted criminal.

* ''VideoGame/KukooKitchen'': The resident MadScientist is blind, which results in him doing things like shouting at his coffee machine when he's threatening TheHero [[HeroicDog Chill-Li]] and activating his ship's self-destruct instead of its teleporter when he's trying to retreat to his base upon losing a battle with the President's forces. [[RobotButler Fred]] has to point it out for him each time.

* In ''Film/TheGreatEscape'', the first outward sign of Colin's blindness is that he mistakes his roommate Hendley for their commanding officer Roger Bartlett. ([[DramaticIrony The audience already knew]] there was something wrong with Colin's eyes, but none of the characters other than Colin himself did.)

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'', this is the whole schtick of Chamberlain Thickdruft of the Sadidas. His eyes [[BlindingBangs aren't visible under his hair]], and he's old, so his eyesight is bad either way. He keeps confusing random people for Princess Amalia -- and then accuses said people of trying to trick him with disguises.

** Moore’s own spoof of the Creator/FrankMiller run on ''ComicBook/Daredevil'', ''Grit'', really does play it up to that ludicrous level. The hero's other super-senses just add to the level of misinterpretation.

* In the ''Film/{{Daredevil}}'' movie, Matt's partner Foggy repeatedly attempts to invoke this on Matt, such as when he hands him a bottle of mustard instead of honey for his coffee. Matt's other senses work just fine, however, and he switches mugs once Foggy turns away.

* ''ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}}'': When Tim goes to ask questions of a temporarily blind Jason Bard, the P.I. pulls his gun on the door and warns whoever has quietly entered his office that he knows they are there. Tim, who had snuck in through the window ''behind'' Bard, mentions that it's probably not a great idea for Jason to be using a gun while blind.

** Mousse certainly [[{{Bishonen}} looks better]] without his OpaqueNerdGlasses, but once he takes them off he ends up mistakenly {{glomp}}ing any person or object in front of him, thinking it's Shampoo. Among the more unusual items he has mistaken for a curvy 16 year-old girl with knee-length lavender hair: a giant panda, Shampoo's [[MiniatureSeniorCitizens 1ft-tall]] grandmother, a bicycle, a 3ft-high tanuki statue, and a potted plant.