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A member asked:
What are the lights i can see when i poke my eyeballs with my fingers?
4 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Nerve stimulation: Nerves can be stimulated by various things. When you hit your "funny bone, " you are stimulating your ulnar nerve in your elbow. When you poke your eye, you are stimulating your optic nerve in a similar fashion, causing the sparkly lights (and a bit of pain).
Answered 3/22/2012
6.2k views
Retina stimulation: Hitting the eye causes a pressure wave that hits the film layer (retina) in the back of the eye. This stimulates the receptors in the retina to fire, creating the lights that you see.
Answered 9/28/2016
6.2k views
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