Closed-eye hallucinations and closed-eye visualizations (CEV) are
hallucination
A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...
s that occur when one's eyes are closed or when one is in a darkened room. They should not be confused with
phosphene
A phosphene is the phenomenon of seeing light without light entering the eye. The word ''phosphene'' comes from the Greek words ''phos'' (light) and ''phainein'' (to show). Phosphenes that are induced by movement or sound may be associated with ...
s, perceived light and shapes when pressure is applied to the eye's retina, or some other non-visual external cause stimulates the eye. Some people report CEV under the influence of
psychedelics
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...
; these are reportedly of a different nature than the "open-eye" hallucinations of the same compounds. Similar hallucinations that occur due to loss of vision are called "
visual release hallucinations
Visual release hallucinations, also known as Charles Bonnet syndrome or CBS, are a type of psychophysical visual impairment, visual disturbance in which a person with partial or severe blindness experiences visual hallucinations.
First described ...
".
Levels of CEV perception
There are five known levels of CEV perception which can be achieved either through chemical stimuli or through
meditative relaxation technique
A relaxation technique (also known as relaxation training) is any method, process, procedure, or activity that helps a person to relax; attain a state of increased calmness; or otherwise reduce levels of pain, anxiety, stress or anger. Relaxat ...
s. Level 1 and 2 are very common and often happen every day. It is still normal to experience level 3, and even level 4; however, only a small percentage of the population does this without psychedelic drugs, meditation or extensive visualization training.
Level 1: Visual noise

The most basic form of CEV perception that can be immediately experienced in normal waking consciousness involves a seemingly random noise of pointillistic light or dark regions with no apparent shape or order.
This can be seen when the eyes are closed and looking at the back of the eyelids. In a bright room, a dark red can be seen, owing to a small amount of light penetrating the eyelids and taking on the color of the blood it has passed through. In a dark room, blackness can be seen or the object can be more colourful. In either case, it is not a flat unchanging redness/blackness. Instead, if actively observed for a few minutes, one becomes aware of an apparent disorganized motion, a random field of lightness or darkness that overlays the redness or blackness of closed eyelids.
For a person who tries to actively observe this closed-eye perception on a regular basis, there comes a point where if they look at a flat-shaded object with their eyes wide open, and try to actively look for this visual noise, they will become aware of it and see the random pointillistic disorganized motion as if it were a translucent overlay on top of what is actually being seen by their open eyes.

When seen overlaid onto the physical world, this CEV noise does not obscure physical vision at all, and in fact is hard to notice if the visual field is highly patterned, complex, or in motion. When active observation is stopped, it is not obvious or noticeable, and seemingly disappears from normal physical perception. Individuals suffering from
visual snow syndrome
Visual snow syndrome (VSS) is an uncommon neurological condition in which the primary symptom is visual snow, a persistent flickering white, black, transparent, or colored dots across the whole visual field. It is distinct from the ''symptom'' ...
see similar noise but experience difficulty blocking it from conscious perception.
Level 2: Light or dark flashes

Some mental control can be exerted over these closed-eye visualizations, but it usually requires a bit of relaxation and concentration to achieve.
When properly relaxed, it is possible to cause regions of intense black, bright white or even colors such as yellow, green, or pink to appear in the noise. These regions can span the entire visual field, but seem to be fleeting in nature.
Level 3: Patterns, motion, and color

This level is relatively easily accessible to people who use
psychedelic drug
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluc ...
s such as
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...
. However, it is also accessible to people involved in deep concentration for long periods of time. When lying down at night and closing the eyes, right before sleep or just before waking up, the complex motion of these patterns can become directly visible without any great effort thanks to
hypnagogic hallucination.
The patterns themselves might resemble
fractal
In mathematics, a fractal is a Shape, geometric shape containing detailed structure at arbitrarily small scales, usually having a fractal dimension strictly exceeding the topological dimension. Many fractals appear similar at various scale ...
s.
Level 4: Objects and things
This is a fairly deep state. At this level, thoughts visually manifest as objects or environments. When this level is reached, the CEV noise seems to calm down and fade away, leaving behind an intense flat ordered blackness. The visual field becomes a sort of active space. A side component of this is the ability to feel motion when the eyes are closed.

