Anderson Cooper Went Blind For 36 Hours Last Weekend

Anderson Cooper has put himself in harm’s way numerous times during his journalism career in order to get truest story possible, but apparently, it’s the missions that don’t seem quite so dangerous that he should have been looking out for. The affable correspondent was in Portugal over the weekend to film a segment for 60 Minutes when he wound up getting blinded thanks to some heat and a lack of eye protection.

Here’s a look at the photograph he posted on his Instagram account showing the damage…

The above picture was accompanied by a short message explaining he was temporarily blinded, but according to People, he didn’t tell the full story until yesterday on Anderson Live. Apparently, the Silver Fox was working on a story near the water in Portugal when the sun began reflecting off the water and into his eyes. He toughed it out and finished the work, but later that night, he awoke to excruciating pain and a lack of vision. It turns out the reflected heat actually burned his retinas, causing thirty-six hours of blindness.

He’s made a full recovery in recent days, and he’s also learned a lesson. Wearing sunglasses is always good policy when you’re going to be in the sun for an extended period of time. After all, looking goofy for a brief amount of time is far better than looking normal and getting your retinas burned.