In José Saramago’s philosophical novel Blindness, an unnamed city’s residents start suddenly and inexplicably losing their sight.

What is the meaning of blindness by Jose Saramago?

Saramago uses blindness as a metaphor for both personal misfortune and social catastrophe. The story begins when the first blind man loses his vision in his car while waiting for a traffic light to change. The man who helps him get safely home goes back and steals his car.

How long does it take to read blindness?

The average reader will spend 5 hours and 52 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).

What caused the blindness in the book blindness?

The girl with the dark glasses is a former part-time prostitute who is struck blind while she is with a customer. She seemingly contracted the “white-blindness” while visiting the doctor due to conjunctivitis (hence the dark glasses).

Can you be partially blind?

If you’re partially blind, you have limited vision. For example, you may have blurry vision or the inability to distinguish the shapes of objects. Complete blindness means you can’t see at all. Legal blindness refers to vision that’s highly compromised.

How many words are in Blindness by Jose Saramago?

Blindness By Jose Saramago – 723 Words | Bartleby.

Where does Blindness by Jose Saramago take place?

In an unnamed city in an unnamed country, a man sitting in his car waiting for a traffic light to change is suddenly struck blind.

Can you go blind overnight?

One of the arteries commonly affected provides blood to the optic nerve, which transmits information from the retina to the brain. Blocking the nerve and starving it of blood can cause permanent blindness. The window of treatment is small – in some cases, sight can be lost within days or even hours.

Is blindness a dystopian novel?

In Blindness, a sudden and unexplainable epidemic of blindness breaks out. … All those who are blind must be isolated in an asylum, in order to control the epidemic. New circumstances progressively create a disturbing, dystopian world.

Can a blind person see again?

Researchers have made a breakthrough in understanding what happens to the human brain after someone goes blind. The study out of the University of Pisa, Italy, found that the adult brain can actually learn to “see again” many years after a person went totally blind.

Article first time published on

What are retinas?

The retina is a layer of tissue in the back of your eye that senses light and sends images to your brain. In the center of this nerve tissue is the macula. It provides the sharp, central vision needed for reading, driving and seeing fine detail. Retinal disorders affect this vital tissue.

Can you go blind from crying in the dark?

No. You can’t go blind from crying, period.

What are 7 causes of blindness?

  • Uncorrected refractive errors. Uncorrected refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism, can all cause severe visual impairment. …
  • Cataracts. …
  • Age-related macular degeneration. …
  • Glaucoma. …
  • Diabetic retinopathy.

Is going blind rare?

The term “blindness” can have many connotations and is difficult to define precisely. To many people, blindness refers to the complete loss of vision with no remaining perception of light. However, this ultimate form of complete blindness is rare.

Is being blind depressing?

According to Action for Blind People, a British support organization, those who have lost some or all sight “struggle with a range of emotions — from shock, anger, sadness and frustration to depression and grief.” When eyesight fails, some people become socially disengaged, leading to isolation and loneliness.

Is there a cure to blindness?

While there is no cure for blindness and macular degeneration, scientists have accelerated the process to find a cure by visualizing the inner workings of the eye and its diseases at the cellular level.

Do the blind hear better?

The research teams found that in the blind participants, the auditory cortex more accurately represented the frequency of each sound. “Our study shows that the brains of blind individuals are better able to represent frequencies,” Chang said.

What is the main purpose of the pupil?

The pupil, or black dot at the centre of the eye, is an opening through which light can enter the eye. The iris, or coloured part of the eye, surrounds the pupil. It controls how much light enters the eye by changing the size of the pupil.

What is the function of iris?

Together with the pupil, the iris is responsible for regulating the amount of light that gets into the eye.

Why is retina red?

The retina is the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eyeball. … The retina most often looks red or orange because there are many blood vessels right behind it. An ophthalmoscope allows a health care provider to see through your pupil and lens to the retina.