Seeing Things: Visual Disturbances We All Experience

GUEST VIDEO! Go subscribe to Inés: / drawcuriosity
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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[@furqanbaba5274]

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

[@desanipt]

Oh my god, I'm not alone

[@KamisatoElias]

Or when you look at a bright light bulb, then look away and there's like green shapes

[@jkaur99]

Elias Simpson i always see yellow and purple shapes as well as green

[@raflamar4146]

I thought that I was the only person who saw this!!

[@jsea1967]

If you cover your eyes and push on them really hard, the phosphenes will stick around for a few seconds even after you open your eyes

[@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.

[@enveloreal]

To me it's like.. purple/blueish.

[@uwa_haru]

Mine is rainbow in a since and it changes colors rapity

[@alyssatheawkwardskat]

My visual snow is gray-white and a dark blue color my floaters are just normal tho

[@uncledaisy]

Anyone else get red visual snow when they look at the night sky?

[@alyssatheawkwardskat]

@@uncledaisy I get a dark blue color sometimes but never heard of red

[@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. KZbin recommended this video over 3 years later, but Tom and Inés, I'm so, so thankful... Thanks.

[@anonymouslykind8981]

Why feel terrible I have permanent visual snow,tinnitus,sparks and flashes,walls moving hallucinations,night blindness,bad sensitivity to light, it could be worse my friend

[@EnjoyCocaColaLight]

@@anonymouslykind8981 How much LSD do you do?

[@anonymouslykind8981]

@@EnjoyCocaColaLight No LSD or other drugs, I`ve Had all these symptoms since I was a young kid, what could cause this is unknown although i did sustain head injury as a kid.

[@garymingy8671]

Keep complaining , they will cut your eyeballs and maybe try hard to fix them.

[@tiffanyandrade2705]

@@anonymouslykind8981 do you also have migraines and depersonalization?

[@briankenney9528]

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

[@474-z4b]

How is that static? I see something like that but i'm not sure at all

[@briankenney9528]

Snow...static...whatever you call it

[@stephaniesummer2663]

Alejo Garcia Some people see more of a snow like image

[@474-z4b]

@@stephaniesummer2663 i think i see something like that. It's like a slight movement in things

[@SushiVolcano]

I used to think I was seeing air molecules. xD

[@Xerber85]

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.

[@n.v.n.prasad132]

Oh no..what a tragedy!

[@rogerlouie1]

What could the ophthalmologist or GP do for me if I visit sooner that would have prevented your permanent situation?

[@estherkirakawaii]

@@rogerlouie1 A lot more for sure. Think of it as having a stroke. The faster you receive medical attention the less chance of permanent brain damage. So it now becomes a question of do you want to go blind or not?

[@telxtaylor]

@@rogerlouie1 Have an emergency surgery on the eye done

[@Shadowmythx117]

The doctor said it could’ve been from excessive light from my phones brightness or irritation or whatever, said floaters could last up to 6 months

[@mickavoidant4780]

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

[@roadtof1.]

hold up

[@sirocco2810]

Doctor : aight fair.

[@thenonsequitur]

I keep seeing opticians in my eyes

[@danp2779]

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

[@chrisristau8803]

yup... i bang the side of my head and the reception comes in a lil better

[@lolerskates876]

Happens when some one tries running Crysis

[@efu2046]

@@lolerskates876 nah, it's Minecraft with RTX

[@tiffanyandrade2705]

@d c that's normal dont worryyyy...we can all freak out together

[@theredtechengineer1480]

Anyone else not ever experience “visual snow”?

[@MakeSomething]

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

[@DrawCuriosity]

Thanks! :D

[@JonesNate]

Interesting that we both watched this.

[@wellesradio]

Maybe yours. Mine have sharp teeth and look my dead grandfather's evil twin.

[@evo_is_confused]

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

[@mateuszjokiel2813]

I still do that sometimes

[@tariq1492]

@@DecisionAvoidant for some reasons i find them scary are these phosphenes normal? and can they get dissapeared or go?

[@jofx4051]

Hahahaha 😂

[@duudsuufd]

Watch the fosgenes with your eyes closed before sleep. They are weak without pressure but it's better. Locate colored spots and make them prime color for a while.Then try forming clouds and mix with other colors. Make the colors flow from one corner to the other. Continue picking up colors and make them move around... That's the best preparation for lucid, colorful dreaming. No drugs needed.

[@aidenbagshaw5573]

@@DecisionAvoidant Mine were always yellow and purple.

[@SawedOffLaser]

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

[@rolanddawson117]

It killed my dream of being considered a freak of nature. I'm just… normal. ._.

[@3enjoy3]

Ikr?!!!

