All of these senses that humans have are quite remarkable, but if you had to choose one that is the most amazing, most people would say vision. We are able to see the world around us in impressive detail (though not as good as some other animals) and that has allowed us to survive and become the dominant species on the planet.

There is no doubt that our vision is one of the most important tools we have when it comes to living our life, but it is also something that most people are just used to, so they don’t give it much thought, even about the weirder things that come with our vision.

Almost everyone will experience certain anomalies with their vision that they don’t really think much about.

For example, when looking at a bright white screen or other highly illuminated area, most people will see some type of ‘eye floaters.’ These often look like tiny worms in your vision that float around. While weird, they are completely normal. Sophie Cai wrote a piece for Johns Hopkins Medicine where she explains what these floaters actually are:

“Eye floaters appear as specks of various shapes and sizes that move across your field of vision. These specks represent cells, clumps of collagen proteins, or debris that are present within the vitreous gel, which fills the back of the eye. They can interfere with vision by casting a shadow on the retina. They may be most obvious when looking at a something bright white.”

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She went on:

“Eye floaters are most commonly a result of normal aging-related changes in the vitreous gel. As we get older, an acute development of a big central floater is a common symptom of a posterior vitreous detachment, where the vitreous gel separates from the back of the eye.”

Another oddity of vision occurs for most people when they look at a bright blue object, such as a clear sky. Unlike the floater phenomena, those who see something on the blue sky will usually see tiny dots that move rapidly across the field of vision. These are called Scheerer’s phenomenon after the German ophthalmologist who first documented them. They are also often called blue field entoptic phenomenon. The American Academy of Ophthalmologists explains what they are:

“Blood flows to your eyes through blood vessels that pass over the retina – the part of your eye that acts as a receptor for all light. Red blood cells, which make up more than 90 percent of your blood, absorb blue light. White blood cells let blue light through to your retina, which then sends a signal of increased brightness to the brain.”

So, like the floaters, Scheerer’s phenomenon occur because something really is passing into your field of vision, but it is the white blood cells rather than something else.

Like the floaters, however, this experience is nothing to worry about as long as it hasn’t changed dramatically in a quick period of time. If the experience changes significantly, it could indicate a problem with the eyes or even blood flow. If you have noticed a change, it is best to call your eye doctor so they can take a look.

Otherwise, just enjoy the odd visual experience that our bodies produce and move on with your day.

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