Darting specks of light in my vision - know what they are?

[Di13]

OKay here is what it says on the link:

This week's experiment is something that I first noticed as a child. You may have noticed it yourself. Part of the fun of science is taking something that you notice yourself and finding out what causes it. For this experiment, you will need: a clear, blue sky If you don't have a blue sky available, you can try using a sheet of blue paper. Other colors will work, but blue seems to work better. It works best of all with a blue sky, preferably while you are digging for fossils, bird watching, or other similar activities.

 

Stare at the blue sky and let your eyes go a little out of focus. As you look at the sky, you will notice that you begin see tiny spots moving around. As you watch them, you should notice that they seem to be following pathways instead of just moving around randomly. The more you watch them, the easier it is to see these pathways and the patterns of their movement.

 

What are you actually seeing? Are these UFO's? Some strange kind of bird migrations? No, the spots you are seeing are actually inside your eyes. You are seeing white blood cells moving through the blood vessels at the back of your eye. At the back of your eye is your retina. This contains the light sensitive cells that let you see. Tiny blood vessels bring nutrients and oxygen to the cells of the retina. Normally you don't see these vessels, but when you are staring at the blue sky there is nothing else for your eyes to focus on. You don't see the smaller red blood cells, but the white cells are large enough for you to see. The pathways that they are following are the tiny vessels that carry your blood. Some medical researchers are using this as a way to do quick, easy white cell counts for patients with immune system problems. Patients can learn to compare the number of spots that they see with charts, to estimate their white cell count. This helps them avoid taking frequent blood samples. As someone that has a phobia about needles, this sounds like a wonderful idea to me.

This was taken from http://www.aboutchildrenshealth.com

[Clayton2005]

Yeah..

 

I thought I had actually found the answer for a second there. If you are interested in listening to an under grads lighting conclusion which ...oh my... is very professional sounding then read the following

 

Submitted by Angela, an undergraduate student from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Kris, from Chevy Chase, Maryland

 

What are the moving spots I see when I look at a clear, blue sky? Why do I see a "ghost" image after I look at a bright flash of light?

 

 

 

Provided by Jennifer F. Linden, postdoctoral fellow, University of California–San Francisco (former HHMI predoctoral fellow)

 

Moving Spots

The retina in humans (and all other vertebrates) is actually "upside down"—that is, the photoreceptors are at the back of the retina, and the blood vessels, at the front. (Interestingly, the retina in invertebrates, such as the octopus, is similar in structure but "right-side up.") Therefore, light reaching your photoreceptors has to travel through your blood vessels (and a couple more layers of neurons) first. You might think that this should mean that you would see your blood vessels and other retinal neurons in your vision all the time, but in fact you don't, because your photoreceptors are designed to detect changes in the visual scene.

 

Your eyes are making very small movements (jitters) all the time. Even when you think you are looking steadily at something, the image of the object is actually moving slightly on your retina so that your photoreceptors can detect it. But the blood vessels and neurons are truly fixed on the retina, so your photoreceptors adapt to the light levels filtered through them and do not respond to their image. When you are looking at a very unstructured visual scene, such as a blue sky, with nothing more strongly patterned to distract you, you can often see the white blood cells moving in your blood vessels, precisely because they are moving rather than fixed in position on your eye. Moreover, when an optometrist shines a light into your eye to check your retina, the light projects the blood vessel image onto a different set of photoreceptors in the retina. Those photoreceptors respond to the image, and you can suddenly see the network of blood vessels in your eye. Conversely, if you were to wear special goggles that corrected for the tiny jittery movements of your eyes so that an image from the outside world would be truly stabilized on your retina, the image would appear to fade away as your photoreceptors adapted to its constant presence.

 

 

A related biochemical process is involved in light adaptation, the process by which ....blarh blarh

 

 

 

OK.. me again here

(and a couple more layers of neurons) sounds interesting, funny enough I'm actually educated also and can explain anything with a little imagination, but sorry this does not quite explain it.

I will continue looking. I'm not a Shmuck.

 

PS Chevy Chase???

