What are the side effects from camera flash directly in eye?

Question

Me and my friends are having a sleepover and we were just being silly and taking pictures in the dark bedroom right in people's faces to make them lose their night-vision.

And then my friend Katelyne put the flash thing on the camera directly over her eye and took a picture and she told us that she felt the hot-ness from the flash and then now ever since she has had like a blind spot in her eye where she can't see anything.

Do you know any of the side effects of what could happen to her vision from it, or are we just over-reacting. Thanks!

Answer 1

It's called "flash blindness" and is completely normal. The light on a camera is in no way strong enough to actually harm her vision- it's more of a temporary after image. It will go away on it's own.  

Answer 2

I'm not proud to admit this - but I did this years ago when I was a kid (years ago!!) and the doctor told my mom to just rest me eye (keep it closed) and it should heal on it's own within a few hours. However, if the blind spot doesn't go away within a few hours she should probably see a doctor asap.