# I just know they have a name! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 2, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-know-they-have-a-name/257894 "2004-08-02T01:08:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sachiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@sachiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachiel)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-know-they-have-a-name/257894/1 "2004-08-02T01:08:30Z")
Hi everybody. I was wondering what those little dots are that you see after a bright light, particularly when someone takes your picture. I think I remember hearing a name for them somewhere, but I can’t think of what that could be. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-know-they-have-a-name/257894/2 "2004-08-02T01:22:45Z")
> **[Definition of PHOSPHENE](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phosphenes)** > > an impression of light that occurs without light entering the eye and is usually caused by stimulation of the retina (as by pressure on the eyeball when the lid is closed) or by excitation of neurons in the visual system (as by transcranial magnetic... Entry: phos·phene Pronunciation: 'fäs-"fEn Function: noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary phos- + Greek phainein to show – more at FANCY : a luminous impression due to excitation of the retina ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-know-they-have-a-name/257894/3 "2004-08-02T01:31:17Z")
> [@Earl Snake-Hips Tucker](#): > > Entry: phos·phene No. Phosphenes are due to to mechanical, electrical or other nonoptical stimulation of the retina. They’re what you see when you close your eyes and press on the eyeballs, for example. What the OP is asking about are called afterimages. ---
**Author:** ![sachiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@sachiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachiel)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-know-they-have-a-name/257894/4 "2004-08-02T01:50:30Z")
After I finished the question I thought it was something like “orab,” or pronounced like that, anyway. Has anyone heard of anything like that? Maybe it’s something else entirely? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-know-they-have-a-name/257894/5 "2004-08-02T01:57:43Z")
> [@sachiel](#): > > After I finished the question I thought it was something like “orab,” or pronounced like that, anyway. Has anyone heard of anything like that? Maybe it’s something else entirely? If you’re thinking of the term “orb”, it refers to a bright round spot in photographs. They are an artifact of bright light, either from the sun or a flash combining with various lens defects, internal lens reflections or dust and other particulate matter close to the lens. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-know-they-have-a-name/257894/6 "2004-08-02T03:26:35Z")
In eye care they are called spots, floaters and flashes. A good discussion is [here](http://www.vision1to1.com/EN/HomePage.asp?BGColor=2&Category=8&Article=87) . ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-know-they-have-a-name/257894/7 "2004-08-02T03:33:55Z")
> [@sachiel](#): > > After I finished the question I thought it was something like “orab,” or pronounced like that, anyway. Has anyone heard of anything like that? Maybe it’s something else entirely? Maybe you heard someone call the afterimages [orbicular](http://machaut.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/WEBSTER.sh?WORD=orbicular), i.e. round.