[Clayton2005]

OK,

 

On second thought, this is possible and it only seams reasonable that it is the cause.

I am sorry for my former attitude. I did not mean to come across as rudely as I did! The reason I was a bit cranky is because there are a few factors that don't add up. I'll just mention one such as your comment "you can often see the white blood cells moving in your blood vessels".

 

 

One reason why I have a problem with this is because what we are aware of, are brite specks that are moving randomly and are constantly visable from the time they appear until the time they dissapear (they don't head towards the sides or flow in any defined way).They are not of constant speed.

 

 

wouldn't this mean that all those vessals carring that blood would have to be arranged in a manner that resembles something like a stealo (wire scrubbing pad),

you would have hot spots everywhere or maybe even a blockage (even a pop).

 

 

I thought that blood follows specific paths...or in other words goes where and at whatever quantity and pressure that the overall resistance, or that the size and condition of the vessals will allow. so wouldn't it make sense that these paths in your retina would be fine oiled almost tree like structures and not one great short?.

 

You also go on and add "because they are moving rather than fixed in position on your eye". So are you saying that because we are not focusing our eyes at anything in particular, the photoreceptors are looking that much harder for any change in the scene that they work harder, to the degree of picking up the white cels moving in the jittery yet relative retina.??

 

I'm having troubles with this idea. The cels are bigger, dunno, maybe but THAT BIG?

Theres more than this but I will leave it here, I have to make dinner )

 

I don't expect a reply really after my last post, but I don't what people

to fob this effect or whatever it is off !!!or to discourage open-mindedness towards other explainations.

 

 

 

Clayts

[Di13]

I did read where one of those articles says the blood flows on specific pathways and we can see it if I watch the moving specks close enough. Shrug. I didn't write any of those articles as I do not have the education in the science of how our eyes work to write an educated article on the idea or theories - BUT I do know for what I personally am seeing - those articles make sense and what they describe is exactly how I see them. ) Mine do move to the side of my vision and do move in pathways and patterns. I also see them move faster when my heart rate is up and I didn't start seeing them until I read about it from someone else and *tried* to see them one day... wish I never did because since then my eyes feel it is something I want to see or focus on and I don't. I would love if anyone else could find info on it but I am confident in the answers I found being what I personally am experiencing. I think to sum it up - it more irritates me then makes me curious to see this. The more I ignore it and focus on other things, the more my eyes pay less attention and notice it less so hopefully within time (for me) my eyes will learn to just dismiss it completly. I wish you all luck in finding answers to what you are seeing! )

Di

[Dark_Xero]

Hmm...

 

Yeah, I get them to, when I look up into a blue sky, ive also noticed if you focus on them and your pulse, they seem to be in time, so i've always thought it could be the a weak amount of blood that is supplied to the eyes, but thats just an guess.

[Luxnor]

The first occurs whenever I suddenly stand up or make some kind of sudden exerted movement. I've had this for a very long time now. What happens is I start to see little golden teardropped shaped images of light appear, and then slowly fade, like fireworks all over my field of vision. They are separated from each other enough to make it an enjoyable visual feast. It lasts around a minute and then ends.

 

The second sounds a bit like Ed84c 2nd description. I just recently had surgery that required that my right eye be totally covered by a bandage. Since then, when I stare with both eyes open, then beginning with my right eye, and if I allow my focus to fade, I see wiggling worms that are in non-stop movement. It is almost like those 3D puzzles/posters; anyone remember? You stare at long enough till the image starts to come through. Except these are like 3D worms/amoeba's, God knows what they are. It quickly disappears when my eye catches something to focus in on. Also reminds me of the opening framework to the movie "From Beyond" if anyone happens to know what I'm talking about there.

[Clayton2005]

Hia Guys...me again!

 

Luxnor, that sounds like low blood pressure to me!. You should probably seek medical attention if it happens all of the time. I have this web site bookmarked and am still trying to find an exact match.

 

Can anybody out there see bright specks of light that do not follow a defined pattern of which they can concentrate on (with back and foreground distractions) until the time they dissapear. the ability to see the distance is a biggy. It is not two dimensional, it is four! fourth being time of course.

