I See this all the time in the dark, but for me it can be a seething mass if the room is dark enough. If I start to focus on them (the specks), I begin to see a honeycomb effect form like others here, but it disappears if I shift my vision from where I am staring in the dark. It can appear as if it has a tunnel effect. Try closing your eyes and pressing on your eyelids lightly and stare into darkness, without opening your eyes of course.

I made a little animation to show what I see, although what I see is a lot smoother than this. It's not far off the overall effect though.



Is this what everyone else is seeing?.

Just to add my perspective to this thread. I have been perceiving those tiny dots for a very long time now and they especially became more pronounced after my meditation. I can see them in ALL lighting conditions. They happen spontaneously and always grab my attention when they appear.

To describe them, they are basically multicoloured points of light, almost like the theoretical description of photons, but of different colours and they are vivid to look at. They whizz around you in random movements. They are usually seen from the periphery of the eyes.

Like others here, I have often wondered what they are. I normally dismiss them as optical illusions, but now I am starting to consider other explanations.

The other explanations are that they are actualy photons which become visible to the eye in special conditions. However, as the eye does not have the resolution to see photons, this explanation is less likely. But it is possible that they belong to a special category of perception which is more powerful than the eye and hence makes hidden phenomenon perceivable.

Another possibility is that they are virtual particles or quantaum which apparently exist in the theoretical Higgs field, which flash in and out of existence. It is possible to capture them in a "fuzzy" state.

The explanation I gravitate more towards now because they tend to take place in peripheral vision, is that they are spiritual energies like particles in an auric field. As it has become a common occurence now since my meditation practice for me to see auras of things, as very bright lights of different colours around objects.

There is some description of this phenomenon in ancient sources which describe a special class of particles called Tanmatras, very similar to Higgs virtual particles. They are subtle particles that create solid particles and exist in a virtual domain. Some modern Yogis have called them lifetrons(Yogananda) and microvita(Prahbhat Sarkar) So this makes it likely they are a special perceptual yogic phenomanon and thus maybe common with meditators like myself.

The other more mundane explanations offered in this thread are less compelling. The theory they are shadows of white-blood cells sounds silly and I cannot see(ironic that) how that would work. The second explanation they are the results of brain chemical modifications, similar to drug-induced experiences, is not really an explanation of these tiny dots or drug experiences. The fact that brain chemical modifications are associated with experiences does not suggest causal relationships, but correlative relationships. Yes, I can consume certain substances which will lead to special kinds of experience, but this does not mean the substance is causing those experiences. It is rather facilitating the experience. Thus substance-induced experiences are not invalid simply because they are substance induced.

Maybe this post might be helpful in shedding more light on what these tiny dots are. In any case, I think they are are a very interesting and welcome phenomenon, and I quite enjoy watching them whizz around me lol

[edit on 5-12-2009 by Indigo_Child]

A bit tired so I do apologize if this has already been said in the other pages, I went over page 1 of the posts.

The "particles" you see, as i sent a message to the OP , to me it is almost like seeing air particles... would be the best way to describe it. It happens to me from time to time.

Another things, with the heat and the light glow around a persons body... i always thought it was a persons aura I was seeing, not the colors around the person, but the actual ...focus point? I may be spouting a bit here so I do apologize.

Let me know what you all think?

Cheers

I always, or rather I can faze them in and out, but i see red...background dots. not dots, way smaller. more like red static. is that it?

Originally posted by Tagz
Is this what everyone else is seeing?.

That isn't what I am specifically talking about but that is present as well along with other color patterns, colors, phosphenes (NOT from eye pressure but I can induce those with my fingers), etc. There is generally a "clumpy" cyan glow around the border of my vision in the dark that persists after any after imagery from looking at "real things" has faded, which can take awhile. What it is is sort of "behind" all that. If I can "clear away" what's in your picture, as well as the other stuff, then the other thing is even more intense. It also isn't quite so colorful as others here seem to experience it.

I get occasional bright colored dots that show up and fade. They leave afterimages that are black with a colored halo. They do not move. It sounds like what happens with cosmic ray strike to the retina but I dismiss that explanation because it is always in just a few places towards just off-center.

The whole natural trip is a fairly complex array of stuff. Basically, I never, ever see blackness in the dark and never have.

Originally posted by whateverponcho
i hate to say it but i kinda think we gotta lot of hallucinogen users on this site..just sayin. people can sometimes see those for months after use. all kinds of odd light phenomenon, trails, floaters ,this grid honeycomb pattern.. yeah.

I am slightly offended at that. I have never touched a drug in my life. I don't even drink. Honeycomb like was just the best description of the patterns they make that i could come up with.
Plus I was very young when I first noticed it.
As others have said, its like seeing air. For those who mentioned colors, what I see is colorless, sorta like glass not not quite. Its so hard to describe.

Look up floaters. They are normal. Most everyone has them. You described them quite well in the OP. I like the ones that look like worms on a microscope slide myself.

Okay, four pages and no one asked, what are your vision stats?

20/20?
Near or Far sighted?
Any color blindness?

Ever have the puff test?
Anyone have high blood pressure?

C'mon people, ooooh it could be this.

Figure out if their are any common things. Do not just go on and on.

Get to the bottom of it.

Anyway, more than likely it would not be in the lower frequencies of light-infrared, more likely the higher frequencies-ultraviolet, if it is anything related to extra wave length perception compared to us normal folk.

Do a little research on color blindness, I am pretty color blind, can only see the first letter in the color blind test book. Which is the inability to see certain wavelengths of light.

C'mon do a little research, not just go on on on.

I will help if you would like.

The animation is close. Switch the black for a sky blue and you have a day time version.

Sometimes if I sneeze or cough hard, a few seconds afterwards a series of larger brighter particles shoot out from the center of my vision.

I learned about the blood vessel in the eye affect long ago so as a kid. In grade school we would rest our heads for what ever reason. I would press my closed eyes into my arm and I would get the coolest patters in the insides of my eyelids. Like seeing depth or lack of depth with 2d fractals floating in it.
Now I can see them without pressing against my arm. All I have to do is close my eyes and let the show start. I figure my eyelids closing is enough pressure now.
Close your eyes. GENTLY rub one eye. See any blue or orange?

I learned from cartoons that the doctor is suppose to ask if you see spots. I figure that high blood pressure might cause "spots". Sneezing, coughing cause’s blood pressure to spike and reside in a very short few seconds. My only hypothesis to test out my cartoon knowledge. But then again I create my universe as simple as possible

Reflecting on the OP, we all think we are unique but the more you look the more you find yourself in everyone else.