[@matthewmccloy4283]

+Roland Dawson Unless you have voluntary nystagmus; the ability to voluntarily 'jiggle' your eyes.

[@SawedOffLaser]

Newton'sFlamingLaserSword I can actually do something like that.

[@greag1e]

Yea, I sleep with a mask because of light sensitivity and I see the Doctor Who wormhole as I am drifting to sleep (geometrical). I wish I hadn't watched this, I thought I was always traveling into my mind. Now when I see it when I go off to sleep, I will be like, blah. Ignorance is bliss :)

[@mrd9534]

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

[@Ezox2408]

hey dave.....dont make it baaad......take a sad floater, and make it better....remember, to let him into your eye....then you can start...to let him floaat......floaaat ..FlOaATtT..FLOAAAAAAAAAt .. FLOaaaaaTTTTT .FLOAAAAAATTTTT YEAH.....NAAAAA...NAAAA...NA.NANANANAAAA...NANANANAAAAAA....NAAAA NAAAAAAA......NAAAAAA....NAAA NA NANANANAAA...NANANANAAAAAA....HEY DAAAAAAVE.... (to be continued)

[@eddotron1224]

Yesterday, all my floaters seemed so far away, now it looks as though they're here to stay, Oh I believe, in yesterday suddenly, my eyes aren't half what they used to be there's a floater hanging over me oh dave apeared so suddenly why he just wont go, I don't know, and just get out the way I looked at the sun too long, now I long for yesterday

[@cryoshakespeare4465]

do-do dodo-dee do-day do hey heeyy!

[@B3nnub1rd]

+Edward Sim Oh, yesterday- sight was such an easy sense-array. Now I need a bath to hide away, and talk to Dave- what does he say? Why he had to go, I don't know- he wouldn't say...

[@aaaaaaoooommmm]

As long as Dave doesn't help you drive, it's ALL good

[@wereallpinkinside8452]

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.

[@jaewok5G]

did you ever see a doctor?

[@dazza2350]

@@jaewok5G I suppose the logic would be 'im the only person who has this so they wouldn't have a cure/it would sound weird'

[@JesusChrist-wy4vb]

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

[@CreepyCrow6]

At least now I know that I’m not the only one

[@saloalvStuff]

Meanwhile people with tinnitus who can't stand quiet rooms: 👀

[@xXLeoXxOne]

@@saloalvStuff I can, im special

[@AnonymousUser77254]

saloalv some people process tinnitus differently to the point where it hardly bothers them except in rare circumstance.

[@mominx2412]

Even Jesus has vision problems.

[@keksentdecker]

me closing my eyes wanting to sleep: the yellow Phosphene ring: welcome back

[@Zoomii5]

When I was a little kid I thought that thing was some kind of god trying to communicate with me.

[@samueleproiettimicozzi8134]

When I was little it was rainbow hahah

[@mateuszjokiel2813]

For me it's neon green. Can't say I'm complaining tho

[@libbyb4067]

Mine were either yellow or magenta!

[@tariq1492]

did it dissapear?

[@Saturn-uz6jc]

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.

[@drugstorefilmisthebest2725]

Same, I thought they were germs when I was little...

[@AbrahamAnimations]

Same

[@MaxArceus]

What's hard about saying "I see small grey dots and blobs floating and drifting around everywhere"?

[@Saturn-uz6jc]

+MaxArceus They were clear, but they would constantly move when I tried to look at them so I couldn't tell for sure. Besides they were all in different shapes and sizes. I noticed them before I had the vocabulary to define them.

[@MaxArceus]

I have them in different sizes too and you can't focus on them as they're in your eye. If you look away, you turn your eye, and they'll just rotate along. But just how scarce was your vocab when you saw them..? I mean, 'grey' and 'shape' and 'floating' are not that difficult of words really. A 4 year old could say it.

[@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)

[@drugstorefilmisthebest2725]

Hello, I'm hoping your vid is great, because these things have always interested me! Thank, Ines!

[@r3dzt]

Great job! Nobody in these past weeks disappointed me

[@drugstorefilmisthebest2725]

+RedstoneSlime Honestly. I expect no less from this amazing vid, and to be honest, the child who made the soda Tooth vid is going to replace Tom one day.

[@david667766]

Great job thanks for the info miss the english vocab"""

[@wug876]

Great vid, but no red shirt :'(

[@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.

[@stephenderry9488]

"You know nothing, Visual Snow."

[@pwnmeisterage]

The "visual snow" phenomena aren't as common as the expert in this video suggests.

[@leandrodealmeidapaixao7313]

I was born this way... Now I can even show someone how I see.

