An anomalously strong 594.5‐nm optogalvanic effect is observed in an obstructed glow discharge in 1.0 Torr of Ne occurring between plane parallel Al electrodes separated by 1.0 cm. The absolute size of a steady‐state optogalvanic effect is characterized by a dimensionless ratio of the change in power delivered to the load resistor over the absorbed laser power. A ratio of −400 for the 594.5‐nm effect is observed in the obstructed glow discharge, while ratios of −6 are typical for the 594.5‐nm effect in the positive column discharge. The 594.5‐nm effect in the obstructed glow discharge results from a laser induced depletion of metastable atoms which play an important role in electron emission from a cold cathode.