Register Log In Wordsmith Talk Forums General Topics Q&A about words Palpebral phantasmagoria Search Advanced Forum Search Forums Calendar Active Threads

Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Palpebral phantasmagoria #168662 06/13/2007 8:12 AM Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 631 Hydra addict Hydra addict Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 631 When I lie in bed at night, in total darkness, and close my eyes, I see thousands of coloured dots that swarm together and form (in my case) nighmarish pareidoliac faces, chimeras and objects. What is the term for this phenomenon? It is distinct from but loosely related to muscae volitantes—the floating threads and particles in the vitreous humor (also called "eye floaters"; the perception of which is known as myodesopsia). The word phosphenes comes tantilizingly close, but this describes "an aphotopic ring or spot of light produced by pressure on the eyeball" (italics mine). Pressing against one's closed lids intensifies the photisms I am trying to describe (a witch's face is fulminated in stroboscopic lightning), but is not required to produce them (the witch's face was there to begin with). Any suggestions? Last edited by Hydra; 06/13/2007 2:44 PM. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Palpebral phantasmagoria Hydra #168669 06/13/2007 1:41 PM Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 72 Land where ne'er-do-wells rule... Curuinor journeyman Curuinor journeyman Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 72 Land where ne'er-do-wells rule... Perhaps it's phosphenes anyways, because of ambient air pressure and such? I exist! I am a pedant! I have a foreboding signature! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Palpebral phantasmagoria Curuinor #168672 06/13/2007 2:10 PM Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 631 Hydra addict Hydra addict Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 631 You know, I think you're right. Maybe it's the eyelids that put pressure on the eyeballs, producing phosphenes (or "gray figures walking between behives, or small black parrots gradually vanishing among mountain snows, or a mauve remoteness melting beyond moving masts", as Nabokov describes his in Speak, Memory). Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Palpebral phantasmagoria Hydra #168673 06/13/2007 2:29 PM Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,773 Apple Valley, CA, USA dalehileman Pooh-Bah dalehileman Pooh-Bah Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,773 Apple Valley, CA, USA Hydra: I wish I could see stuff like that dalehileman Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Palpebral phantasmagoria dalehileman #168675 06/13/2007 2:40 PM Joined: Apr 2007 Posts: 120 California Maven member Maven member Joined: Apr 2007 Posts: 120 California Interesting but potentially unrelated--the same phenomenon is more common in people who suffer from migraines. tempus edax rerum Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Palpebral phantasmagoria Maven #168676 06/13/2007 2:43 PM Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 631 Hydra addict Hydra addict Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 631 And synesthetes. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Palpebral phantasmagoria dalehileman #168677 06/13/2007 2:49 PM Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 631 Hydra addict Hydra addict Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 631 Quote: Hydra: I wish I could see stuff like that At night, in the dark, apply gentle pressure to your closed eyelids with your fingers—holding them very still. Slowly increase and decrease pressure, and you will probably see strange stuff (green and blue lightning, wheeling geometric spirals, polyhedra skeletons flashing pink, and so on). Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Palpebral phantasmagoria Hydra #168683 06/13/2007 4:00 PM Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 557 Dallas, TX Myridon addict Myridon addict Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 557 Dallas, TX Also prisoner's cinema... See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_cinema After surgery for a detached retina, I was told by my doctor that the retina and interior of the eye has no pain/tactile nerves and that odd light patterns and flashes I was experiencing at the time were indicators of pain/discomfort. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Palpebral phantasmagoria Myridon #168685 06/13/2007 5:14 PM Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 631 Hydra addict Hydra addict Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 631 So it's phosphenes, after all. What do you think, tswum? Is it worthless enough? (Honorable mention is all I ask). Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Palpebral phantasmagoria Hydra #168703 06/14/2007 3:20 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Jackie Carpal Tunnel Jackie Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Em-- phos·phene (fsfn) n. A sensation of light caused by excitation of the retina by mechanical or electrical means rather than by light, as when the eyeballs are pressed through closed lids. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary, 2nd Edition Copyright © 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. What about after-image? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

Default Style BlackNTan Drab eBay GooG v2 infopop new dark new light original dark original stock rounded corners Slate snow sunny dropshadow theblues Touch Of Grey UBB.threads UBB.threads - Dark UBB.threads - Light UBBCentral UBBCentral - Crimson UBBCentral - Lime UBBCentral - Marshmallow UBBCentral - Mocha UBBCentral - Zen UBBT77 UBBT77 - Dark ubbthreads ubbthreads-dark Forum Rules · Mark All Read Contact Us · Forum Help · Wordsmith Talk