# Green maze-like images when I close my eyes

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-maze-like-images-when-i-close-my-eyes/217279>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 6, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-maze-like-images-when-i-close-my-eyes/217279 "2003-12-06T00:29:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dat\_Le](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7993a0/32.png) [@Dat\_Le](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dat_Le)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-maze-like-images-when-i-close-my-eyes/217279/1 "2003-12-06T00:29:41Z")

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When you close your eyes, and everything’s all black… try to concentrate on your eyelid. Just try to “look” at it. I see green things.

And when I swing my head and stuff, I see flashes of light on the sides. Very weird; only noticeable when dark.

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**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-maze-like-images-when-i-close-my-eyes/217279/2 "2003-12-06T01:25:12Z")

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Someone’s been watching that Paris Hilton video too much…

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**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-maze-like-images-when-i-close-my-eyes/217279/3 "2003-12-06T01:45:16Z")

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I posted a similar thread. I see lots of wacky things and I don’t do drugs! Green hazy circles and little glowing dots of red that I can make spin and such. Other people see weird things, too. Great fun!

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**Author:** ![CaptBushido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-maze-like-images-when-i-close-my-eyes/217279/4 "2003-12-06T02:04:08Z")

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I see wormy, squiggly lines and sometimes a checkered black and green patterns.

…

Man, do you _realize_ how whacked up on acid we all sound like?

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-maze-like-images-when-i-close-my-eyes/217279/5 "2003-12-06T04:21:45Z")

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They’re called _phosphenes_, and they’re the result of stimulating your eye. Some people see them by pressing on their eyelids. Just ue a search engine on that word and you’ll turn up lots of sites like this:

[http://www.mineralarts.com/artwork/phosphenes.html](http://www.mineralarts.com/artwork/phosphenes.html)

[http://www.exploratorium.edu/xref/exhibits/phosphenes.html](http://www.exploratorium.edu/xref/exhibits/phosphenes.html)

[http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/phosphenes.html](http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/phosphenes.html)