I once got a bit of grit in my eye that I couldn't dislodge (after DIY plasterboard work I think), it was damn annoying. After 3 days of it becoming increasingly irritating, I went to Specsavers and they washed it out free of charge, and also gave me an eye test free of charge (presumably both in the hope they could sell me expensive specs). But my eyesight was "surprisingly perfect for a 40 year old - more like that of a teenager". I guess I never grew up :-)

I only saw the effects twice - not sure where the lightning came in, but a row of 4 computers in a youth club had their soundcards fried (literally black in places). Apart from short speaker cables to little computer speakers, I'm not sure why the lightning would have gone in that way. The network cards were fine, but then they tend to have surge arrestors (spark gaps) in them. Nothing else on the computers were damaged. The other time was the network card in a computer in someone's house - that could have been the phone line, although he reckoned a small fork of the lightning came THROUGH the house and landed on the phone cable running along the hall (his computer was fairly central in the building).


On Sat, 15 Dec 2018 09:16:37 -0000, Brian Gaff wrote:

Well the answer is that it depends Normally static at home is not dangerous
as the voltage is very high but the current is low and the duration brief.
I'd expect no more damage to the eye than if it got scratched by flying
debris or whatever, and I'm sure we have all experienced that.
Obviously there are places and nerves that can be affected, and there are
lots of nerves in the finger tips and parts of the face, but generally
things get back to normal in a few hours.
Having been near two lightning strikes I can tell you its not pleasant, but
if your friend really had experienced a lightning strike directly to the
phone line the phone and her would be toast. No matter how earthed a device
is, it cannot cope with the huge current of lightning. In one case I was
standing by a building that got hit, and a split second before it happened
I felt my hair being pulled and prickled all over. No time to do or say
anything. a huge flash and a very very loud bang and I was deaf for about
five minutes with an effect like ears full of water for about another ten.
You do not want to be that close. The heat I and others felt was quite bad,
but luckily none of us were burned but there was a bloody great hole in the
roof of the warehouse just next to the door. all the computers and
electronic gear were destroyed.

The second time I was walking our dog and it hit an Electricity pylon just
by where I was standing. Same again from the sound and radiated heat, but no
static this time.
I blame the tinnitus I get on the first one myself. Not much one can do
about it though.
So your answer is as I say, it depends, but if its merely like you get off
filing cabinets, car doors, vacuum cleaner pipes earthed screws on light
switches or duvets, then its unlikely to cause permanent harm, and just be
an irritation.
Brian