Blindness Blindness was the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or psychological factors . There were varying degrees of blindness , ranging from minor visual impairment to total loss of eye sight . Blindness often allowed for the heightening of other senses . ( TV : " Vincent and the Doctor " ; AUDIO : " Flip - Flop " ) Burning one ' s eyes , for example with taranium , could lead to such a state of blindness , ( TV : " Devil ' s Planet " ) as could , in the case of Time Lord s , prolonged exposure to the vacuum of space . The Twelfth Doctor himself became blind after walking outside in a vacuum without a helmet for too long . The Doctor ' s attempts at restoring his sight failed , leaving him unable to see at all . ( TV : " Oxygen " ) Some conditions , like cataract s , could lead someone to effectively be " practically blind " , as they could not differentiate between colour and light . King Henry VIII , for example , saw everything as a blur , even with glasses , until the Third Doctor cured his cataracts in 1539 . ( PROSE : " Hiccup in Time " ) As his visit to Ravolox was reviewed during his trial at Space Station Zenobia , the Doctor protested that it was " obvious to a blind speelsnape " that he only worked for Drathro under duress . ( TV : " The Mysterious Planet " ) Blindness in humans . During one public execution in 2nd century Rome , two blind men were both given sword s and made to fight each other . The spectators found the exhibition hilarious . ( PROSE : " The Stone Rose " ) Stevie Wonder time travel led with the Doctor and River Song to 1814 and performed for River ' s birthday . He didn ' t realise he time travelled because of his blindness . ( TV : " A Good Man Goes to War " ) In 1851 , Jacob Crackles was blinded and paralysed when C ' rizz attacked him . ( AUDIO : " Other Lives " ) Ada Gillyflower was blind from her mother , Winifred ' s , experiments with red leech poison to create an antidote from the toxins . Winifred claimed that she was blinded by her father in a drunken rage . ( TV : " The Crimson Horror " ) Parkinson was a blind vicar who lived in Shoreditch in 1963 . His blindness was caused by a German mustard gas attack at Verdun during World War I . ( PROSE : " Remembrance of the Daleks " ) He prepared a grave for the Hand of Omega at the request of the First Doctor , and later presided over the burial of the coffin containing the Hand at the request of the Seventh Doctor . He stated to the Doctor that he had noticed the Doctor ' s voice had changed since they last met , to which the Doctor replied , " Yes it has changed , several times " . ( TV : " Remembrance of the Daleks " ) On Karn , Sarah Jane Smith was temporarily blinded by a flash of power from Maren ' s ring . ( TV : " The Brain of Morbius " ) Elizabeth Rowlinson was blind until Morgaine restored her sight . ( TV : " Battlefield " ) Grace Holloway was temporarily blinded from looking into the beam that used a human retina to open the Eye of Harmony . ( TV : " Doctor Who " ) Rita - Anne Smith was blind . In 2002 she broke her neck and died when she tripped on carpet Mickey Smith forgot to fix . In a parallel universe in 2007 , Rita - Anne Smith was also blind , and after her grandson died Mickey fixed her carpet so she would not suffer the same fate as her counterpart and stayed with her , allowing her to believe he was Ricky . ( TV : " Rise of the Cybermen " ) Francine was blinded when her fighter craft was shot down during the Thousand Day War . ( PROSE : " Transit " ) Gantman was blind , but as he was curator of the Museum of Aural Antiquities , this did not affect his ability to work . ( AUDIO : " Whispers of Terror " ) In the Game Station version of " Stars in Their Eyes " , losing contestants would be blinded . ( TV : " Bad Wolf " ) Mikhail suffered from blindness in his later years . ( PROSE : " Reversal of Fortune " ) One old woman went blind because an alien insect had taken her eyes . After the Sixth Doctor killed the alien , he returned the eyes to the old woman . ( PROSE : " The Eyes Have It " ) Blindness in other species . Davros was left blind after he was crippled in a Thal attack . ( AUDIO : " Davros " , " Corruption " ) He was later able to see via a cybernetic third eye embedded in the middle of his forehead . ( TV : " Genesis of the Daleks " ) At some point , his eyes were at least physically restored , although he still relied on the cybernetic eye . ( TV : " The Witch ' s Familiar " ) Dalek s could be blinded if their eyestalk was destroyed or if the lens was covered . ( TV : " The Escape " , " Destiny of the Daleks " , " Resurrection of the Daleks " , " Revelation of the Daleks " , " Remembrance of the Daleks " , " The Parting of the Ways " ) However , by the time of the Time War , the Daleks had developed a means of protecting their eyestalks . ( TV : " The Stolen Earth " ) In 1890 , a blind Krafayis was left behind on Earth by its pack . ( TV : " Vincent and the Doctor " ) Peri Brown and Erimem met a blind Pakhar beggar on Garazone . ( AUDIO : " Nekromanteia " ) Some species were naturally blind . The Cimmerian race was totally blind and had no concept of either sight nor eyes . They accidentally blinded Orllensa , Mike Ferras and Haliard , but later healed them . ( AUDIO : " Embrace the Darkness " ) Slithergee s were also naturally blind , but compensated for this with a keen sense of smell . ( AUDIO : " Flip - Flop " ) The Masters of Dorada lost the organs for sight and hearing when they became disembodied brain s , but could still sense others ' thoughts . ( PROSE : " The Dream Masters " ) The Time Lady Solenti had been blind in her current incarnation for ninety - one years since she witnessed some catastrophic event that damaged her eyes . However , the neural pathways controlling her sight were still intact in her brain , with the result that she would regain her vision when she regenerated , although even after this was confirmed she decided to remain in her current incarnation until she absolutely had to change . ( PROSE : " The Suns of Caresh " ) The Twelfth Doctor was left blind after being exposed to the vacuum of space . ( TV : " Oxygen " ) He subsequently compensated for this by using the sonic sunglasses to transmit information directly to his mind , giving him a framework to allow himself to walk and interact with others without anyone recognising his loss of sight , the glasses presenting the Doctor with basic images of his surroundings and quick biological details of anyone around him . ( TV : " Extremis " ) His eyesight was eventually restored by the Monks when Bill Potts made a deal with them to restore the Doctor ' s vision in exchange for surrendering Earth to them when the Doctor was trapped in a lab with an explosive and could only escape if he could see the locking mechanism . ( TV : " The Pyramid at the End of the World " )