– What is the bright flash when you get poked in the eye?
In: 12
It’s your eye getting squished, putting pressure on the optical nerve that sends the information from Your eye to your brain.
When it gets squished it stops working correctly and your brain gets messed up signal that it interprets as that flash you “see”
What you are describing are called “Pressure phosphenes.” There is substantial variability between individuals in how pressure phosphenes are perceived. Most people will see some sort of round or arcing “circle” of light in or near the center of vision, but others see different things.
It is believed that the flashes are caused by stretching of the retina, but it’s not 100% clear exactly where the visual symptoms come from.
The user posting earlier stated it’s caused by putting pressure on the optic nerve. That’s not likely the case based on how the visual signals are transmitted from the retina to the visual cortex.
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