Have you ever wondered about those strange floating shapes you sometimes see when you close your eyes?
Small spots of tissue, a collection of proteins and red blood cells. Some vision problems can be caused by a medical condition. Most people experience harmless visual hallucinations when their eyes are closed, which are a result of normal eye function.
They are called “phosphenes” and are light sensations that people experience when there is actually no light to cause them. “Our eyes don't turn off in the dark, but instead create very weak internal signals that mimic light.
"These signals are constantly generated by cells at the back of your eyes," explains expert Katrina Schmid.
The waves we see are caused by changes in the activity of these cells. The dots can appear colored because the cells in your eyes that detect color also show this activity. These signals are transmitted to the brain, and the brain interprets them as random activity.
Your brain doesn't know they're not produced by real light, so we think we're seeing colored lights and patterns that aren't there. It's an illusion. Although they occur in healthy people, they can also be a sign of a retinal problem, such as a retinal detachment, neurological disease, or a sign that you've simply been rubbing your eyes too much.
You can cause phosphenes if you accidentally press lightly on the eyeball. If what you see has changed and the light patterns become much more noticeable or last longer then there is a problem.
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