 

I'm about to give up. I have already had a hissy fit on-line (which I'm not proud of).

Think I will simply continue to monitor this page for now. GaryLeo I think has decided on the white blood cel idea. Nobody elses description comes close to what I get. So please drop a line if you do as I would like to set up a definition list male/female/age/country/onset age/race/background/work etc etc ...to get to the bottom of this for good.

 

Clayts

[Di13]

Wow I have never seen it with a black background that must be something amazing to see. I understand your frustration Clayton. Clayton are you referring to visual snow at all maybe?

[Clayton2005]

Hi Di13.

 

Black?

No, not mentioned!

 

Snow?

 

OK

 

 

clayts

[HaifanK]

Kind of new here, found this thread while searching the web. At any rate, I know exactly what your guys were talking about. I first noticed it while I was watching the florencent light in my room. Then I started noticing them in the sky as well. What I found was it appears only when I am either unfocused or looking at something bright. The lights seem to be fixed in your eye rather than outside image, so if I move my head they will follow my head's movement. It is kind of hard to see their general pattern, I only managed to follow a small area of those lights and see most of them go in a certain direction. (kind of like lights from point A will almost always go to point B).

 

I believed this is called "'entopic phenomenon" I think everyone gets it, it is just most people ignored it for the majority of time and when they finally started noticing it, they will think something is wrong. I also did a search on google and some says this may actually be an indication of normal rectina function.

 

I think the most noticable difference between this and seeing "flashes of light" from sneezing and hit on the head is that for those flashes of light, the light appears to be following a straight pattern, where as the light in the entopic phenomenon seems to wiggle and curves from point to point.

[Clayton2005]

Anybody game?

 

 

Name Clayton

 

lights are specks yes

lights are all the same size yes

lights are globs yes

lights are erratic yes

lights have pattern no

Appear/dissapear yes

Prior/current eye condition Good 20/20

Sex M

Age & onset 29 & 22

Race Cauc

Rural/Urban <14yr R >=14 U

Work involve magnetic flds yes

Other conditions/notes Typ1 Diab

 

 

just cut and paste, then change answers. Could be good for a laugh if nothing

else. or add some of your own ideas (so long as none are erased)

[beautyundone]

i've never experienced that.

 

however, at times when i stand up suddenly or make a large movement, much like what luxnor was talking about, i "black out"... my vision starts getting fuzzy and black dots appear everywhere and then everything is completely black before clearing back up again. very odd sensation

[Clayton2005]

Yes,

 

once again I am surprised by the amount of people out there that could have a serious medical problem and who refer to internet forums for an answer..when you stand up, you have less blood pressure (less than normal) to your brain you see dark spots, have light headedness and probably a fealing of fuzzy warmth in your head. GO SEE YOUR DOC.

 

I am serious about this other condition and managed to leave out a very important question

 

 

Natural light (or) electrical generated radiation?

Inside (or) outside

 

 

and sorry for the glob thing, it was underhanded!

[arkain101]

These specks of light MUST be white blood cells.

 

I remember the day when I first noticed them. I was partying with friends then within an hour I was knocked on my arse sick as a dog, unable to swollow and in extreme discomfort and pain. Hour later I was having breathing difficults from the swelling. I happened to go outside and look at the sky and within seconds I noticed thousands of small speckles moving around in my vision. My first thought was it was the virus in my eye liquid or somthing like that. I then paid more attention to it and eventually that was all I could see. These dots were covering 80% of my vision, where as the sky was in behind. The dots were actually sticking onto other dots and it looked violent and like battle. I actually thought maybe it was my body attacking the virus. I then reasearched about it on the web later on when the sickness was long past and discovered the science behind it and the fact that you are seeing the white blood cells travel through the vessels because they are moving. It all seems to make sense that I was watching my body's cells attack this virus that had taken over my body.

 

Since that time when I first noticed them I had always been aware of them and noticed them on very many ocassions. I was worried I was still sick with floating bugs in my eyes. but It apears now that I have solved that mystery because I feel healthy and they are still there.