[@sirgarberto]

I see it all the time when it's dark, so I never questioned it and always assumed that's how human night vision works

[@Nutty151]

Visual Snow is so faint sometimes that it goes by completely hidden. I guess many just see it as part of normal vision like floaters.

[@TheRyneee]

This is spot on. I’ve had all of these for years, and thought I used to think I had serious problems. Most people I talked to had no clue what I was experiencing, so this is comforting hearing/ seeing this analysis so accurate.

[@JordanALAllen]

Anybody else been getting anxious about visual snow lately? This video has helped to calm me down quite a lot! Thank you.

[@ezrollerj]

You should still see an optometric doctors. Funny they are the most affordable to see.

[@theexchipmunk]

@@ezrollerj Why? Visual snow is completly normal and always there, but it´s like breathing. If you notice it it´s there. And in the dark or when there is little distinct information it´s also common to see it.

[@Nutty151]

Visual Snow is my Sleep-Paralysis Demon.

[@RyTheGuy100]

Glad to learn that "Visual Snow" is common- I've noticed it for years now and have always wondered if something might be a bit off with my vision.

[@thaDjMauz]

So the funny thing here is that to me its an unknown phenomenon, I never really experienced it. The closest is when I've been looking at a bright screen too long then enter a dark space I see a sort of pulsing which has a grainy texture. Interesting how these things differ. Makes me a bit more aware of how our communications can sometimes miss, we assume we all see the same

[@andeggbreaks]

It's not just common, everyone has it to some extent. People who claim not to have it just have trouble attending (as in paying attention) to it or have it very mild. Nobody experiences perfect vision.

[@ryanmacleod2227]

@@andeggbreaks what is yours like? Do you light sensitivity?

[@OuscarX15]

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

[@bedgegog]

How about when you realise you are allowed to swear on the internet?

[@bilalthefighter829]

@@bedgegog All these comments are one year apart

[@firstnamelastname4778]

Not me, I still don’t know why my eyes slowly black out and See fuzzy black when my eyes are still open

[@zzoinks]

@@firstnamelastname4778 do you mean that in the dark if you Stare at a spot it blacks out?

[@martimjervell1448]

Relatable...

[@matthewduncan396]

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! 😅

[@israelhernandez128]

Me too

[@nandosandim]

Hey guy! I have myopia and astigmatism. I have "floaters" and "blue sky entoptic phenomenon" since I was 14 years old. I am currently 34 years old. Reading the comments, I could see that this condition of ours has some symptoms in common, such as wheezing in the ear, anxiety, headache, spasms, among others. In 20 years of having this condition, the best thing you can do so far is to accept it.

[@blew1t]

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

[@nathankellogg2640]

👁👄👁

[@colorbar.s]

underrated

[@LHoriginal]

Nice profile photo

[@harley490]

Hahaha nice profile picture by the way

[@mooble1325]

@jonty peach pit's self-titled ep!

[@Nijht]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how sublime that background music is?

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Sure, if we can also take a moment to figure out a way of phrasing our calls to attention in ways that don't start with "can we juust take a moment"... I mean, it only takes a moment. ;)

[@2consciences]

Core Nuke its from the most spherical object video

[@SheepWaveMeByeBye]

Kevin McCloud is a good composer.

[@ErrorGamingReal]

This is from the electromagnetic static fields in you, bioelectricity, and how your mind is still active, though the visual stimuli is negligible. The floating dots are just results of looking at lights. When you go into a dark room the ghost of the lights is still there and therefore you see tiny colored dots.

[@NateLeePhillips]

It reminds me of a Halo level

[@followtomorrow]

Awesome, I've been trying to explain about seeing visual snow to people for ages and not been able to describe it well, this helps a load.

[@deborahv.3402]

Me too, I was talking about this today, it's really great to know what it is now

[@andrewhawkins6754]

I thought everyone had it until I mentioned something to my mother. Apparently not.

[@entropyzero5588]

+Andrew Hawkins Yeah, I was quite surprised when she said that everyone had this, since I had never before heard of this, let alone experienced it…

[@marshallmathers6031]

Did you get rid of visual snow??

[@Minecraftzt176]

@ Marshall Mathers You can't get rid of it, its just normal and everyone has it, although many people aren't that attentive to their visual signal input so they just don't experience this effect. At the moment you don't pay attention to the visual snow, it will be gone, as soon as you think about it, you will experience it again. It's more or less the same with your nose in your field of view, as long as you don't think about it, you won't be bothered by it.

[@psfreak333]

Not gonna lie whoever did the animations for these visual disturbances are spot on! Its one of those things you can't describe to others but this illustrates it perfectly!

[@Nutty151]

It just takes someone that actually suffers from this and also happens to be really good with computer animations.

