TED Health What are those colors you see when you rub your eyes? | Paul CJ Taylor
Apr 15, 2025
Ever wondered what you see when you rub your eyes? Dive into the intriguing world of afterimages and visual illusions. Discover how Isaac Newton paved the way for understanding these phenomena in the 1600s. Learn about the role of photoreceptors in our retinas and how they create colors that aren't really there. This fascinating exploration reveals the complexities of how our brains interpret visual stimuli, turning the mundane into the extraordinary.
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Afterimage Formation
- Afterimages are visual illusions formed after looking at bright lights.
- Photoreceptors in the retina convert light into signals, and their bleaching and regeneration play a role in afterimage formation.
Positive and Negative Afterimages
- Positive afterimages are brief bright patterns seen after closing your eyes after exposure to bright light.
- Negative afterimages involve swapped colors, with original colors replaced by their complements, like blue with yellow.
Pressure Phosphenes
- Pressure phosphenes are lights and colors seen when rubbing or applying pressure to the eyes.
- Newton believed this was due to retinal bending, and current theories suggest it involves stretching neurons and triggering photoreceptors.