diff --git a/overviewer_core/src/rendermode-cave.c b/overviewer_core/src/rendermode-cave.c
index 0b87377..61469cd 100644
--- a/overviewer_core/src/rendermode-cave.c
+++ b/overviewer_core/src/rendermode-cave.c
@@ -79,6 +79,59 @@ touches_light(unsigned int x, unsigned int y, unsigned int z,
     return 0;
 }
 
+static inline int
+rendermode_cave_adjacent_occluded(void *data, RenderState *state, int x, int y, int z) {
+    /* check for occlusion of edge blocks, using adjacent block data */
+    
+    if (z != 127) {
+        if ( (x == 0) && (y != 15) ) {
+            if (state->left_blocks != Py_None) {
+                if (!is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->left_blocks, 15, y, z)) &&
+                    !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y, z+1)) &&
+                    !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y+1, z))) {
+                    return 1;
+                }
+            } else {
+                return 1;
+            }
+        }
+    
+        if ( (x != 0) && (y == 15) ) {
+            if (state->right_blocks != Py_None) {
+                if (!is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x-1, y, z)) &&
+                    !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->right_blocks, x, 0, z)) &&
+                    !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y, z+1))) {
+                    return 1;
+                }
+            } else {
+                return 1;
+            }
+        }
+    
+        if ( (x == 0) && (y == 15) ) {
+            if ((state->left_blocks != Py_None) &&
+                (state->right_blocks != Py_None)) {
+                if (!is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->left_blocks, 15, y, z)) &&
+                    !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->right_blocks, x, 0, z)) &&
+                    !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y, z+1))) {
+                    return 1;
+                }
+            } else {
+                return 1;
+            }
+        }
+    
+        if ( (x != 0) && (y != 15) &&
+             !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x-1, y, z)) &&
+             !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y, z+1)) &&
+             !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y+1, z))) {
+            return 1;
+        }
+    }
+    
+    return 0;
+}
+
 static int
 rendermode_cave_occluded(void *data, RenderState *state, int x, int y, int z) { 
     /* first, check to see if it's "normally" occluded */
@@ -87,52 +140,7 @@ rendermode_cave_occluded(void *data, RenderState *state, int x, int y, int z) {
 
     /* check for normal occlusion */
     /* use ajacent chunks, if not you get blocks spreaded in chunk edges */
-    if ( (x == 0) && (y != 15) ) {
-        if (state->left_blocks != Py_None) {
-            if (!is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->left_blocks, 15, y, z)) &&
-                !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y, z+1)) &&
-                !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y+1, z))) {
-                return 1;
-            }
-        } else {
-            return 1;
-        }
-    }
-    
-    if ( (x != 0) && (y == 15) ) {
-        if (state->right_blocks != Py_None) {
-            if (!is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x-1, y, z)) &&
-                !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->right_blocks, x, 0, z)) &&
-                !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y, z+1))) {
-                return 1;
-            }
-        } else {
-            return 1;
-        }
-    }
-    
-    if ( (x == 0) && (y == 15) ) {
-        if ((state->left_blocks != Py_None) &&
-            (state->right_blocks != Py_None)) {
-            if (!is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->left_blocks, 15, y, z)) &&
-                !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->right_blocks, x, 0, z)) &&
-                !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y, z+1))) {
-                return 1;
-            }
-        } else {
-            return 1;
-        }
-    }
-    
-    if ( (x != 0) && (y != 15) &&
-         !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x-1, y, z)) &&
-         !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y, z+1)) &&
-         !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y+1, z))) {
-        return 1;
-    }
-    
-    /* guess we're not occluded */
-    return 0;
+    return rendermode_cave_adjacent_occluded(data, state, x, y, z);
 }
 
 static int
@@ -179,6 +187,23 @@ rendermode_cave_hidden(void *data, RenderState *state, int x, int y, int z) {
         }
     }
     
+    /* unfortunate side-effect of lit cave mode: we need to count occluded
+     * blocks as hidden for the lighting to look right, since technically our
+     * hiding depends on occlusion as well
+     *
+     * We leave out this check otherwise because it's fairly expensive.
+     */
+    if (self->lighting) {
+        if ( (x != 0) && (y != 15) && (z != 127) &&
+             !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x-1, y, z)) &&
+             !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y, z+1)) &&
+             !is_transparent(getArrayByte3D(state->blocks, x, y+1, z))) {
+            return 1;
+        }
+        
+        return rendermode_cave_adjacent_occluded(data, state, x, y, z);
+    }
+    
     return 0;
 }
 
@@ -204,7 +229,13 @@ rendermode_cave_start(void *data, RenderState *state, PyObject *options) {
     self->lighting = 0;
     if (!render_mode_parse_option(options, "lighting", "i", &(self->lighting)))
         return 1;
-
+    
+    if (self->lighting)
+    {
+        /* we can't skip lighting the sides in cave mode, it looks too weird */
+        self->parent.skip_sides = 0;
+    }
+    
     /* if there's skylight we are in the surface! */
     self->skylight = PyObject_GetAttrString(state->self, "skylight");
     self->left_skylight = PyObject_GetAttrString(state->self, "left_skylight");
diff --git a/overviewer_core/src/rendermode-lighting.c b/overviewer_core/src/rendermode-lighting.c
index 9897d6e..7fa6c24 100644
--- a/overviewer_core/src/rendermode-lighting.c
+++ b/overviewer_core/src/rendermode-lighting.c
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ do_shading_with_mask(RenderModeLighting *self, RenderState *state,
             /* this face isn't visible, so don't draw anything */
             return;
         }
-    } else if ((x == -1) && (state->left_blocks != Py_None)) {
+    } else if (self->skip_sides && (x == -1) && (state->left_blocks != Py_None)) {
         unsigned char block = getArrayByte3D(state->left_blocks, 15, state->y, state->z);
         if (!is_transparent(block)) {
             /* the same thing but for adjacent chunks, this solves an
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ do_shading_with_mask(RenderModeLighting *self, RenderState *state,
                tessellate-able */
                return;
            }
-    } else if ((y == 16) && (state->right_blocks != Py_None)) {
+    } else if (self->skip_sides && (y == 16) && (state->right_blocks != Py_None)) {
         unsigned char block = getArrayByte3D(state->right_blocks, state->x, 0, state->z);
         if (!is_transparent(block)) {
             /* the same thing but for adjacent chunks, this solves an
@@ -256,6 +256,9 @@ rendermode_lighting_start(void *data, RenderState *state, PyObject *options) {
         return ret;
     
     self = (RenderModeLighting *)data;
+    
+    /* skip sides by default */
+    self->skip_sides = 1;
 
     self->shade_strength = 1.0;
     if (!render_mode_parse_option(options, "shade_strength", "f", &(self->shade_strength)))
diff --git a/overviewer_core/src/rendermodes.h b/overviewer_core/src/rendermodes.h
index ab257e2..a59fe0b 100644
--- a/overviewer_core/src/rendermodes.h
+++ b/overviewer_core/src/rendermodes.h
@@ -170,6 +170,11 @@ typedef struct {
        arguments are skylight, blocklight */
     float (*calculate_darkness)(unsigned char, unsigned char);
     
+    /* can be set to 0 in derived modes to indicate that lighting the chunk
+     * sides is actually important. Right now, this is used in cave mode
+     */
+    int skip_sides;
+    
     float shade_strength;
 } RenderModeLighting;
 extern RenderModeInterface rendermode_lighting;