I notice they do appear at different depths and apear to follow paths and can apear to moving towards and away from you. It would seem to me that only the vessles close enough to the photorecepters in your eyes would be able to cause enough excitement/disturbance on the incoming light to be picked up, which is why they dissapear and appear.. when they travel away or get blocked by other tissues.

They also pulse with the same resemblance as your heart rate.. where as I can normally feel my heart and blood pressure throbbing through my body it is easy to make this connection.

I am convinced this floating eye lights mystery is solved and can actually be used as a technique to check your health situation on demand!! which is very cool.

[Di13]

Okay I finally found the name for it guys.

I also found this snipit:

 

The Entopic phenomenon or (Scheerer's phenomenon) is when you one can actually visualise blood flow through the retinal blood vessels. We all have the potential to see the blood flow but most of us are able to ignore this. Some people may become suddenly aware of this and this sudden awareness may lead to the idea that there is a problem with the eyes, when actually there is not. This moving dots effect are actually leukocytes, or white blood cells (WBC), which move along through the blood-filled capillaries.

There are many capillaries on the retina which have the shape of a snake, a sine-wave, and when a leukocyte travels through that channel, it executes a sinusoidal "wiggle" motion. The capillaries are said to be normally invisible because they are full of hemocytes (red blood cells), and these hemocytes are too close to each other, and too far away from the retina to create individual moving shadows. Therefore, like the capillaries themselves, our retinas "edit" the blood cells out the view perceived by our brains. On the other hand, the leukocytes (White blood cells) are large, and they act like gaps in the columns of blood which fill the capillaries. These "moving holes" in the blood are made visible whenever we stare at a uniformly illuminated surface.

The entopic phenomenon can be seen especially observed when looking at a bright blue sky. Small, rapid pin-point sparks of light can be seen darting about in the central vision. Some people may think that these sparks are floaters. In reality, they represent white blood cells moving through the blood capillaries of the retina. This is a normal finding, and actually may indicate normal retinal function.

It is also called Blue field entopic phenomena too.. here is some more found info:

The blue field entoptic phenomenon or Scheerer's phenomenon is the appearance of tiny bright dots moving quickly along squiggly lines in the visual field, especially when looking into blue light (such as the sky). These dots are due to the white blood cells that move in the capillaries in front of the retina of the eye, near the macula. The dots move somewhat in sync with the heart beat.

[Igor Suman]

http://www.hhmi.org/cgi-bin/askascientist/highlight.pl?kw=&file=answers%2Fstructure%2Fans_014.html

[mr d]

hello

 

i believe sometimes what people are seeing are tiny bits of dust and fibers that are actually lying on the lens of your eye.

one way to test this is to see if your wiggle moves if you try to focus in on it. if it tracks or floats away if you try to look at it, chances are it is something floating on the lens of your eye. also try blinking, if the wiggle changes shape or suddenly moves or appears to be drifting in a current; again this is caused by particles swirling in the liquid - tears coating your lens. also if you can focus on them somehow your may notice your wiggle lines have small dots attached to them, this would be microscopic air bubbles.

normally your eyes ignore this particles as you tend not to focus your vision for so such close objects, but when you defocus your eyes while looking at a single or flat colored background you are actually focusing your eyes inward in the fashion of a microscope.

it's sort of like looking out the windshield of your car or a window. as you look at objects in the distance you not not notice dirt smudges or insects, or imperfections in the glass. but if you stare at the glass plane your will suddenly see all types of marks.

 

mr d

[trvlrpsmyrph]

I've looked on sites the internet' date=' but haven't been able to find out about these little darting specks of light that I see when I look up towards the sky. They don't appear to be in the sky, but are more like somehow produced in the actual eye, as I believe they move with the movement of my eyes. They're not "floaters", as they look very different to them (much brighter, for starters). I've never noticed them when I've been indoors, so I think that bright natural light is a factor. So, kind friends, can I ask a few questions of anyone willing to answer any of them, and maybe help me out? :

 

-Firstly, and most crucially, does anyone know what they are?

