Lightning Medical Information

The short-term medical impacts of lightning can include light skin burns, concussive injury, temporary deafness, and even temporary flash blindness for nearby lightning strikes. Long-term medical impacts are mostly neurological. While the range and intensity of symptoms can vary widely, some of the most common symptoms include pain, especially headache, chronic fatigue, memory difficulty, and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms sometimes don't appear until months after the lightning strike. Sometimes the injuries are so intense that the survivor is debilitated and can't maintain employment or previous relationships, with devastating impact on themselves, family, and friends. Unfortunately, many physicians are not well trained in lightning injuries. It is important that lightning survivors seek out proper medical care and/or learn about the medical aspects of lightning to help teach their doctors. The University of Illinois at Chicago is one source of valuable information, www.uic.edu/labs/lightninginjury It is also important for lightning survivors to seek support from other survivors. The Lightning Strike Electric Shock Survivors International provides valuable support group services to lightning survivors,
www.lightning-strike.org.