PHOTO VIDEO Anderson Cooper goes blind for 36 hours

Anderson Cooper spent the weekend on the coast of Portugal shooting a segment for an upcoming episode of 60 Minutes, and while the scene was beautiful, the damage it did to his eyes was not. The talk show host was left blind and in pain after contracting a severe case of sun burn on his retinas!

Earlier today, Anderson took to his Instagram account and posted a photo of himself with one eye bandaged. The caption read, “Temporarily blinded last week while on assignment. UV light bouncing off water. Much better now. Details today on #andersonlive.”

During the show, Anderson spoke of the moment in which he realized that something was wrong. “I wake up in the middle of the night and it feels like my eyes are on fire,” he explains. “It turns out I have sunburned my eyeballs and I go blind. I went blind for 36 hours. I took this picture of me after I went to the hospital.”

NBC’s chief medical editor, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, also appeared on the show. According to her, Anderson’s retinas were burned by the light on the sun reflecting off of the ocean, and while the hospital visit wasn’t completely necessary, a good pair of shades was.

“It’s a reminder that frankly everyone needs sunglasses,” she advised. And to Cooper, she added, “Fortunately for you you’re going to be fine, but it’s a real reminder.”