Ahh, the light bulb. :lightbulb
A light bulb, in the real world, is (of course) a light source. And, like all light sources in the real world, you cannot look directly at it.
This is not the real world.
A light bulb, in computer graphics, is a prop that might have the characteristic that it "appears to emit light." In the world of Blender, that requirement is met by the Emit slider. However, as you have discovered, an object that “emits light” does not, in fact, cast any light on anything.
To achieve the i[/i] effect of “nearby objects being illuminated,” you need to create one-or-more “lamp” objects, placed on or in the light-bulb, which cast light in appropriate ways upon appropriate nearby objects.
Even though a CG lamp is “in plain view,” it cannot be seen.
Feel free to post images (here, or maybe better-yet at “blendernewbies” or “blenderartists”) for further assistance.