07 Dec What is happening when you press on or rub your closed eyes and begin to see colors and patterns?
What you are “seeing” are called “phosphenes.
The retina is analogous to film in a camera, located at the very back of the eye. Its nerve cells (photoreceptors and others) can only appreciate a stimulus in one way: by “seeing” light of various wavelengths and intensity. So rubbing your closed eyes creates pressure on many of the retinal nerve cells that is perceived as patterns of light and color.
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