Seeing Things: Visual Disturbances We All Experience

There's a variety of visual problems and disturbances we all experience on a daily basis. Floaters! Blue entoptic phenomenon! Visual snow! Phosphenes! With simulations, Inés will run through all of them.

Inés is a PhD student researching insect flight at Oxford, and enjoys making videos about the fun and curious bits of science in her spare time!

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[furqanbaba]

When I was a kid, I'd spend a lot time covering my eyes with my hands and enjoying the phosphene show

[MrPatrickbuit]

Also, i've never seen people portray visual snow and floaters this well. Very impressive. However, to most people suffering from visual snow, it's colourless.

[mickavoidant]

Me to a doctor: I keep seeing spots before my eyes.
Doctor: Have you seen an optician?
Me: No, only spots.

[Xerber]

Important to note: If you suddenly see a lot of floaters that even impede your vision, visit a doctor immediately! This can mean your retina has partially teared or that the membrane containing the fluid in your eyeball (the vitreous) has come loose.

It happened to me late last year, but I waited for four days before I visited a doctor since I figured it was just exhaustion. Because of that, I have permanently blurred vision with hardly any colour saturation in my left eye.

[briankenney]

Finally having the static in my vision explained somewhat makes me feel better

[mahuk.]

It has been years trying to explain people I see some colorful, fuzzy dots everywhere when there isn't much light and I'm borderline blind in those places while my friends and family can see like normal, several visits to different oculists and seemingly *NONE* of them had an idea that visual snow existed, so every time I went back home with a "your eyes are fine" feeling terrible because I knew I can't see anything except for those dots when there's low light. Youtube recommended this video over 3 years later, but Tom and Inés, I'm so, so thankful...
Thanks.

[danp]

Visual snow - it's the Matrix having to drop back to 480P for a bit

[MakeSomething]

The effects were dead on! Especially the floaters. Great vid! Subbed to Draw Curiosity!

[evo_is_confused]

As a child trying to sleep I used to close my eyes hard and enjoy what I now know are phosphenes.

[SawedOffLaser]

So it turns out my eyes are pretty much normal? Well, that's a relief.

[DrawCuriosity]

I'm honoured to be this week's guest host on Tom's channel! If you enjoyed this video and want to watch more like this, I create frequent content on Draw Curiosity on the quirks and fun bits of science - it'll be great to see you there! :)
~Inés



...
(also, sorry about the t-shirt - but crocodiles were just way cooler)

[wereallpinkinside]

she’s so into explaining all this, i love her passion ♡

[pirocoroosterfly]

I feel like a part of me has been completed. When I was little I used to think that I was the only one that saw these. Wow! Now I can think of other stuff.

[JesusChrist-wyvb]

Visual snow is so annoying when your trying to look at stars

[blewt]

ines: these can appear when rubbing your eyes
eyes: please no im an essential part of your perception and am extremely gentl-
me: 👁️🤛hahah eyes go squish squish

[mrd]

Ahh great video! I have a floater in my left eye, I've actually named it Dave and sometimes talk to him whilst in the bath

[Saturn-uzjc]

I found it really hard to articulate eye floaters as a child. My parents thought that I had some kind of problem with my eyes. Then VSauce finally defined them and my life changed forever.

[PancakeHeroXII]

My whole life I never encountered someone who experiences this Visual Snow thing. I see it all the time and no one knows what I mean when I try to describe it. Good to know that its a real thing.

[matthewduncan]

For years I thought I was the only one. 'visual snow' was terrifying as a child and still confuses me to this day. I'm glad I'm not alone! 😅

[OuscarX]

And this is the moment when you realize that... your eyes are not fu**ed up! what a relief :'D