Blind dates are getting a new meaning at fund-raising galas across the country.

A charity that finances eye research has started holding its fund-raising dinners completely in the dark.

Blind or visually impaired volunteers serve as waiters at the events; plastic runners, ropes, and stanchions placed at regular intervals help waiters find their way.

Diners cope with the challenge of eating in different ways — some get nervous, others laugh, and a lot of food and silverware ends up falling in places they were not intended to land.

The events — called Dining in the Dark– are run by the Foundation Fighting Blindness. The first dinner was held in Irvine, Calif., where 380 people attended and $415,.000 was raised after expenses. The event will now be held in six cities nationwide; the next one is in San Francisco on April 15.

While the events are designed to raise money, the awareness they raise among donors might be just as important.

Jennifer Lucas, the foundation’s event manager says even eye doctors who attend the dinners have been surprised at the challenge of eating an entire dinner with no light. “They treat patients every day but had no idea what [blindness] is like, “ she says.

Here is a video from a recent event: