A B737-400 EXPERIENCED A HARD LANDING. THE PLT TEMPORARILY LOST VISUAL REFERENCE IN A HUD/OUTSIDE LIGHT CONFLICT DURING THE LNDG FLARE.

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PRIOR TO TOP OF DSCNT WE OBTAINED THE ZZZ WX AND PLANNED FOR THE RNP 11 VIA THE ABC TRANSITION. THE ARPT WINDS AT THE TIME OF BRIEF AND SETTING OF BUGS WERE APPROX 130 DEGS 15 KTS GUSTING 22 KTS. WE BUGGED UP FOR A VREF +15 ADDITIVE FOR THE APCH AND I BRIEFED ABOUT FLYING LONG BUG VREF +20 DURING THE VISUAL PART OF THE APCH. I PLANNED THIS BECAUSE THE ROOFTOP WINDS WERE A LITTLE STRONGER THAN SURFACE WINDS. WE COMMENCED THE APCH AND WERE CONFIGURED FLAPS 30 DEGS ON VNAV/LNAV ALL THE WAY DOWN FINAL. I HAD THE HUD IN PRI MODE THROUGHOUT THE APCH SO AS TO GAIN ADVANTAGE OF THE SPD TAPE GIVING ME A QUICK VISUAL CUE OF AIRSPD CHANGES ALONG WITH THE WIND ARROW. WE EXPERIENCED LIGHT CHOP ON FINAL WITH AIRSPD FLUCTUATIONS OF ABOUT +/-5 TO 7 KTS. WE BROKE OUT ABOUT 1500 FT AND HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT. I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND AUTOTHROTTLES AND CONTINUED DOWN THE PATH USING VASI AND FLT DIRECTOR COMMANDS AS A XCHK. I FLEW LONG BUG VREF +20 DURING THE VISUAL PART OF THE APCH. THE FO MADE SINK AND SPD CALLS THROUGHOUT THE VISUAL PORTION OF THE APCH. THE RWY LIGHTS WERE ON HIGH INTENSITY AND THERE WAS LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN ON FINAL. DUE TO THE FORWARD VISIBILITY SOMEWHAT RESTR BY THE RAIN I DID NOT ASK FOR A CHANGE OF THE INTENSITY OF RWY LIGHTS. I ADJUSTED THE HUD COMBINER INTENSITY TO VERY DIM TO WHERE JUST THE WIND ARROW IN THE UPPER R CORNER WAS VISIBLE IN A DARK PART OF MY VISUAL FIELD. WE PASSED OVER THE THRESHOLD ON SPD AND ON GLIDEPATH. I APPLIED A LITTLE BACK PRESSURE JUST APCHING THE THRESHOLD (TO CHK IT) AND FELT POSITIVE RESPONSE. AS I BEGAN MY FLARE THE HUD INTENSITY IN THE COMBINER WENT TO VERY BRIGHT DUE TO THE LIGHT SENSOR BEING INFLUENCED BY THE RWY/VASI LIGHTS OUTSIDE. THIS CAUSED ME TO LOSE VISUAL REF WITH THE RWY SURFACE VERY BRIEFLY AT THE SAME TIME WE EXPERIENCED A DOWNDRAFT. AFTER REGAINING VISUAL REF WITH THE RWY SURFACE; I IMMEDIATELY INCREASED BACK PRESSURE ON YOKE AND BEGINNING OF FORWARD MOVEMENT OF THE THRUST LEVERS TO ARREST THE DSCNT RATE. THE FEELING OF THE TOUCHDOWN IN THE FLT DECK WAS VERY FIRM AND I COULD FEEL THE STRUTS COMPRESS AND THEN EXTEND. THE MAINS DID NOT LEAVE THE GND (BOUNCE) BUT COULD FEEL THE STRUTS SPRING BACK TO SOME EXTENSION. THE NOSEWHEEL WAS 'FLOWN' NORMALLY AND HAD A SOFT TOUCHDOWN. ON ROLLOUT I HEARD OVER THE PA CIRCUIT THE B FLT ATTENDANT MAKE A COMMENT TO THE PAX THAT SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED BUT