Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Brigitte Bardot in Swimsuits
There is a condition known as the Charles Bonnet Syndrome. This condition results from the severe loss of vision. Such loss of vision can take place over a lifetime until some threshold is reaches usually in later life when the condition manifests itself.
The visual effect is to 'see' images that are not there even with the eyes open. Such images can take the form of grotesque faces, geometric patterns, predatory animal faces and fangs, and so on.
The question is, why do the images have to take on those characteristics? Why faces that turn into skulls, faces that morph into death masks? Why wide open bear and baboon fangs faces, snake fangs ready to strike?
Instead, why would such images not be Brigette Bardot in a bikini? :)
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Oh, yes, I forgot to 'splain (Ricky ricardo :)) how the Bonnet syndrome works. For normal folks, light goes into the eye and tickles the rods and cones so that they send an array of signals up the optic nerve to the brain. Once there, the brain evaluates the image and compares its components to the zillions of images already stored there, matching as many of the components as possible for recognition, and storing any new components for future use. Once it establishes some degree of recognition, it sends that recognition to the 'you' that you are and you can then determine what to do about it.
ReplyDeleteWhen vision is lost or seriously impaired, there is no first step by the rods and cones and the optic nerve remains passively inert. So, what is the brain to do? Well, the Bonnet Syndrome would indicate that the brain 'creates' it own images to interpret. The 'where' it gets these images from is the same place that gives recognition to good vision images...it produces images from those remembered images and sends them to be evaluated by 'you'. Unfotunately, the images are primitive and usually darkly mysterious forms the most common of which are shadowy faces as if from an Edgar Allen Poe poem. Then, once the image (face) is placed into consciousness, it begins to dissolve as the brain tries to interpret the image that it produced itself. This morphing is quite macabre and grotesque at times and somewhat frightening until you realize what is happening.
The healthy response to such images is to marvel that they are there at all and to explore them with good humor because you know that they are not real.
By the way, I cannot see the images in the videos I share, so I apologize in advance if anyone is offended. My feeling about Brigette Bardot in a bikini is, well, how can anyone be offended by that? :)