Why We See Stars: A Brain's Trick

Why do we see stars when we bump ourselves? Have you ever experienced this?

You bump into something, and suddenly you see little flashes of light

or ‘ stars’ in front of your eyes. It sounds magical, but it’s actually

quite simple: your brain and eyes work together to process light and images.

When you bump yourself, a part of your eyes or optic nerve

is briefly mechanically stimulated. The brain interprets this stimulation as light signals,

even though no actual light is present. That’s why you see those little

sparks or stars. You could say your brain is playing a little trick on you.