WOULD FIND OUT. THIS PROMPTED US TO CALL THE FLT ATTENDANTS VIA INTERPHONE AND LET THEM KNOW ALL WAS OK WITH THE AIRPLANE AND ASKED HOW THEY WERE. THE B FLT ATTENDANT STATED OKAY BUT WOULD TALK TO US AT THE GATE. AT THE GATE I CALLED OPS TO TELL THEM WE WILL NEED MAINT FOR THE HARD LNDG. WE COMPLETED OUR SHUTDOWN CHKLIST AND I WENT OUT OF THE FLT DECK DOOR TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE PAX AND CHK WITH THE A FLT ATTENDANT. THE A FLT ATTENDANT SAID SHE WAS OK AND WAS FINE BUT MENTIONED THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE BACK WERE A LITTLE SHOOK UP. AFTER THE LAST ZZZ PAX DEPLANED (ALL SEEMED OK AND SAID THANK YOU) I WENT BACK TO CHK ON THE B AND C FLT ATTENDANTS. ON MY WAY BACK I SAW THAT THE PSU PANEL OVER SEATS XXDEF HAD COME DOWN ON THE AISLE SIDE AND TOOK NOTE. THE B FLT ATTENDANT WAS STANDING IN THE AFT GALLEY AND I ASKED IF THEY WERE OK AND I COULD SEE SHE WAS VISIBLY SHAKEN. I SAW THAT THE L2 JUMP SEAT SHE WAS SEATED IN HAD A BROKEN HINGE AND WAS ON THE FLOOR. I ASKED IF SHE WAS OK AND SHE SAID YES BUT HAD NEVER BEEN SO SCARED BEFORE. I COMFORTED HER AND THEN ASKED HOW THE C FLT ATTENDANT WAS AND SHE SAID THAT HER NECK HURT AND TOLD HER THAT I WAS GOING TO HAVE HER CHKED OUT AND THAT I WOULD BE BACK TO CHK ON THEM. I WENT FORWARD TO THE FRONT OF THE ACFT AND ADVISED THE FO THAT WE NEEDED THE MEDICS TO CHK OUT THE FLT ATTENDANTS. I THEN WENT INTO OPS AND CALLED MAINT CTL WITH 3 WRITE-UPS (ONE FOR THE HARD LNDG; ONE FOR THE BROKEN JUMP SEAT AND ONE FOR THE PSU PANEL). I CAME BACK OUT AND THE MEDICS HAD ATTENDED TO THE C FLT ATTENDANT AND THE MEDICS STATED THAT SHE HAD SORENESS AND SOME NUMBNESS IN HER NECK BUT FELT OK TO PROCEED ON THE FLT. I WANTED TO BE SURE THAT SHE WAS OK AND I WENT BACK TO TALK WITH THE B AND C FLT ATTENDANTS TO SEE HOW THEY WERE AND TO EVALUATE THEIR CONDITION FROM A CREW STANDPOINT. SHE CONFIRMED TO ME THAT SHE HAD SORENESS AND SOME NUMBNESS AND WOULD BE OK TO PERFORM HER FUNCTIONS. WE TALKED ABOUT GETTING A REPLACEMENT IF NEEDED AND SHE SAID THAT SHE WOULD BE OK. WHILE I WAS IN THE BACK OF THE ACFT I ASKED THE REMAINING PAX IF THEY WERE ALL OK AND ANSWERED ANY QUESTIONS. A MALE PAX STATED THAT HIS WIFE HAD SOME NECK SORENESS BUT THAT SHE DIDN'T WANT ANY MEDICAL TREATMENT. AFTER CONSULTING AND DISCUSSING WITH ONE ANOTHER AND BASED ON MY OBSERVATION OF THE BOTH THE B AND C FLT ATTENDANTS PRIOR TO DEP I FELT THAT THEY COULD SAFELY PERFORM THE DUTIES AS FLT CREW. MAINT MEL'ED THE JUMP SEAT; REPAIRED THE PSU AND PERFORMED THE HARD LNDG INSPECTION. MAINT PAPERWORK WAS SIGNED OFF AND THE FLT PROCEEDED WITH THE REMAINING SEGMENTS WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.