[@SallyLePage]

Well done Inés, and thanks Tom for letting the four of us run wild on your channel. Hopefully we haven't caused too much mess and destruction ;)

[@Yelji]

I remember that when I was younger I saw visual snow VERY strongly, and I thought it was some type of magic shield that always surrounded me

[@jkbleach4902]

That is a huge braid so cool!

[@Spacekriek]

I love my race.

[@Spacekriek]

@@cri.682 I'm talking about the white race.

[@merkmurda2607]

I use to trip out on the phosphenes in my eyes when I was younger. I thought it was badass

[@noice8985]

me too

[@niek_de_piek]

I sometimes pressed the side of my eye, and saw those shapes. I actually thought I saw another eye.

[@KingJellyfishII]

@@niek_de_piek yo dude, did you see a sort of ring near the centre of your vision? I used to get that all the time when I was younger if I rubbed my eyes even a little bit and it would stay there for about a minute

[@niek_de_piek]

@@KingJellyfishII No, I didn't get that effect. I would be really scared if I had that 😂

[@KingJellyfishII]

@@niek_de_piek oh damn maybe I should be

[@Hugo_Golden]

Still doesn’t explain the voices tho

[@BlurryDoggo]

Spooky

[@SheepWaveMeByeBye]

I've read somewhere that lots of people hear voices. It does not have to be a sign of mental instability.

[@Littlevampiregirl100]

@@SheepWaveMeByeBye i used to mistake thinking voices for hearing voices, as i tend to overthink what to say in conversations that could happen in the future, but added a degrading tone about what i had to say in the progress. got me a nice spot in the psychiatry

[@EclecticEssentric]

I've got voices in my eyes!

[@mik290667]

Try to turn off your phone.

[@janedoe-dy3rr]

Awesome. I experience all of the visual disturbances mentioned, and I have always wanted to know what they were and why they occur. The visual examples given really helped me to know that you were talking about the exact same things that I was experiencing. No one else, including doctors, ever had an explanation for it. So, thank you!

[@blaircox1589]

Thank you!!!! 43 years dealing with those and never a clear explanation.

[@agasttyadixit09]

Parents can answer their kids now

[@override7486]

Are you serious? So much time and never ask some question to doctor, optician or even use google? Sounds like you were trying to ignore or block these thing as much as you can, rather than dealing with it...

[@DougPaulley]

This video was not just interesting, it was useful. It absolutely perfectly described and pictured the floaters I experience. Knowing what causes them, and that they are benign, has helped me out. Thanks very much for that

[@GhostPuddle]

What about everytime I close my eyes and I see my ex's face? Is that a visual disturbance or is it just emotional baggage? :(

[@ar8103]

bro

[@debazen7942]

bro

[@synr7729]

bro

[@iamcyber]

bro

[@StickerMedia]

bro

[@wanderingrandomer]

Ahh, phosphenes explain why when I close my eyes, it's never pitch black, it's always red or green and everywhere in between in various places in my field of vision. I have always wondered about that!

[@aka5]

You also see red because light shining through your veins in your eyelids when it's bright outside

[@ConfuzzledTomato]

I never see red there

[@jacobh1995]

Yeah, really, I've always wondered about that since like elementary school and then just had to get used to it.

[@oscill8ocelot]

I don't think that's phosphenes - I think you're seeing light being filtered through your eyelids, which (because we're red inside) colors the light you're getting red. When you do this in a bright setting, you can over-stimulate your red receptors, which can cause them to stop working - thus you'll start seeing other colors in that light, which is usually in the green. At least that's how it works in my experience.

[@derickd6150]

Woah green!? I only ever see red and maybe a colour moving into the blue/purple side - never green though

[@SirChaddington]

Visual snow is so annoying, imagine what vision would be like without it.

[@jasonneu81]

+Aniki For some reason I have it very noticeably, especially in the dark. It looks like some shitty indie found footage film :'D

[@Crosshill]

is it also visual snow when you're looking at a bright white piece of paper and its kinda glaringly grainy, do you think? it's darn annoying, cant read or work when outside in the sun

[@tennicktenstyl]

+Entraya Korsbakke it's probably just the paper itself shining and sparkling but I may be very wrong.

[@SirChaddington]

***** I have this too, very difficult not to notice it

[@aychar]

I started getting visual snow suddenly when I was 16. I don't think people realise how big of a deal it is. Life hasn't really felt real since then and my eyes used to be super good.

[@danjlp9155]

This is actually really helpful. I never realized visual snow was so normal

[@Quexyz]

Props to Tom for spotlighting these smaller channels whilst he's away. Nice to find good new content you might otherwise not have seen.

[@JoeJoeTater]

Talk about saving the best for last. It's not often that a YT video teaches me something completely new.

