flick phosphene

flick phosphene
   Also known as eye-movement phosphene. The term flick phosphene was introduced in or shortly before 1957 by the American ophthalmologist Bernard R. Nebel, who had observed the concomitant phenomenon in himself. The term is used to denote a type of *phosphene (i.e. a transient flash or spark of light) that can be evoked under physiological circumstances by rapid eye movements (REMs). As described by Nebel, "The 'flick phosphene' is best observed in the dark-adapted well-rested eye, i.e. before dawn after a restful sleep. Then if one flicks the eyes, e.g. from left to right, with the lids closed, one observes in each monocular field the short-lived appearance of a bright pattern." This pattern tends to be sheaf like, and to point in the direction of the sudden eye movement. Its colour is usually whitish, with some blue or orange added against the darkness of the background. The flick phosphene is classified as an * entoptic phenomenon. It is traditionally attributed to a primary deformation of the retina, caused by the torsional forces of relative movement occurring at the interface of retina and vitreous. Conceptually as well as phenomenologically, the flick phosphene is considered closely akin to * Moore's lightning streaks and the * fiery rings of Purkinje. The term is used in opposition to the terms *convergence phosphene, *movement phosphene, and * sound phosphene.
   References
   Nebel, B.R. (1957). The phosphene of quick eye motion. Archives of Ophthalmology, 58, 235-243.

Dictionary of Hallucinations. . 2010.

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  • phosphene —    Also known as unstructured photopsia. The term phosphene comes from the Greek words phos (light) and phainein (to shine). It is used to denote a transient flash or spark of light, commonly referred to as seeing stars . Phosphenes are * visual… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • movement phosphene —    A term introduced in or shortly before 1976 by the American neurologists Floyd A. Davis et al. to denote a type of * phosphene (i.e. a transient flash or spark of light) that may be evoked by eye movement. Etiologically, movement phosphenes… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • convergence phosphene —    A term used to denote a *phosphene (i.e. seeing stars ) arising physiologically in association with convergence of the eyes. In 1978 the American neuroscientist Christopher W. Tyler proposed a distinction between two types of convergence… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • sound phosphene —    A term used to denote a type of synaesthesia characterized by a transient flash or spark of light (i.e. a *phosphene) which is triggered by a sudden sound. Sound phosphenes are typically perceived in a dark environment. A special variant is… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • eye-movement phosphene —    see flick phosphene …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • fiery rings of Purkinje —    The eponym fiery rings of Purkinje refers to the Bohemian physiologist Johannes Evangelista Purkyne (1787 1869), who is credited with being the first to describe the concomitant phenomenon in his textbook of 1823. The phenomenon consists of… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • Moore's lightning streaks —    The eponym Moore s lighting streaks refers to a subclass of the group of *phosphenes characterized by brief, vertical flashes of light in the temporal field of one eye, typically occurring in the dark, and typically elicited by acceleration of …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

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