Question: Why do we see small specks of colour in the dark?

Asked by reneesmirnios12 to DJ, Kyler, Mia, Mick, Peter on 27 Aug 2013.

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  1. Photo: David JefferyDavid Jeffery
    answered on 27 Aug 2013:

    Your brain thinks you are seeing things. There is nothing really there in front of your eyes. This is actually “noise” (a bit like static on the radio) sensed by the same nerves that allow you to see when there’s enough light. Interestingly enough, sounds can make some people see colours, in a particular form of something called synesthesia.

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  2. Photo: Mia CobbMia Cobb
    answered on 28 Aug 2013:

    @reneesmirnois12: I don’t think I have seen this! I know some people see coloured spots and those people sometimes go on to have migraines that present at spots or flashes of lights (and not always a headache).

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  3. Photo: Peter PerryPeter Perry
    answered on 28 Aug 2013:

    I think both David and Mia are right – I do not see coloured specks in the dark, although I suspect girls might be more likely to see them as coloured than boys (girls are also more likely to dream in colour – most boys drema in black and white).
    Did you know that when there is not very much light, we stop seeing in colour and only see in black and white?

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