[@KelsomaticPDX]

I kind of have a fixation on floaters (which is probably anxiety-induced, but we don't have to dive into it), and seeing this from Tom's channel helped me feel a bit better about them.

[@rdizzy1]

This ladys hair is insanely thick, it's crazy.

[@FroggyMosh]

Right? Her braid is AMAZING.

[@acidangel162]

It looks like you could use it as a rope to tie boats to the dock

[@NdMoreSpd1.0]

Her braided pony tail thickness exceeds the girth of her arm, heck nearly her neck, and it's quite long to boot!

[@mrkitty777]

What has been seen cannot be unseen, didn't see it but now you have though.

[@bobby_greene]

Thicc

[@Ben4149]

Here's a cool fact that wasn't mentioned in the video: "Floaters are believed to be the remnants of the hyaloid artery. It’s an artery which nourished parts of your eye during fetal development. As you matured in the womb, the artery eventually withered away. While it was active and doing its job, the artery floated around in your vitreous humor, which is the fluid that fills your eyeball behind the lens. It ran from the lens in your eye to the other end where the optic nerve comes in. After the third month of fetal development, it began to atrophy. Around the 7th month, the blood stopped flowing through the artery and it slowly disintegrated. Most of the little bits of debris were evacuated by the time you were born, but tiny amounts of it still remain in your vitreous humor and will stay with you for the rest of your life." So what you're seeing is the remnants of the pre-birth construction scaffolding of your eye.

[@DrawCuriosity]

Funnily enough, I talk about this (albeit in less detail) on one of the videos over on my channel. :) I don't know if it is the reason behind floaters at a young age, but it is part of the reason for which we require reading glasses later in life - as the lens no longer receives nutrients straight from a capillary and the cells in the centre atrophy, making the lens turn rigid with age.

[@toobusytocreateaname]

+

[@mdsiddiq1607]

So let me give some suggestions pls।how can I end this problem

[@alastairward2774]

@@mdsiddiq1607 I'd love to get rid of mine, but unfortunately there's no reliable and safe way to do so.

[@gernottiefenbrunner172]

then why do floaters get more over time? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying those remnants aren't there, but there must be something else also.

[@BRAWGWill]

You missed when an imprint of an image (e.g. a source of light) is retained briefly when you look away or close your eyes. Edit: Apparently its called an after image

[@GregConquest]

...and what happens when you touch a 9-volt battery, not to your tongue, but to the bottom of your upper lip near the gumline. Wow!

[@buddyclem7328]

@@GregConquest That sounds scary! What happens? It sounds too painful for me to attempt.

[@GregConquest]

@@buddyclem7328 It wasn't painful, as I remember (well, an excruciating little - similar to touching your tongue with one) BUT I SAW LIGHTS! Around lower periphery of my vision, if I recall correctly. I did it several times.

[@steveskeletonne-7394]

@@GregConquest How's your vision now? And how about the lip?

[@GregConquest]

@@steveskeletonne-7394 The effects both went away immediately. You've never touched your tongue to a 9-volt battery?

[@philippe6787]

Great! Now I can’t unsee my visual snow

[@squareoff2110]

do u see it before

[@SymbioteMullet]

I wondered about the purple/green phosphenes for years! And now I can explain it accurately!

[@Durrdalus]

We don't accept this video. Only red shirts allowed!

[@MrSkinnyWhale]

Redhead at least.

[@A_Casual_NPC]

I accept her every day!

[@Somerandomdude-ev2uh]

speak for yourself

[@ibmicroapple9142]

a witch

[@dandyintheunderworld843]

her amazing braid makes up for it

[@peterrafeiner9461]

How can this video have 73 thumbs down? It was well produced, the information is relevant to pretty much all of us, the presenter seems nice and well articulated. What else could be 'wrong' ??

[@JohnDCrafton]

Haters gonna hate.

[@otti2582]

the lack of a red shirt

[@peterrafeiner9461]

Maybe I am missing an inside joke but what's with the 'red shirt' ? BTW, in video production you HATE red shirts for technical reasons! That's why there are blue screens and green screens but no 'red screens'.

[@otti2582]

Peter Rafeiner Tom Scott ALWAYS wears a red shirt

[@Bedsitdweller]

Why is no-one talking about the distorted audio from the mic being in a fluffy thing? And no I did not thumb it down.

[@cotneit]

This is one of the best videos on KZbin. Period. When I tried to google it I got everything from "Go see the doctor or you'll be blind" to "Go see the doctor or you'll be dead".

[@DragonMaster1804]

I could listen to her voice with that music all day

[@flow_987]

This answered literally the four biggest questions I've had since I was 4.

