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An example phrase from プログレッシブ和英中辞典
目もくらむばかりの宝石の山 a dazzling heap of gems
Can ばかり here be safely replaced by ほど, くらい etc. without changing the meaning? Is this how ばかり+の (with ばかり working as a pseudo-noun here, I assume?) preceded by a predicative form works, to emphasize the predicate?
Your assumption is right. That ばかり was originally used in the form of 目もくらまんばかり, which meant "so much that you are only escaping being dazzled" → "so much that you are nearly dazzled". In that sense, it's interchangeable as you said. And, if there's a difference from ほど・くらい at all, it could be that ばかり's version is a rhetorical expression and thus, could sound more impressive.