 

-Do you see them?

 

-Does everyone see them?

 

-Can anyone provide a good link about them?

 

 

Thanks in advance for any help.[/quote']

During the daytime drink lotsa natural orange juice, eat carrots for snacks, and get your glasses tinted either light blue or violet. Sunlight is vitamin C too.

[DrCooper]

My name is Nicholas Cooper. I have read a bit of your post about dots of light in your vision. I myself have had and continue to have the same experience.

 

My girl friend and I have notice the same thing at the same time as well.

 

For myself...they seem to be free moving... up, down, side to side in every direction... hundreds of them.., they almost look like sperm… even with tails… or so they seem. I have notice this in doors as well…

 

One supposed scientist posted on your post saying they are just dead cells… personally I don’t feel that this is true … if they were dead… why would they be moving…and if they were dead and moving because of a fluid in the eye.. then they would all be moving in the same direction…?

I have also noticed them on cloudy days, sunny days.. in my house… and even at the hospital…

[Erink9]

I briefly read through this post (haven't tried the links yet), and it described some of my experiences.

 

I see colored dots that flash and move everywhere. I can see then anytime anywhere, especially when in darker places. but at times they form patterns. The most recent pattern consisted thin green and brown/red/orange (it never stays still) that swirl around each other. It breaks up and the colors change to form ill-defined shapes that morph into each other. I should add at this point that I have not taken any drugs (prescriptions aside), do not do any drugs, and am not on any prescriptions right now.

 

I can recall a math class (I was staring into space after a test) when I noticed the bright green ones were lining up into rows, those rows are curved and on a circle. Some of the dots were closely spaced and others were brighter and further apart. The pattern repeated. Imagine that pattern on a road, like the asphalt texture when driving on a road during night. the pattern comes around and under you. Then the widely dots stop moving with the closely placed ones and begin to spin the opposite direction.

 

I noticed this whole thing years back and went to an eye doctor, who told me that aside from some floaters everything was perfect, (beyond that considering the 20/15 vision in both eyes.)

 

A counselor said that some of these events may be linked to lucid dreaming. But much of the time they can happen when I'm perfectly awake. Like right now, or rather 20 minutes ago when i noticed i can permanently see them regardless of what I'm looking at on 2/3 the vision over my left eye on the right side, and only when the right eye is closed.

 

For what it's worth I have also had random instances of Synesthesia. When I'm bearly asleep a noise will seem louder than it really is and the dots will arrange themselves into a shape(s) specific to that sound. ex; floor cracks evoke crazy, but defined, chaotic b/w zig-zag lines that go everywhere. My window glass making a creaking sound from the temperature change during night is a large rectangle with smaller ones around the line that outlines the larger one, all light blue with a white/grey background. They dissappear as fast as they have appeared. I have not gotten properly diagnosed for this.

 

Well, sorry to get off topic there.

~erin

[Tormax]

I have the odd dotes as well and in the last five years have developed migraines. I had noticeable vision change during my last migraine that did not go back to normal so I went and got an MRI. The doctors found an arachnoid cyst in the posterior fosse of my brain (check the spelling I’m not exactly sure).

 

I had the little specs of light all over my vision on a flat (2D) plain in front of my eyes. To some one that does not have them it can best be described as looking at the snowstorm on a TV screen. I also have a high-pitched ringing in my ears almost like those lights at clothing stores.

 

If you have dots in your eye sight ringing in your ears and migraines I would recommend talking to your doctor about getting an MRI.

