24 June 2024 , 17:07
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A doctor has explained why many of us see swirling patters when we shut our eyes.
These squiggles are a completely normal occurrence, particularly for children, says health expert Dr Sermed Mezher. Taking to his Instagram page, the London-based doctor said the weird sensation could have a number of explanations, and all of them are perfectly healthy.
Dr Mezer explained: "75% of people saw these lights when going to sleep as a child. Some people describe them as colours and patterns, floating stars or planets and others as distant galaxies...
"Scientists aren't exactly sure what causes them, but there are three prevailing theories on how they might happen."
First up, Dr Mezher said 'direct mechanical stimulation', or rubbing or pressing your eyelids, could stimulate the cells which respond to light inside your retinas, causing colours and shapes to appear. He also noted: "[Another explanation is] magnetic field interference or, my personal favourite, biphotonic light."
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The latter refers to particles of light that generate inside the retina 'similar to that of a firefly' or glow-in-the-dark marine creatures.
Back in 2014, Science Line also explained the phenomenon. The article said: "A phosphene with an orderly geometric pattern like a checkerboard may have originated in a section of the retina where millions of light-collecting cells are arranged in a similarly organised pattern. Researchers have also found that different areas of the brain’s visual cortex create certain specific shapes of phosphenes."
Meanwhile, Dr Mezher suggested: "Many people also describe being scared to actually talk about it because they didn't realise that other people experience the same things or didn't have the words to quite describe what they saw...As an adult, these friendly visions become distant memories until you get a reminder."
While Dr Mezher claimed these closed-eye hallucinations often hit their peak during our formative years, a slew of Instagram users insisted they've carried on witnessing these mysterious patterns well into their adulthood. One individual posted: "What do you mean 'as a child' I still see them, and I'm 44."
Echoing this sentiment, another shared: "I still see them at 22, and I hear music too," followed by someone else questioning: "What am I missing out on? ? I do NOT remember that."
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