I learned something today.

[billyskank]

When you quickly swivel your eye to gaze in a different direction, your brain edits out the blurring that your eye actually sees while it's turning.

What's more, there is a network of capillaries over your retina, which would be visible, but your brain edits that out as well. But when you look at a blue sky, you can sometimes see white blood cells moving through the capillaries... this effect is called Scheerer's Phenomenon. It's because the blue light passes through the white cells but is absorbed by the more numerous red ones, and so the white cells appear as little white dots moving quickly along twisting paths.

And I'm not done yet... sometimes if you see little transparent blobs slowly floating across your vision - these are actually impurities in the vitreous humour. They're called, unimaginatively, "floaters".

[GOPisEvil]

1. I have a rather large floater in my left eye.

For the most part I don't notice it, but every once in a while I see it.

[billyskank]

2. I've wondered my whole life what they were

Wikipedia finally answered it for me.

[GOPisEvil]

3. I just had an eye exam last week.

I have a new doctor who spotted it right away. Apparently it is quite large.

[ThomCat]

4. That's all pretty cool.

Where are you getting this biology lesson? Independent reading, a course you are taking, or a smart new girlfriend? :)

[billyskank]

7. Wikipedia.

:rofl:

[Critters2]

5. I get floaters when I'm wicked tired. I think they're kinda cool. nt

[ghostsofgiants]

6. My high school art teacher thought it important to teach us how the eye works.

The eyes are pretty impressive part of the body. Learned all about floaters and all that fun stuff. It's more noticable when you're consciously aware of it of course. Kind of annoying.

[Haole Girl]

8. Some people's brains edit better than others

:blush:

[billyskank]

11. Are you bothered by ectoptic phenomena?

[Haole Girl]

12. I get motion sickness very easily if I try to read in a car...

or if my peripheral vision sees too much. I also have the misfortune of getting the feeling of motion sickness in those large IMAX theaters (don't know if you have those in the U.K. or not).

[leftyclimber]

9. I have a whole menagerie of floaters running around in my eyes.

It's incredibly surreal in the snow...like black ghosts.

My ophthalmologist says those are OK -- it's when you see big CHUNKS that you need to start worrying! :rofl:

[trof]

10. Now...check out 'flashers'.

No, not guys on playgrounds in raincoats.
Ophthalmic migraines.
I have them.