# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**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 5, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/21 "2003-02-05T06:21:35Z")
Not only do I not “see dead people”, I don’t see a damn thing! Thanks BadBaby! That dancing chicken feet story gave me the feeling of peace and closure about seeing nothing but black when I close my eyes and try to picture things, that I’ve been searching for all my life! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/22 "2003-02-05T09:13:00Z")
I can keep zooming in and zooming in. See how the neurons fire, the muscle cells move, the molecules interacting with each other, and so forth. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/23 "2003-02-05T19:23:59Z")
When concentrating on the image described by the OP, I can “see” any element or angle that I want, in as much detail as I want. If my eyes are open, I can also see my office; if they’re closed, I see swirling patterns of blue light on a red background. Neither conflicts with the horse image. I also have distinct impressions of a chill, wet breeze, the odors of salt and seaweed, and kind of scrunchy-sounding hoofbeats. I didn’t try for those, they just showed up along with the image. Now my toes itch from the imaginary sand in my socks. ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/24 "2003-02-05T19:59:24Z")
With my physical eyes I see flashy colors and fractals when my lids are closed, but in my minds eye I can see anything in full color, full detail, just a little bit…fuzzy? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/25 "2003-02-06T05:44:57Z")
I agree with the people who have said it’s the “mind’s eye” when imagining something, not actually seeing it on one’s eyelids. When I close my eyes I see, depending on the light, anything from yellow to grayish peach (which is a really unattractive shade, I might add). My imaginings have nothing to do with my eyes, though. The horse is white, btw. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/26 "2003-02-06T09:01:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bongmaster \* > \*\*With my physical eyes I see flashy colors and fractals when my lids are closed, but in my minds eye I can see anything in full color, full detail, just a little bit…fuzzy? \*\* I kind of get the same (see above). I can’t remember, but I think I didn’t used to before I did mushrooms. Looking at your username, I wonder if you have also partaken of pyschotropics, and whether or not you remember if they’ve always been there, or only after messin’ wit your head? ---
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/27 "2026-05-20T15:12:11Z")
I was going to start a thread on this very topic, but then I saw this very old existing one. When I go to bed at night I consciously pay attention to my “field of view”. Mostly I see black, or various intensities of black. But often I see violet patches, somewhat like northern lights. changing shape and mo0viong around. Rarely, these patches are green or red. Sometimes I see single or multiple points of white light. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/28 "2026-05-20T15:15:03Z")
> [@jebert](#): > > But often I see violet patches, somewhat like northern lights. changing shape and mo0viong around. Localized entirely within your field of vision?! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/29 "2026-05-20T15:19:20Z")
With me, I often see a yellow or purple patch around the center of my field of vision, shaped like a donut. Because of its often yellow color, I’m reminded of a slice of pineapple with a hole in the center. It usually ripples and changes intensity, slowly. Recently, I started taking glimepiride for Type 2 Diabetes, and it’s resulted in occasional low-blood-sugar events. At the onset of one of these events, this Eyes-Closed Central Pineapple Slice will become a lot more prominent. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/30 "2026-05-20T15:26:13Z")
It’s sort of two questions: how vivid are images in your mind’s eye and how does closing your (actual) eyes affect it? For me; I have pretty poor visualization. I can see a horse on a beach but it’s pretty static and without much detail. When the OP mentioned sand being kicked up, that was added to the image but is now a static part of it too. Closing my eyes makes no difference to how vivid this image is for me. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/31 "2026-05-20T19:34:17Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Closing my eyes makes no difference to how vivid this image is for me. Same. I’m another person who can visualize things in detail, but it’s not really _seeing_ as such. Dreams can get a lot more vivid. I recall once convincing myself I wasn’t dreaming by looking closely at things and deciding that they looked too real to be a dream. Then I woke up. With my eyes closed I see black with a dim background like colorless faintly glowing clouds. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/32 "2026-05-20T19:50:51Z")
I see sadness and despair. Not really. I see very colorful splashes. I tend to clench my eyes a bit. So I think it’s pressure. ---
**Author:** ![Petek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/petek/32/1590_2.png) [@Petek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petek)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464/33 "2026-05-20T21:56:59Z")
The inability to visual mental images (in whole or in part) is called [aphantasia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphantasia). I recently learned that I have this condition. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-see-when-you-close-your-eyes/152464.md?page=1)