[@JordanBeagle]

I really enjoyed watching this presenter, very well spoken and engaging with hand gestures

[@RealLuckless]

Plot twist: Tom goes missing due to being knocked off the ship by a flying penguin... Many questions were then asked.

[@drugstorefilmisthebest2725]

Maybe he knows Hillary's secrets.

[@RealLuckless]

I know secrets of several people named Hillary actually...

[@kalebbruwer]

Goverment will send a replacement with plenty of red T-shirts to buy our scilence.

[@vampirica89]

The question they'll ask the most is how did that penguin learn to fly.

[@RealLuckless]

Scattered Moon Shards A very important question,... But not actually the most obvious question to ask I think.

[@3enjoy3]

Excellent video! Very well presented and interesting subject matter - I think you have comforted many people who have wondered about this but not properly understood it. Thank you! :)

[@toobusytocreateaname]

+

[@knoet03]

I agree, and on top of that, an awesome braid. That thing has to contain a lot of hair.

[@zahralinsky3274]

just learned the word for the static I see! I see it when I look at most surfaces. the less texture there is, the more I see it. I don’t know what flat colors exactly look like anymore but oh well :’)

[@macsnafu]

I've had floaters since I was a kid, but didn't know what they were called until I was in my twenties. But I'm not sure if I've seen visual snow or not.

[@quillmaurer6563]

With the "Visual Snow" I have always imagined that it's very similar to the effects seen with cameras discussed in the video. It looks quite similar, and seems to occur under the same conditions, in particular low light. I would thus speculate that, given these similarities, the cause is basically the same: Signal to Noise ratio. Both cameras and our eyes have photoreceptors that convert light to an electronic signal, and with such there is bound to be a certain amount of "noise" or stray electrical signals. Under normal conditions this is negligible, but when the intended "signal" - in both cases that from light hitting the photoreceptors - is very weak, the signal-to-noise ratio decreases and the "noise" becomes perceptible in relation to the signal. In my own case I've also noticed I experience more of the "snow" when I'm extremely tired or drowsy, I would imagine that the more poorly functioning brain produces more "noise" and a weaker "signal" than when everything's running properly.

[@decsuss2131]

Does everyone have visual snow?

[@MrWitchblade]

@@decsuss2131 no. Most people will get floaters, and the pressing and seeing colors, we can all do. But snow is less common, and the white cells \ blue sky is only a percentage or people. I think it could be mildly genetic, as one half of my family have it, over four generations. But the other half have clear vision amd just see blue sky. It's a funny world.

[@adamdavis6520]

@@MrWitchblade I have visual snow, but I still see the outside world as clear as day, no static at all, I['m assuming that I only experience it in a blank room with just white walls, and in a dark room, so if they see the sky as clear as blue, it doesn't really say much.

[@MrWitchblade]

@@adamdavis6520 I was surprised when people I knew said all they could see was a blue sky or flat color. I thought everyone had this. Turns out, if you do suffer from "Blue Sky Phenomenon", you are more prone to migraine. As always, if in doubt, see a Doctor. :)

[@adamdavis6520]

@@MrWitchblade don't know what you're trying to say, as I am young but I only have visual snow while looking at blank walls, when I look outside I don't see static, I don't get why.

[@pmolyneaux27]

OMG yes! Visual snow - so nice to finally know the name for it!

[@paulaclarke3421]

Thanks Inés, nicely done. My favorite is the blue sky entopic phenomenon, on a nice sunny day I love to pick a bright blue patch of sky and watch those (that I now know to be) white blood cells darting about. Small pleasures!

[@ByteMe619]

This is the video that I never knew I needed

[@dafff08]

at least i know its "normal?" to have visual snow. when i was younger i did not have any visual snow. i used to think my eyes were mediocre until my eyes deteriorated to average vision.. when thinking back i had extremely good night vision and i thought everyone did. i could walk at night through the forest with just the moon light and i was able to see everything sharp and clear.

[@KOZMOuvBORG]

Been seeing visual snow whenever I gaze at a mottled surface, thanks for naming it

[@ImPunken]

I finally can stop having anxiety about the visual snow now knowing that everyone has it to some degree

[@DavidKing-ph8or]

Consistently the most interesting and informative channel on youtube. Please keep up the excellent work

[@dreans11]

wow, I love learning this kind of thing. Side note, her voice is just gorgeous.

[@jaymeselliot8181]

Visual snow gets worse for me when I'm feeling anxious.