Opening the eyes returns one to the normal physical world, but still with the CEV object field overlaid onto it and present. In this state, it is possible to see things that appear to be physical objects in the open-eye physical world, but that aren't really there.
Level 5: Overriding physical perception
This level can be entered from complete
sensory deprivation
Sensory deprivation or perceptual isolation is the deliberate reduction or removal of stimuli from one or more of the senses. Simple devices such as blindfolds or hoods and earmuffs can cut off sight and hearing, while more complex devices can ...
, as experienced in an
isolation tank
An isolation tank, sensory deprivation tank, float tank, float pod, float cabin, flotation tank, or sensory attenuation tank is a water filled, pitch-black, light-proof, soundproof environment heated to the same temperature as the skin.
Method ...
or deep
trance
Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
of
hypnosis
Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...
, but even there it requires great relaxation.
According to
lucid dream
In the psychology subfield of oneirology, a lucid dream is a type of dream wherein the dreamer realizes that they are dreaming during their dream. The capacity to have lucid dreams is a trainable cognitive skill. During a lucid dream, the dreamer ...
ing researcher
Stephen LaBerge
Stephen LaBerge (born 1947) is an American psychophysiologist specializing in the scientific study of lucid dreaming. In 1967 he received his bachelor's degree in mathematics. He began researching lucid dreaming for his Ph.D. in psychophysiolog ...
, perceptions can come from either the senses or imagination. An inhibitory system involving the
thalamus
The thalamus (: thalami; from Greek language, Greek Wikt:θάλαμος, θάλαμος, "chamber") is a large mass of gray matter on the lateral wall of the third ventricle forming the wikt:dorsal, dorsal part of the diencephalon (a division of ...
, likely involving
serotonergic neurons
A serotonergic substance, medication, or receptor protein is one that affects neurotransmission pathways that involve serotonin, as follows:
* Serotonergic drugs
** Serotonin receptor agonists
** Serotonin receptor antagonists
** Serotonin reupta ...
, inhibits imaginary perceptions from becoming too activated so they turn into hallucinations. This system is inhibited during REM sleep, and the imagination can freely run into the perceptual systems. What happens at level 5 is likely that this system is inhibited, just like in REM sleep, by different causes like sensory deprivation, psychedelic drugs or meditative relaxation techniques.
What is not a CEV
Afterimage (
palinopsia
Palinopsia (Greek: ''palin'' for "again" and ''opsia'' for "seeing") is the persistent recurrence of a visual image after the stimulus (psychology), stimulus has been removed. Palinopsia is not a diagnosis; it is a diverse group of pathology, patho ...
)
Image burn-in occurs when very bright objects lie in one's field of vision, and should not be confused with closed-eye hallucinations. Visual burn-in from bright lights is visible for a few minutes after closing the eyes, or by blinking repeatedly, but the burn-in effect slowly fades away as the retina recovers, whereas the waking-consciousness CEV noise will not disappear if observed continuously over a period of time.
Entoptic phenomena
CEV does not include
entoptic phenomena
Entoptic phenomena (), occasionally and incorrectly referred to as entopic phenomena, are visual effects whose source is within the human eye itself.
In Helmholtz's words: "Under suitable conditions, light falling on the eye may render visible, ...
such as "
floater
Floaters or eye floaters are sometimes visible deposits (e.g., the shadows of tiny structures of protein or other cell debris projected onto the retina) within the eye's vitreous humour ("the vitreous"), which is normally transparent, or between ...
s", which are instead caused by opacities in the vitreous humour and often appear as cells or strands in the field of vision. Full-closing and reopening the eyelids creates a very definite wiper-ridge in the tear film that is readily visible. Fully closing and reopening the eyelids also often stirs up the vitreous which settles down after a brief moment due to gravity. The motion of waking-consciousness CEV noise is not so directly and physically controllable and repeatable.
Blue-sky sprites
CEV does not seem to be related to the "sprites" (
blue field entoptic phenomenon
The blue field entoptic phenomenon is an entoptic phenomenon characterized by the appearance of tiny bright dots (nicknamed blue-sky sprites) moving quickly along undulating pathways in the visual field, especially when looking into bright blue l ...
) that can be seen as dots darting around when staring up into a bright blue sky on a sunny day (not looking at the sun). These dots superimposed over a flat blue background are white blood cells moving through the blood vessels of the retina. The motion of waking-consciousness CEV noise is uniformly random compared to the waking-consciousness blue-sky sprite motion.
Physical retinal stimulation
CEV is unrelated to the visual noise seen when the retina is physically stimulated. The retina can be made to produce light patterns of visual noise simply by one rubbing their eyes somewhat forcefully in a manner that increases intraocular pressure. Additionally, retinal noise can be produced by touching near the rear of the eyeball producing
pressure phosphenes (for example, if one closes one's eyes, looks all the way left, and lightly touches the rightmost part of the eye socket, this produces visual noise in the shape of a circle that appears at the left side of the visual
field – a practice that is neither painful nor dangerous). None of these are closed-eye hallucinations, but rather the experience of mechanical stimuli distorted into visual stimuli. Thus, pressure phosphenes are sensory distortions, and not hallucinations, as the latter is an unreal perception in the absence of stimuli.
See also
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References
External links
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* (attributed to
lidocaine
Lidocaine, also known as lignocaine and sold under the brand name Xylocaine among others, is a local anesthetic of the amino amide type. It is also used to treat ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. When used for local anae ...
)
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{{Visual phenomena
Hallucinations
Eye diseases
Symptoms and signs of mental disorders