phosphene

American  

[fos-feen] / ˈfɒs fin /

noun

Physiology.

1. a luminous image produced by mechanical stimulation of the retina, as by pressure applied to the eyeball by the finger when the lid is closed.

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phosphene British  

/ ˈfɒsfiːn /

noun

1. the sensation of light caused by pressure on the eyelid of a closed eye or by other mechanical or electrical interference with the visual system

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Etymology

Origin of phosphene

1870–75; < French phosphène, irregular < Greek phôs light (contraction of pháos ) + phaínein to show, shine

Example Sentences

A typical prosthesis consists of an array of fine electrodes, each of which is designed to trigger a phosphene.

From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2023

Potential implant locations would then be identified, and the simulation developed in the Monash research would be used to plot phosphene maps.

From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2023

There’s a Riot borrows its title from Sly and the Family Stone’s 1971 masterpiece There’s a Riot Goin’ On, trading the modified American flag on its cover for a hazy phosphene.

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2018

The investigators reasoned that if the synesthetes did have highly excitable neurons in the visual cortex, they would need less stimulation than the control subjects to see the phosphene.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 17, 2011

Each participant received stimulation on the scalp near an area called the primary visual cortex until they saw a flash of light known as a phosphene.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 17, 2011