[@emaila4878]

Same. And when my adrenaline ia increased too. It worsens before a panic attack

[@jaymeselliot8181]

@@emaila4878 i thought it was something that video games did to make your screen more scary, no its real XD

[@MIG.GTA27]

Do you see static because of anxiety? My vision is pulsating and looks like water in a lake😳

[@jaymeselliot8181]

not always, if i dont take coenzyme q10 and magnisium for a couple days it gets really bad, but anxity does make it worse@@MIG.GTA27

[@TheIinLiyzz]

I’m so glad this video mentioned the snow/static cause I’ve tried looking it up before and couldn’t find anything

[@AkkarisFox]

holly crap. the blue entopic phenomenon made me think i was insane. thank you so much. i have the snow too.

[@yordansic]

Wow, this was very descriptive! I never knew there was a name for "visual snow".

[@donna30044]

Thank you, Tom, for recommending Inéz's channel.

[@MikkoRantalainen]

I've seen visual snow maybe a couple of times in my life and I think it has been related to adrenaline or high blood pressure. I haven't noticed the Blue Entoptic Phenomenon ever but I'll try to notice it in the future. One thing that could have been included in this video is star bursts - we don't see bright pinpoint like light sources in dark environments when the pupil is big enough and the small inaccuracies in the eye start to manifest itself. For me, this is easiest to see with bright red LEDs because those allow the pupil to stay fully dilated in otherwise dark environment.

[@mancunianlee]

Floaters are also found in the bathroom.

[@GregtheMad]

Or the police catches them out of the river if they get loose from the concrete weight.

[@AlvinCornelius]

or in my bath tub

[@CoffeePoints]

Or literally everywhere. I see em everywhere I look

[@moooooooooo11]

Or my children's foreheads 💩

[@oz_jones]

And in the sewers. "They all float down here..."

[@sugar2000galaxy]

Visual snow is the best, I remember seeing them a lot during black outs. Sometimes, instead of grainy things, I see colourful lines and I like to track their movement and sometimes they blow up like fireworks. It might be because I was a kid back then but they were fun to watch.

[@vvill-ga]

"Which you can see in the grainy texture around me" Me watching at 144p: "Ah yes, the grainy texture around you..."

[@rentacowisgoogle]

She has huge braids.

[@vegancam]

+Tanzer ARMED I think you mean pretty geometric shapes.

[@RedsBoneStuff]

Wouldn't that be, like, incredibly impractical?

[@80milekyle70]

REMINDS ME OF THE ROPE WE USE DOWN AT THE SHIP DOCKS

[@RXP91]

Rapunzel level

[@sara8614]

My vision is unfocused by the thickness of that braid.

[@theythemgae9025]

This video is so helpful I find looking at the sky kind of worrying because of the floaters and "sparkles" also my night vision is definitely snowy. Now my mind is eased. Was going to bring it up with my optometrist and was kinda dreading what they may say

[@folklaur]

I love how up until this video we all thought our eyes were messed up but we also didn’t bother to do anything about it

[@stephenderry9488]

I started getting frequent phosphenes that made it difficult to read or look at a screen, which impacted my work. I had a load of tests at an optician and they told me my vision was absolutely perfect (not bad for my age!) and couldn't explain the symptoms. I ended up going to an eye doctor who told me they were visual migraines probably brought on by stress. I guess if you're going to have migraines, this is the sort you want.

[@jaredbergsma]

I played a Minecraft adventure map years ago with this music. It's making me super nostalgic

[@ambience9647]

I've always known about the floaters and have never experienced visual snow ever. But the segments about Blue Entoptic Phenomenon and phosphenes was very useful. Particularly, I believed the former happened because my eyes went wrong. Thank you!

[@AlanKey86]

Very cool!I have Charles Bonnet Syndrome, which means I constantly see faint geometric patterns overlaid on everything. I've had it since I was small and I used to describe it as looking down a kaleidoscope all the time (although 7 year old me was inaccurate, as the patterns aren't symmetrical).

[@ndv123ndv]

I had no idea that everyone has visual snow to some extent, that makes me feel a lot less anxious about it!

[@emaila4878]

Yes all this time in agony :) and unsettling anxiety lowered

[@Dn_119-w7w]

@@emaila4878 I hope your mental state gets better on this! I know it’s hard sometimes, but being anxious about it will only make things worse.

[@emaila4878]

@@Dn_119-w7w You are right and the less i think about it the more it goes away!

[@Dn_119-w7w]

@@emaila4878 great to hear :)

[@trixrabbit8792]

This is awesome. I’ve always wanted to know what I keep seeing. The eye doctors have never taken me seriously when I told them I was seeing them.

[@jojowaffles4208]

This video is so helpful omg especially the visual snow i was so confused about that

[@FroggyMosh]

Another JC Denton in these comments? You drunk again? You've been here three times already, mate.

