Weird phenomenon with closed eyes

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This is about something I irregularly experience when my eyes are closed and I lie in bed, trying to fall asleep.

Because sometimes, when my eyes have been closed for a while and I'm thinking about something, it's like a bright light suddenly flashes in front of me. It usually moves from left to right very quickly and vanishes again.

This can in no way be real light, though it sounds like it. My room is always completely dark, no light can get in from outside.

This doesn't happen every night. Let's say it appears two nights in a week and then it usually happens 3 times per night.

I never had this until a few months ago. I can't explain it and it's a little creepy as there is no real explanation.

Alien abduction. Just kidding,maybe see an eye doctor.Sometimes I see weird swirly colors with my eyes closed,I keep the room dark also.I've always had this. But I definitely would want to know what's happening if it just started.I hope you get some answers so you don't have to worry anymore.I hate anxiety.

I occasionally experience strange things with my eyes closed. Doesn't really happen anymore but several years ago I got it quite frequently although it never bothered me. I would see sort of a landscape of symbols or specs with slight shape of light as if viewed from a distance. They would come closer until the vision passed below them where another layer would become visible. Very strange.

I see red and green rounded arrows at first when I first go to bed.

REM?

Or maybe it's your eyes slowly adjusting to the change in light (going from the brightness of one part of the house to the darkness of your room. Think of how funny your eyes go when you go inside after spending a while in the full sun).

I've had a strobe-y version of this as far as I can remember

Closed-Eye Visualizations, a form of phosphene.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed-eye_hallucination

I find it quite easy to induce the type of moving, cloud-like pattern shown as level 3 CEV on that Wiki page, and the fun part is trying to visualise it as 3-D and move "forward" into it.
I also see the same "moving light" as Sanctus describes, looking similar in effect to the level 3 image, except I'd describe it as starting small and dim from the right, then blooming and becoming larger and brighter as it moves fairly quickly towards the left. It's generally a deep purple with a lighter "hairy" and moving edge, brightening to a dull yellowish colour at its peak.
The final fade is quite interesting as there's usually a brief surge of brightness immediately before it vanishes and I always get the impression it "pops" out instead of fades out. It's almost like it implodes.

Curious how mine move from right to left, but Sanctus' move from left to right.

Very interesting, thanks a lot! Now I wonder why this started just a few months ago.. hm..

One of my stims as a child was to squeeze my eyelids closed to the point of pain to see the "fireworks" in my eyes.