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The retina is the layer of light-sensitive cells at the back of the eyeball it records stimuli and transmits impulses through the optic nerve to the brain, which compiles them into a visual image. In the same way, our retinas remain fully functional even with our eyes closed. It’s still recording and storing away minutes and hours of data - it’s just not very interesting data. You can think of your visual system, when your eyes are closed, like a recording camera with the lens cap on. It can change shades of gray, and it can be interrupted by phosphenes. For instance, the black ink of text might appear darker than eigengrau because the whiteness of the page provides the contrast the eyes need to understand black.īut eigengrau is not a static color. This is because light provides the contrast necessary to perceive darker-ness. Eigengrau is a German term that roughly translates to ‘intrinsic gray’ or ‘own gray.’ When deprived of light - as in when our eyes are closed, or when we are in darkness with our eyes open - we are unable to perceive true blackness, and rather, perceive eigengrau. The color black is often referred to as the absence of light, but when it comes to the human visual system, eigengrau is the color perceived in the absence of light. Let’s start with the almost-black background. It’s a phenomenon called phosphene, and it boils down to this: Our visual system - eyes and brains - don’t shut off when denied light. If what you’re seeing has drastically changed, or you’re worried about what you’re seeing, it’s best to visit your eye care provider, a doctor or an optometrist.Welcome back! What’s the first thing you saw? Most people see splashes of colors and flashes of light on a not-quite-jet-black background when their eyes are closed. High pressure inside your eyeballs can also cause phosphenes. If what you’re seeing has changed, and the patterns of light become much more noticeable or hang around for longer, it could indicate a problem.įor example, bright flashing can be caused by a detached retina, which is where your retina partially comes away from the back of your eyeball, and which needs to be treated as an emergency.Īlso, some people get a “visual aura” when they have a particular kind of headache called a migraine. However, much more obvious phosphenes can occur in some eye diseases. Some people notice them, and some do not. It’s just part of the way your eyes work. Seeing colours when you close your eyes is totally normal. Shutterstock Is there something wrong with us? This is caused by the extra pressure on the cells that detect light. You might notice different colours when you’re gently rubbing your eyes. It can tug on your eyes’ light detectors and causes you to see a flash of light. This fluid can move around a bit when the eye is moved quickly. As we get older, the clear jelly in the back section of the eye gets more watery. Some people notice flashes of light when they move their eyes quickly, particularly if they’ve gotten up in the middle of the night in a dark room. You might see a dark circle surrounded by a ring of light where you have pushed on your eye. This force can then create the phosphenes we’ve spoken about. This is because pushing (softly!) on your eyeballs causes physical force to be applied to the light detectors at the back of your eyes. You might also see colours when you rub your eyes. It’s a kind of illusion! And what about when you rub your eyes? Your brain doesn’t know they weren’t produced by real light, so we think we’re seeing coloured lights and patterns that are not there. These signals are transmitted to the brain, and the brain interprets this random activity. The blobs may be coloured because the cells in your eyes that detect colour also show this activity. The swirls and waves we see are made by changes in activity from these cells. These signals are constantly being made by the cells at the back of your eyes. Our eyes don’t turn off in the dark, but instead they create very weak internal signals that mimic light. These phosphenes are a normal part of how our eyes work. The retina is the layer that lines the inside of the back of your eye that detects light. They can start in the eye or the brain, but the ones you are talking about are usually due to the normal functioning of the retina.
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These perceptions are what scientists call “ phosphenes” - the sensation of light that’s not actually caused by light. You can also see these with your eyes open, particularly when you’ve been in the dark for a while, maybe when you have woken up in the middle of the night (if there isn’t too much stray light coming in from the window or elsewhere). An artistic depiction of the patterns and colours we sometimes see at night.