HACKER Q&A
📣 samstave

Does anyone else see some sort of 'vision' whe they close eyes


Does anyone else see some sort of 'vision' whe they close eyes


  👤 TrispusAttucks Accepted Answer ✓
What you're probably experiencing is Phosphene [1] or, more specifically, closed eye hallucinations / visualizations (CEV) [2]. Level 1-2 is very common. Level 3 is normal. Level 4 isn't rare but not likely for most people.

I get level 1-3 most nights. Typically a kind of lava lamp fractal experience. On occasion I get a level 4. Level 4 for me is usually like a high speed slide show of random visual memory frames from throughout the day. Almost like a snapshot low frame rate summary but played back quickly.

I hope you find these links useful and enlightening.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphene

[2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed-eye_hallucination


👤 powerbroker
If I put my palms to my closed eyes, and move my thumbs at the sides of my head, I can 'see' my thumbs as shadows against a grey background. Probably just a vestige of hand-eye coordination that my brain invents. Anyone else get this?

👤 micahdeath
I can see a blood like pulsing (reddish to gray). Never thought much of it. Doesn't bother me at night and I only notice it during the day.

Not as trippy as seeing 'static grain' or static overlay (like static from an old TV) at night in the dark - turns out that is a precursor to a migraine the next day.


👤 fourtrees
Yeah, these are really common experiences and called afterimages or one of the other terms motioned in the thread. Certain tricks like looking at a bright source of light before shutting you eyes or even meditating, in my experience, can increase their intensity.

👤 idontwantthis
I can influence patterns I see with my thoughts when I’m in the right headspace.

👤 Minor49er
What do you mean by 'vision'? Imagination? Eyelid patterns? Something else?