Steve Wilkos was literally BOWLED OVER during a recent taping of his talk show -- after taking a metal bowl straight to the head when a fight broke out among his guests ...

Sources connected to the show say, the former "Jerry Springer" bodyguard was hit just above the eye and temporarily lost his vision -- but ultimately, there was no serious injury.

The fight erupted at a taping this week during a segment called "My daughter tried to poison me" ... shocker.

We're told the bowl -- a prop on the set -- actually has a dent where it hit him. The bowl has since been bolted down so as to prevent future bowl-related injuries.

When will people learn: bowls aren't the answer.