I think we all know that moment when we rub our eyes and suddenly, certain patterns and colors appear. How do these happen and does it have any effect on our eyes?
In: Biology
When you rub your eyes, you’re putting gentle pressure on them. Inside your eyes, there are special cells called photoreceptors that help you see things. When you press on your eyes, it can kind of squeeze these cells a bit, and they might send funny signals to your brain. These signals can make you see colors and shapes that aren’t really there.
Your eye is like a water ballon in a sense, and your “vision/sight receptors” are on the back inner wall, and light comes in through your cornea (lens) and through the liquid filling your eyes and hits that back wall and that’s what is converted to signals to your brain to give you “sight”.
When you rub your eyes you are putting pressure on the eyes, and the shape of it deforms temporarily and moves and the liquid inside moves with that pressure and this pushes on the receptors and so some slight false signals get sent to your brain and you “see” weird shapes and colors and blotches. Those things don’t exist obviously, it’s just fucked up signals to your brain and your brain misinterpreting them.
As long as you dont damage your eye with the rubbing, it’s temporary and shortly your eye returns to normal. And safely rubbing your eyes can feel good!
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