[mc67401]

I have seen the same thing that all of you have been talking about, I have seen them from the age of maybe 3yrs old, I remeber first seeing them in the color of dark, I would see these as red and blue, green and purple specs they would dance "in the air" and would preform geometric patterns, as I got older and learned to manipulate energy I began to notice these lights in everything almost to the point that sometimes I belive we are looking at the fabric of reality. Has anyone ever noticed the sparkaling light tunnel when driving down the highway? Also my ability to see them has allowed me plenty of time to practice and exsperiment with them. I noticed that their frequency incresses when concentrated on, more or less when you want to see more you do. I have met a few people offline that see these and we began refering to them as energy bugs, if you would like to knoe more let me know. Thanks Matthew

[mcnick]

Only three years later, but I too am and have been experiencing this same vision peculiarity and only as of today decided to implore the internet for an explanation. When either outside or looking outside (much like your experience) I see tiny flashes of lights flow and zip about without pattern (sometimes long curved movements, sometimes zig-zagging spastically. You can actually see the depth in their flight as, at times, one will cross behind another. While inside (not looking out the window), on a day-to-day bases, I see (what only can be described as) an odd blanket of pulsating light over (essentially) everything I look at. It’s difficult to discern if it is on top of the object itself or a wall just before it, but none-the-less, it’s there. If – by chance – you still frequent this site or if anyone you there may have heard/knows of this occurrence, I am all ears. Being a hypochondriac, my hope is that it is not a tumor (a doctor’s visit is on the radar screen ).

 

 

Hia Guys...me again!

 

Luxnor, that sounds like low blood pressure to me!. You should probably seek medical attention if it happens all of the time. I have this web site bookmarked and am still trying to find an exact match.

 

Can anybody out there see bright specks of light that do not follow a defined pattern of which they can concentrate on (with back and foreground distractions) until the time they dissapear. the ability to see the distance is a biggy. It is not two dimensional, it is four! fourth being time of course.

 

I'm about to give up. I have already had a hissy fit on-line (which I'm not proud of).

Think I will simply continue to monitor this page for now. GaryLeo I think has decided on the white blood cel idea. Nobody elses description comes close to what I get. So please drop a line if you do as I would like to set up a definition list male/female/age/country/onset age/race/background/work etc etc ...to get to the bottom of this for good.

 

Clayts

[Radical Edward]

Only three years later, but I too am and have been experiencing this same vision peculiarity and only as of today decided to implore the internet for an explanation. When either outside or looking outside (much like your experience) I see tiny flashes of lights flow and zip about without pattern (sometimes long curved movements, sometimes zig-zagging spastically. You can actually see the depth in their flight as, at times, one will cross behind another. While inside (not looking out the window), on a day-to-day bases, I see (what only can be described as) an odd blanket of pulsating light over (essentially) everything I look at. It’s difficult to discern if it is on top of the object itself or a wall just before it, but none-the-less, it’s there. If – by chance – you still frequent this site or if anyone you there may have heard/knows of this occurrence, I am all ears. Being a hypochondriac, my hope is that it is not a tumor (a doctor’s visit is on the radar screen ).

 

you're looking at a diffraction pattern around little bits of cells and things floating around in your vitreous humor. it should be fine. The latter I am not sure about as it depends if you're staring or not. if you stare, then the opsins in the yellow spot of your eye will be used up faster than they recharge and you can get some odd effects if you move your eye just a little then you "see" an inverted impression of what you saw before. A particularly intense version of this is if you stare at a dark object on a light background for 30 seconds, then look away (even close your eyes) you'll see a light version of the dark object.

[Alchemist]

I've looked on sites the internet, but haven't been able to find out about these little darting specks of light that I see when I look up towards the sky. They don't appear to be in the sky, but are more like somehow produced in the actual eye, as I believe they move with the movement of my eyes. They're not "floaters", as they look very different to them (much brighter, for starters). I've never noticed them when I've been indoors, so I think that bright natural light is a factor. So, kind friends, can I ask a few questions of anyone willing to answer any of them, and maybe help me out? :

 

-Firstly, and most crucially, does anyone know what they are?

 

-Do you see them?

 

-Does everyone see them?

 

-Can anyone provide a good link about them?

 

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Those dots/specks you see darting around when staring up into a bright blue sky on a sunny day (not looking at the sun) don't seem to be caused by floaters (muscae volitantes) nor flashers. It is known as scheerer's phenomenon or blue field entoptic phenomenon. Those dots/specks superimposed over a flat blue background are white blood cells moving through the blood vessels of the retina.