This week, American Board of Ophthalmology Emeritus Director Ivan Schwab, MD, FACS, introduced readers of the Wall Street Journal to entoptic phenomena, or what a person sees with closed eyes. From eighth-century Taoist monks who could generate phosphenes while in a hypnagogic state to modern scientific research on what "visual noise" actually is, Dr. Schwab, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of California, Davis, explained how and why people are able to sense light and colors, even without the presence of light stimuli.
Click here to read the WSJ article.
Dr. Schwab, an author, educator, and researcher, specializes in cornea and external disease and uveitis. He was formerly on the editorial boards of the journal Cornea and the journal Ophthalmology. His research interests have focused on stem-cell grafting, wound healing, and comparative ophthalmology. Dr. Schwab served as a Director of the American Board of Ophthalmology from 2003 to 2010.