These cobras spit in self-defense, and they aim for the eyes. They can also bite like any other venomous snake. The book has a short account about what to expect and what to do if you have cobra venom spit into your eyes. Among first aid measures, this is definitely one I hope I never need to know. The eyeball looks quite red.
Blindness can result, especially without treatment.
To a herpetologist who studies snakes, one of the most fascinating groups of African snakes are the burrowing asps. But they do produce venom and have a bizarre way of delivering it. In fact, they do not even open their mouths to bite. But, try to pick one up by holding it behind the head the way herpetologists pick up rattlesnakes, copperheads, and even cobras. Understandably, snake handlers are the most common victims of the burrowing asp.