[@JonesNate]

Whenever I have those floaters, they're always dropping from top to bottom across my visual perception. And if I blink, the old ones disappear and new ones appear. I've always just assumed it's dry spots or something like how the liquid on my corneas drains away.

[@Arek_R.]

When I was a kid, and very bored at some point, I put two keyfob 12V batteries in series(24V) and bite it with my teeth, gave a mild shock and saw some white flashes.

[@swish043]

Thank you for the reminder not to have kids.

[@PublicWifi]

This... was an amazingly informative vid. I've always wondered what I'm seeing. I'm totally sharing this with people. Thank you so much!

[@gingersperg]

I get 'visual snow' whenever it's about to rain (most of the time). Perhaps it's largely to do with pressure, particularly rapid changes in air pressure and humidity at the exterior of the eyes?

[@jayextarys8616]

When I was young I used to just stare at a wall and relax while watching phosphenes. Now I know what it is I'm so glad.

[@gulagwarlord]

Interesting note on "Visual Snow"... I've noticed it since I was a child, especially in the dark. I've recently begun taking the supplement GABA and I swear, the static/snow is "smoother" and less pronounced.

[@erinaa9486]

I used to think I was seeing atoms in the dark! And when I mentioned it to my parents they didn't know what I was talking about.

[@MsBorkbork]

What is gaba

[@doc-holliday-]

Gabal deez nuts

[@jejcnsjdndjskdjrn8329]

Zipplet I got this kind of thing all the time as a child and I recently remembered it. I was worried I had brain damage or something weird.

[@M-Mir]

@@MsBorkbork Gamma-aminobutyric acid. The most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in your cns. But i doubt that it will effect your retinal neurons cause we not only have the blood-brain barrier but a blood-retina barrier too that will probably prevent the absorption.

[@dotlvcy]

Finally I know the answers to everything I never really wanted the answer to but kind of wondered about.

[@paulpickett4522]

What a fantastic Guest host!

[@otto9141]

*WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN A TRADE AGREEMENT WITH ENGLAND?*

[@TerenceHorsman]

nah bro that's just f*cked up.

[@YaBoi-mi6kh]

Sorry If I don't think all my luxuries and 2 cities are worth 50 gold, gonna pass on that. *England declared war on you*

[@maglorian]

Only when you've triggered article 50.

[@kemp1222]

Yes, we would.

[@MFG1243]

**THE CITY OF ENGLAND*

[@itzn1ghtm4r34]

Plot twist: Tom got eaten by a polar bear, and the “Tom” we see in the videos after this is actually just a stunt double.

[@centerflag982]

The son of Paul McCartney's imposter

[@ilarious5729]

Where did they find another 40 year old teen tho

[@richardhall5489]

Interesting - thanks. I get the phosphenes periodically when meditating and sometimes the other ones during and after swimming in cold water. When it looks like it's snowing or raining but in fact it isn't raining at all that's a good time to swim back to the beach, get out and warm up.

[@lennypong]

Thank you for this so much, thought I had developed HPPD. Just my anxiety again...

[@bloodyrayne9282]

Hahah, me too. Until i figured out that it's normal thing)))

[@bloodyrayne9282]

I can't imagine how people with HPPD see world. It may be so scary -_-

[@sgkingly8392]

I have Irlen syndrome so I see these things more than most other people I also have other visual disturbances that others do not. E.g rivers along the page, text moving and shaking, patterns moving, text jumping off the page. So it makes reading difficult it also means that I see colour differently. It also means I have attention issues and emotional issues.

[@sgkingly8392]

thanks?

[@oscill8ocelot]

Huh. I'd never heard of Irlen syndrome until just now - this is interesting to me as I have been investigating visual phenomena for most of my life (mostly in the form of optical illusions). Can you go into more detail regarding the sorts of visual disturbances you see? I would very much appreciate it!

[@sgkingly8392]

I struggle to tell people because I don't know any different but here is a link: www.irlenuk.com/about-irlen-syndrome.htm

[@Crosshill]

you can also look up Charles Bonnet syndrome, since its seeing hallucinations, but with no mental illness, kind of like a neurally based optical illusion

[@derickd6150]

I'm not trying to be rude, really, but I see your pic is of Kerbal Space Program. Does this syndrome effect your ability to such a complex game?

[@kshitijsingh5206]

Thankyou so much. You saved me from depression

[@skull8093]

What about the phenomenom when you stare at an object, especially when its a bit darker, and the contrast of everything around it drops to zero? Like it all goes almost grey, out of focus, except for what youre staring-hardcore at.

[@MatthewRings1]

Great video! Will be using this in my ophthalmologic training. - Dr. Rings, Ophthalmologist, US Navy

[@DrawCuriosity]

Thanks! :D Glad to hear it's going to be used in an educational setting!