# What do you see when you close your eyes? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 3, 2003, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464 "2003-02-03T07:58:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![it\_sjustme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/da6949/32.png) [@it\_sjustme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/it_sjustme)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/1 "2003-02-03T07:58:13Z")
If I were to ask you to close your eyes and picture a horse running down the beach. What would you see? Me, I can’t see anything. When I close my eyes and try to see a picture, all I see is the blackness that is the insides of my eyelids. My son, however, not only can see the horse, he can zoom in on different muscle groups, see the grains of sand flying in the air as the hooves hit the sand, and he can also change angles and vantage points. It’s just like a movie for him. What’s it like for you? ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/2 "2003-02-03T08:41:27Z")
I can switch between the varying shades of brown/yellow and any vision, at will. It never occured to me that for some this was not possible. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/3 "2003-02-03T09:12:18Z")
Usually I can see spots of yellowish-brown on a black background, and when I rub my eyes I usually see something akin to the “visual” plugin used on some mp3 players, using a checkerboard pattern, sort of like moving forward at a high speed a little above a surface of rolling hills. Run on sentences? Me? Nahhh… [I just noticed I’ve passed 1000 posts. Cool.] ---
**Author:** ![Broken\_Doll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Broken\_Doll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broken_Doll)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/4 "2003-02-03T11:12:48Z")
I can usually imagine most things very clearly and vividly but every few minutes or so I will ‘black out’ - where the picture just disappears and I have to try to get it back again. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/5 "2003-02-03T13:39:30Z")
[Joe Cocker] I can’t tell you, but I know it’s _mine_ [/Joe Cocker] ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/6 "2003-02-03T14:17:29Z")
Joe Cocker? :shudder: ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/7 "2003-02-03T15:19:13Z")
Looking at the computer monitor before closing my eyes, I see a brief afterimage of what is on the screen as well as the afterimage of any other high-contrast light-colored objects within my field of vision and then it fades out. I don’t need to close my eyes to imagine any scenario, although if I do close my eyes and the room is dark I can get a better impression. As for actually seeing what I imagine, it isn’t as clear as what I would “see” in a dream. It’s sort of like having a song playing in my head. I can sort of hear it, but yet I really can’t. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/8 "2003-02-03T15:31:45Z")
I see lots of little lights and wiggly worms whizzing around. As for imagining an object, I can semi-conjure one up, but I don’t view it with my actual seeing mechanism, more my mind’s eye. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/9 "2003-02-03T15:53:05Z")
I get some visual imagery when I imagine or try to remember how things look (including colors and a sense of movement and how different parts interact) but no details and some of the shapes/relationships/proportions are rather Picasso-esque. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/10 "2003-02-03T21:46:50Z")
I could see it in my mind’s eye, but not through my physical eyes. The only things I can see when my eyes are closed are the fractals. When I close my eyes, I can usually see endless, repeating, ever changing patterns, kind of like a kaliedoscope. They come in green, pink, blue, purple, and maybe a little red or orange. The colors aren’t really colors like when I open my eyes, they’re all shades of black. But colors nonetheless. That made no sense at all. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/11 "2003-02-03T22:45:01Z")
Flying metal skulls spewing boiling blood and fire, screaming at me to kill, Kill, KILL!!! Nah, not really; if the sun is shining on my face, I see a sort of reddish orange; in a well-lit room it’s muddy brown, in the dark it’s black, with fractal-like kaleidoscopic patterns of swirling light (which I can sometimes manipulate at will). ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/12 "2003-02-03T23:29:53Z")
Nothing - a brownish red rusty color. I have real problems visualizing anything. The only time I actually see anything when I close my eyes is when I’m on lots of Vicodin and sleeping pills. And before anyone says anything, it’s under doctor’s advice - unlike most people, I can’t sleep at all when I’m on Vicodin. ---
**Author:** ![JessEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cdc98d/32.png) [@JessEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessEnigma)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/13 "2003-02-04T01:10:15Z")
I just see black. (Or perhaps more like brown, depends on the amount of light) My mental images don’t appear in front of my eyes, nor are they terribly clear unless I’m calling up something I’ve already seen several times. It’s more like a fuzzy impression than anything. I see it, but not really. I tend to picture things mostly with my emotions. That doesn’t make any sense, but that’s the only way I can describe it. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/14 "2003-02-04T01:26:33Z")
I have damned near photographic memory. I can see things just fine with my eyes closed (well, with my mind’s eye, but there’s not that much difference). Though, if I put pressure on my eyelids, I see a green circle with purple-black center. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/15 "2003-02-04T05:41:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mirror Image egamI rorriM \* > \*\*The colors aren’t really colors like when I open my eyes, they’re all shades of black. But colors nonetheless. > > That made no sense at all. \*\* It made sense to me. I gotcha ya. ---
**Author:** ![it\_sjustme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/da6949/32.png) [@it\_sjustme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/it_sjustme)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/16 "2003-02-04T16:47:38Z")
"I just see black. (Or perhaps more like brown, depends on the amount of light) My mental images don’t appear in front of my eyes, nor are they terribly clear unless I’m calling up something I’ve already seen several times. It’s more like a fuzzy impression than anything. I see it, but not really. I tend to picture things mostly with my emotions. That doesn’t make any sense, but that’s the only way I can describe it." That’s exactly the way it is for me, JessEnigma. You’re the first person I’ve ever “talked” to who’s described it that way. I can’t envision things in a literal sense, but I just kind of ‘feel’ how they look. And Troy McClure SF, thanks for posting on my thread. It was a real honor. It kinda felt like Phil came back and said hi to me!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Insecta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3da27b/32.png) [@Insecta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Insecta)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/17 "2003-02-04T22:11:13Z")
As Mirror Image also stated, I see it in my mind’s eye and not through vision. This means that I can imagine a scene with my eyes open - it just requires a little more concentration that way. Otherwise it’s pretty much the same as your son’s personal cinema - anything can be changed freely, once you put a bit of mental power behind it. I suppose it’s similar to the mechanism that fuels dreams. ---
**Author:** ![mrsface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@mrsface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrsface)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/18 "2003-02-05T03:34:49Z")
I’m with your son on this one - I can see the horse in detail, the beach, the colour of the sky, the light reflecting off the surf etc etc. It’s like watching a film, but one I can change at will. I would guess there’s a lot of memory involved in this - it feels as if my mind is putting several visual memories together and adapting them, altering the perspective as I ‘move around’ in my mind, which then triggers related memories. Isn’t this how virtual reality works? I was very interested to read the posts from people who said they saw nothing, or just a colour. I had assumed my experience was the norm (don’t we always). ---
**Author:** ![BadBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BadBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BadBaby)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/19 "2003-02-05T04:29:10Z")
Interesting; while reading, I could see the horse, in detail, running across the computer screen, like someone was projecting both at the same time. When I closed my eyes it was the same scene, but as though it were playing in a dark movie theater, no OP. Does anyone here know of Bailey White from NPR? She once read an essay of hers about seeing dancing chicken feet when she closed her eyes. IIRC she had tried for ages to see whatever her teacher wanted her to imagine, everybody else could do it, but nothing for poor Bailey until the dancing chicken feet showed up one day. She still can’t see anything but dancing chicken feet when she tries to imagine things. I wonder what it means that some people see something, and others don’t? And what about the dancing chicken feet people? ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/20 "2003-02-05T04:54:35Z")
[ul] \*\*NOT A DAMN THING![/ul] \*\* ☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464.md?page=2)