Everything felt warm, the air started to feel warm and I thought my eyes were swelling up, I put my hands against my eyes and I could feel them pushing against the palms of my hands, I thought my eyes were coming out.
Mr Patterson, who said it was the first time he was speaking publicly about his experiences, told the inquiry that he had gone into Omagh on the day of the tragedy to buy an exercise bike and get his hair cut.
Rodney Patterson told the Omagh Bombing Inquiry that he was standing around 40 feet away from the device when it exploded, devastating the centre of the Co Tyrone town.
Mr Patterson told the inquiry that he knew many people who had been killed in the tragedy.
A survivor of the Omagh bombing has said that everything that has happened in his life since 1998 has been a result of the tragedy.
