- A dream about being blind is traditionally read as a sudden reversal of fortune or a loss of guidance.
- Miller (1901) reads being blind as a sudden change from affluence to almost abject poverty, and seeing others blind as a worthy person calling on you for aid.
- Psychology reads blindness in a dream as refusing to see something, or as a fear of losing your way.
- Research finds that dreams of impaired senses and helplessness increase with anxiety and exhaustion, and that congenitally blind people dream vividly through the other senses.
- Dream interpretation is a tradition of reading symbols; it does not predict events.
What does it mean to dream about being blind?
Miller (1901) reads blindness as a fall. To dream of being blind denotes a sudden change from affluence to almost abject poverty. To see others blind denotes that some worthy person will call on you for aid. Folk dream books soften and extend this. Going blind slowly in a dream is a loss that creeps up; going blind suddenly is a shock that will pass. Being blind and finding your way regardless is help from unexpected quarters. Leading a blind person is a good deed that returns to you; being led by one is trusting the wrong guide. A blind person who can see is a secret that will come out. Regaining sight in the dream is the end of a period of confusion. Some books read blindness by opposites, as clear insight about to arrive, and warn that the dreamer who sees a blind beggar should not refuse a request in the coming days.
Three ways to read a dream about being blind
| Reading | Who says it | What the dream is taken to mean | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dream books | Folk tradition, Miller (1901) | Miller (1901) reads blindness as a fall. To dream of being blind denotes a sudden change from affluence to almost abject poverty. To see others blind denotes that some worthy person will call on you for aid. Folk dream books soften and extend this. Going blind slowly in a dream is a loss that creeps up; going blind suddenly is a shock that will pass. Being blind and finding your way regardless is help from unexpected quarters. Leading a blind person is a good deed that returns to you; being led by one is trusting the wrong guide. A blind person who can see is a secret that will come out. Regaining sight in the dream is the end of a period of confusion. Some books read blindness by opposites, as clear insight about to arrive, and warn that the dreamer who sees a blind beggar should not refuse a request in the coming days. | Custom |
| Psychology | Freud, Jung and later authors | Psychology reads blindness in a dream as not seeing what is in front of you, and usually as not wanting to. The eyes close on a truth about a relationship, a job or oneself, and the dream shows the cost: groping, dependence, fear. Freud connected fears about the eyes to anxiety about punishment and loss, and later writers to shame at what one has seen or done. Jungian authors read the blind figure as the inner guide who sees differently, so a blind person in a dream can be wisdom that does not rely on appearances. Being blind and still finding the way often appears when the dreamer is navigating a situation without the usual information and doing better than they fear. Regaining sight marks insight arriving. | Clinical interpretation |
| Sleep research | Sleep laboratories, surveys | Sleep research finds that dreams of losing a sense or a faculty, sight, speech, movement, belong to the family of helplessness dreams that increase with anxiety, fatigue and stress. The visual system is highly active in REM sleep, and the experience of darkness or of eyes that will not open can arise from the transition into or out of sleep, when the eyelids are closed and the body is briefly paralysed. Studies of people blind from birth show that they dream vividly through sound, touch and movement, so the dream of blindness is a sighted person's image of loss rather than a report of the condition. Content analysis places bodily misfortunes among the common negative elements in dreams. | Measurements and surveys |
Being blind in the dream books
What each source says, in its own terms. Dream books are quoted as tradition, not as fact.
To dream of being blind denotes a sudden change from affluence to almost abject poverty; to see others blind denotes that some worthy person will call on you for aid.
Going blind slowly is a loss that creeps up; suddenly, a shock that passes; leading a blind person is a good deed returned; being led by one is trusting the wrong guide; regaining sight is the end of confusion.
Anxiety about the eyes and about losing sight in dreams is closely bound to fears of punishment and loss, and to guilt over what has been seen.
The blind figure in myth and dream often carries a different kind of seeing; the dream may be pointing to insight that does not depend on appearances.
Being blind dream meaning, by variation
The details change the reading.
| In the dream | Traditional reading | Psychological reading |
|---|---|---|
| Suddenly going blind | Miller: a sudden reversal of fortune. | A shock that has taken away your bearings; refusing to look at something. |
| Slowly losing your sight | A loss that creeps up. | A gradual denial; something you have been noticing less and less. |
| Being blind but finding your way | Help from unexpected quarters. | Navigating without the usual information and doing better than you fear. |
| Seeing a blind person | Miller: a worthy person will ask for your help. | A part of you that sees differently, or someone in your life who is missing something obvious. |
| Leading a blind person | A good deed that returns to you. | Taking responsibility for someone who cannot see the situation. |
| Being led by a blind person | Trusting the wrong guide. | Following advice from someone who does not see your situation. |
| Eyes that will not open | Reluctance to face a matter. | Often the body's own state at the edge of sleep; also unwillingness to wake to a fact. |
| Regaining your sight | The end of a period of confusion. | Insight arriving; a truth finally admitted. |
When in the night do such dreams happen?
Vivid, story-like dreams happen mostly in REM sleep. REM periods are short early in the night and get longer toward morning, which is why a dream like this is often the last thing before waking.
Spiritual meaning of being blind in a dream
Spiritual writers read blindness in a dream as inner sight taking over from outer: the dreamer is being asked to stop judging by appearances and to trust intuition. Some read it as a warning that the dreamer is ignoring a truth or a guide; others read the blind figure as a seer, in the tradition of blind prophets. Regaining sight is read as awakening. In these readings the loss of the eyes is rarely a punishment and usually an invitation to look another way.
What am I refusing to see, and what would it cost me to look?
Who is guiding me right now, and can they see my situation?
Where am I finding my way better than I give myself credit for?
Questions people ask
What does it mean to dream about being blind?
Miller reads being blind as a sudden fall from affluence to poverty. Psychology reads it as refusing to see something, or fear of losing your way. Research finds dreams of failing senses increase with anxiety and fatigue and can arise from the body's state at the edge of sleep.
Does dreaming of going blind mean something is wrong with my eyes?
No. There is no evidence that dreams predict illness or events. Dreams of blindness are a sighted mind's image of helplessness and denial. If you have real changes in your vision, see an optometrist because of the symptoms, not the dream.
What does it mean to see a blind person in a dream?
Miller reads it as a worthy person calling on you for help. Jungian psychology reads the blind figure as a guide who sees differently. Folk books add that leading a blind person is a good deed returned.
What does regaining sight in a dream mean?
The end of a period of confusion, in the folk reading. Psychologically, insight arriving: a truth you can finally admit. It is one of the hopeful versions and often follows a decision made or a fact accepted.
Why did I dream my eyes would not open?
Often the body's own state: at the edge of sleep the eyelids are closed and the body is briefly paralysed, and the dream borrows that sensation. Psychologically it can also picture unwillingness to wake up to something.
Is dreaming about being blind a bad sign?
Miller reads it badly, but some folk books read it by opposites as insight arriving. Neither is a forecast. The dream describes your fear of losing your bearings or your refusal to look at something, and that is what to act on.
- Miller G. H. Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted, 1901
- Freud S. The Interpretation of Dreams, 1899
- Jung C. G. Man and His Symbols, 1964
- Hall C. S., Van de Castle R. L. The Content Analysis of Dreams, 1966
- Folk dream books
Each symbol page sets three readings side by side and names where each one comes from. Dream books are quoted as tradition. Last reviewed on the date in the header.