Near-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences in the Blind: A Study of Apparent Eyeless Vision
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Plain English Summary
Can people who have been blind since birth suddenly 'see' during a near-death experience? This groundbreaking 1997 study tackled that wild question head-on. Researchers interviewed 31 blind people who had near-death or out-of-body experiences, and an astonishing 80% reported visual perception — including 9 out of 14 people born completely blind. Their experiences matched the classic pattern reported by sighted people: tunnels of light, life reviews, the works. Two cases were especially striking — a totally blind man correctly described the color and pattern of someone's tie, and a newly blinded woman accurately described a hospital hallway, confirmed by a witness. After ruling out dreaming, guesswork, and other sensory workarounds, the authors proposed something called 'transcendental awareness' — a way of knowing that goes beyond physical eyesight. It's the kind of finding that keeps neuroscientists scratching their heads.
Research Notes
First systematic empirical study of NDEs/OBEs in blind persons, including congenitally blind. Directly challenges neurological NDE explanations (REM intrusion, cortical surge) by showing visual-like perception in persons with no functional visual system. Central to Controversy #7 on consciousness survival. Later expanded into the 1999 book 'Mindsight.'
Interviewed 31 blind respondents (14 blind from birth, 11 adventitiously blind, 6 severely visually impaired) about NDEs (n=21) and OBEs (n=10). Blind persons reported classic Moody-type NDEs indistinguishable from sighted persons' experiences. 80% (25/31) claimed visual perception during their episodes, including 64% (9/14) of those blind from birth. Two corroborative cases were documented: a totally blind man correctly identified a tie's color and pattern, and a newly blinded woman accurately described a hospital corridor scene confirmed by independent witness. After rejecting dream, retrospective reconstruction, blindsight, and skin-based vision hypotheses, the authors propose 'transcendental awareness' — a multisensory mode of knowing that transcends physical sight.
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Related Papers
Companion
- Near-Death Experiences with Reports of Meeting Deceased People — Kelly, Emily Williams (2001)
- Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Following Near-Death Experiences — Greyson, Bruce (2001)
- The Near-Death Experience Scale: Construction, Reliability, and Validity — Greyson, Bruce (1983)
- A systematic analysis of distressing near-death experience accounts — Cassol, Helena (2019)
- The Near-Death Experience Content (NDE-C) scale: Development and psychometric validation — Martial, Charlotte (2020)
- AWARE--AWAreness during REsuscitation--A prospective study — Parnia, Sam (2014)
- AWAreness during REsuscitation - II: A Multi-Center Study of Consciousness and Awareness in Cardiac Arrest — Parnia, Sam (2023)
- Terminal lucidity: A review and a case collection — Nahm, Michael (2012)
- Non-local Consciousness: A Concept Based on Scientific Research on Near-Death Experiences During Cardiac Arrest — van Lommel, Pim (2013)
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The Central Clinical Relevance of Near-Death Experiences in Acute Care Contexts
Explanation of Near-Death Experiences: A Systematic Analysis of Case Reports and Qualitative Research
Neuro-Functional Modeling of Near-Death Experiences in Contexts of Altered States of Consciousness
Which Near-Death Experience Features Are Associated with Reduced Fear of Death?
Advancing the Evidence for Survival of Consciousness
📋 Cite this paper
Ring, Kenneth, Cooper, Sharon (1997). Near-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences in the Blind: A Study of Apparent Eyeless Vision. Journal of Near-Death Studies. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025010015662
@article{ring_1997_near_death_blind,
title = {Near-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences in the Blind: A Study of Apparent Eyeless Vision},
author = {Ring, Kenneth and Cooper, Sharon},
year = {1997},
journal = {Journal of Near-Death Studies},
doi = {10.1023/A:1025010015662},
}