History Main / TemporaryBlindness

* In ''Manga/InuYasha'', the titular character is blinded by Sesshomaru's [[PoisonousPerson poisonous claws]]. This helps Inuyasha to master his [[RazorWind Wind Scar]] attack since it requires one to locate the spot where demonic aura of the user and the opponent collide. This is easier to do by using one's sense of smell [[NiceJobFixingItVillain and since Inuyasha couldn't see anything at all at the time]]... With the help of his HealingFactor, he later makes a full recovery from his temporary blindness.

* In ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'', when Jason Bard tried to save ComicBook/BlackCanary, and they were caught in the act, a gun going off in his face blinded him. Because the villain had no reason to spare him, Black Canary insisted on escaping with him despite his blindness; his training makes him reasonably good at supporting her despite his condition, and at the end, it is revealed that medical treatment can restore his sight.
%%* Temporary blindness has happened multiple times to Franchise/{{Batman}} in the comics.
* Franchise/{{Superman}} suffered incredibly blurry vision for a time when he arrived in 1943 during his time-traveling adventures in ''ComicBook/TimeAndTimeAgain''.

* ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'':
** An issue had Matt Murdock temporarily lose his enhanced senses. [[UnexplainedRecovery He Got Better]]. ''Daredevil: Black and White'' featured a total inversion of the trope, however -- Daredevil is ''given'' sight by experimental surgery, but it fades away before long. Good thing it was [[spoiler:AllJustADream]].
** Another inversion of the trope occurs in the pages of ''Superior Iron Man'': After Matt confronts him over his recent actions, Tony uses the Extremis virus he infected San Francisco with to restore Matt's eyesight but tells him it'll only last for a few hours, though he'd be willing to cut a deal with Matt to make it permanent. Naturally, Matt turns it down, though he does manage to [[spoiler:actually see his friend Foggy [[TearJerker just as his eyesight starts fading again]].]]
** There was a short story arc in ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' in which he went blind. Comicbook/{{Daredevil}} helped him use his SpiderSense in order to navigate.
** Once, Daredevil and Spider-Man had teamed up and the villain brought out his trump card: he used a device that blinds the target ''on Daredevil.'' Spidey pretty much felt sorry for the poor guy when Daredevil let him have it. (It is not common knowledge to non-heroes that Daredevil is blind.)
* Comicbook/RedHulk's eyes get gouged by ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} during a fight in Hulk #15 -- he's blinded but he's fully aware his healing factor will restore his sight.
* A lengthier than usual example happened in ''ComicBook/CloakAndDagger'', in which Dagger stayed blind for a full year; a fair amount of page space was devoted to her learning to cope.
* Similarly, Franchise/WonderWoman experienced a bout of blindness in one mini-arc of [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 her own series]]. A variation in that [[DisabilityImmunity she intentionally did it to herself]] so she could fight a Gorgon without getting turned to stone.
* There's a miniseries in the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse, ''Vader's Quest'', in which Luke is blinded when he goes into a cave full of light-amplifying crystals and ignites his lightsaber in response to a threat. Gasping "A J-Jedi doesn't... need ''eyes!''" he then fights off over a dozen people who ''weren't'' blinded, without killing them. He's more cautious for the duration of his blindness, but with the Force, he doesn't have to adjust too much.
* Happened in [[RecycledScript three separate issues]] of ''ComicBook/ConanTheBarbarian'' during TheEighties.
* One of the many afflictions faced by gunslinger ComicBook/JonahHex in his career (in ''Weird Western Tales'' #24). Another storyline had him thrown from a wagon with the resultant jarring of his spine leaving him temporarily paralyzed from the waist down.

* LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya goes almost blind in one eye in episode 1 of the ''Anime/PrettyCure''-style reboot, ''Fanfic/SOSPrettyCure'', and is paralyzed from the waist down in episode 3. Both times she recovers completely.

* Making this trope OlderThanFeudalism, in Literature/TheBible, Tobit is blinded when bird droppings fell in his eyes. His son Tobiah sets off to search for a cure and is joined by the Archangel Raphael in disguise. After they free a girl named Sarah from the curse that killed [[DeathBySex her seven husbands in their wedding nights]] and Tobiah marries her, Raphael tells him how to cure his dad.

->I think my eyes are getting better. Instead of a big dark blur, I see a big light blur.

* ''VideoGame/TheDungeonOfDoom'' has "blindness potion" as a PoisonMushroom. Until it wears off, the gameworld is pitch black.
* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy2'' has the Blind StatusEffect, which simply cuts Accuracy in half. Later games in [[VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy the series]] replace it with the ability to debuff Accuracy like any other stat.

* ''VideoGame/UnhappyEverAfter'': [[Literature/HanselAndGretel Gretel]] has the "Dust Cloud" affinity, which allows her to throw dust into an enemy's eyes, temporarily blinding them and increasing their chances to cause their attacks to miss their intended target.
* In ''VideoGame/XCOM2'', the Assassin's special grenades cause blindness. If you select a Blinded unit, you can see that the whole map beyond about 5 tiles is a dark mist, making them unable to engage anything that is not VERY close.

* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', [[spoiler: Roy Mustang is forced to open the Gate and loses his eyesight as a toll. He still takes part in the final battle, with Hawkeye guiding him. When it's all over, he regains his eyesight thanks to Dr. Marcoh and his philosopher's stone.]]

* In ''Film/Anchorman2TheLegendContinues'', [[spoiler: Ron Burgundy goes blind in the second act. It turns out to be fixable, but Veronica didn't let him know.]]

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Happens to Arya Stark as part of her training as [[spoiler: a Faceless Man]], so she can learn to get around and fight without seeing. Her instructors then remove this, but then render her temporarily deaf, then temporarily crippled...

* ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' has a "[[http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Temporary_Blindness temporary blindness]]" effect, which is caused by [[spoiler:drinking moonshine]], among other things. It's required in order to fight Hard Mode Falls-From-Sky.

* A bored Sydney in ''Webcomic/UnintentionallyPretentious'' buys white Manga/{{Naruto}}-style contact lenses from Luthor's store to [[http://www.unintentionallypretentious.com/index.asp?c=63 temporarily]] [[http://www.unintentionallypretentious.com/index.asp?c=64 blind]] herself in order to relate to her blind roommate better. And later for her Toph [[http://www.unintentionallypretentious.com/index.asp?c=84 cosplay]].

* Averted in one ''Literature/TommyAndTuppence'' story, where Tommy is pretending to be blind (complete with shades and cane) for reasons that made sense at the time. He's caught by the villain, who gloatingly puts him in a room where an electrical system will kill him at the slightest contact. A seeing person would have no problem navigating it, of course, hence the villain's complete breakdown when Tommy does just that.