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

Sighted participants recruited for the study were asked to test and verify the phosphene maps based on visual acuity and object recognition.

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 suspicion proved correct: in fact, people without synesthesia required three times as much stimulation to reliably evoke the phosphene, the team reports online today in Current Biology.

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