Relief depicting blindfolded women, limestone, el-Amarna, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, about 1340 BC.

 Another object associated with the experience of blind and partially sighted people in ancient Egypt, is a limestone stela belonging to Neferabu. Probably erected as an offering at Thebes and dating to 1292 to 1189 BC, the stela petitions the god Ptah for restored vision. In it, Neferabu confesses that he swore falsely by the god and that his punishment was 'to see darkness in the daytime'. Neferabu petitions for Ptah's mercy and for his vision to be restored. While some scholars suggest this 'blindness' was metaphorical, if actual, the stela and several others like it suggest that it was believed visual impairment could be inflicted as a form of punishment by the gods and that the divine could provide healing. We know from Neferabu's tomb that he was an artisan who most likely worked in tombs, so sight loss would have impeded his ability to do this work and might have been an occupational hazard.