# Staring into nothingness and going temporarily blind.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staring-into-nothingness-and-going-temporarily-blind/183886>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 23, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staring-into-nothingness-and-going-temporarily-blind/183886 "2003-06-23T22:35:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staring-into-nothingness-and-going-temporarily-blind/183886/1 "2003-06-23T22:35:00Z")

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Sometimes out of boredom, I can look at a wall, with very little light in a room and if I stare at it long enough black spots will appear and eventually merge together making me completely blind, with my eyes wide open. I can usually hold it for awhile too, that is, until I move my eyes. What is that? Anyone ever do this before? Is it like my brain taking a pattern I’m focusing on and duplicating it? Weird.

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**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staring-into-nothingness-and-going-temporarily-blind/183886/2 "2003-06-24T01:38:50Z")

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It’s your brain’s screensaver 😃

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**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staring-into-nothingness-and-going-temporarily-blind/183886/3 "2003-06-24T02:19:19Z")

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Duplicate of [Staring into nothingness and going temporarily blind.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=192901)

I’ll close this one.

**DrMatrix** - GQ Moderator