• Question: If you close your eyes, there is a very faint but noticeable flickering 'random light mess'. Is this simply 'damage' that has accumulated over the years, or is it some kind of brain activity? Can people who are blind also see this?

    Asked by sammieblues to David, Luna, Mark, Melanie, Probash on 22 Mar 2011 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Luna Munoz

      Luna Munoz answered on 21 Mar 2011:

      If you close your eyes tightly you can see light and this is the activity of the nerve coming out of your eye and into your brain. You can see this effect when you gently press on the eye – it puts slight pressure on the optic nerve. As long as the optic nerve is not damaged, then others who are blind can see this.

    • Photo: David Pyle

      David Pyle answered on 21 Mar 2011:

      I wish I’d taken more biology, but I won’t pretend, so this is another one that I can’t answer.

    • Photo: Melanie Stefan

      Melanie Stefan answered on 22 Mar 2011:

      I’m not entirely sure I know what you mean, but I think I do. So, what it is is light filtering through your eyelids (they are not completely “light-tight”) For instance, you will notice that it looks different in a dark room than outside on a sunny day. Some blind people are able to perceive light to some extent, so they would be able to see it. It really depends on the type of blindness.

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