ELI5; When you close your eyes at night you see all these colours, and when you press your eyes they become more and more vilbrant the harder you push. What are those and where do they come from?
In: Biology
Within your eye you have cells that are light-sensitive that send signals to your brain in order to create a picture. These cells are also sensitive to other stimuli (pressure), but do not know the differences between stimuli.
When you rub your eye, you activate these cells and they send information to your brain thinking that they have received light. Your brain interprets the data as if it were light, and it is because of this that you might see stars, auras, and shapes even though your eyes are closed.
These are called phosphenes.
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