I am asking a serious question here for once. Why is it we see, so many images out of our peripheral vision as opposed to dead on (no pun intended). Seems to happen to all of us at one time or another. I know about the frontal lobe and how it works so I am not really asking for the medical reason, but the paranormal answer. Also does it make a difference which eye we see something out of peripherally? Thanks..JN..

Why do we roll our eyes back when we go into a trance?.....B
halfhandshuffle:Warrant-Uncle Tom's Cabin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te1iSbyaR9I

Don't we have a blind spot in one of our eyes?

You know, on that thought of the blind spot, I think we have something. I think it has to do with the way our eyes are and how our eyes recieve pictures and sight. It's like trying to view a distant star in the night sky. You stare at the star straight on, and it's not as bright as if you see it from the corner of your eye, or your peripheral vision, if you will. Maybe that is why we catch motion of the paranormal from our peripheral vision, because it is strong to view things then from straight on.
I could be wrong....*shrugs*

I see shadow people with my peripheral vision in my house!

It's creepy.

Haha.. I know you don't want to hear a medical reason.. but .. you know your eye has rods and cones .. well the cones (for day vision) are focused to the middle .. rods are your peripheral vision and night vision. Might not be just a coincidence that people see ghosts mostly at night and in the periphery. (Quick Edit to Add)Also since your peripheral/night vision is in shades of black and blues.. not full color.. it might be why they appear as 'shadow' people.. since if you see them with that part of your eye, you couldn't detect color even if it was there

For paranormal reasons (ok this isnt really paranormal..).. maybe it's because we focus too hard on what's in front of us our mind just locks in on what we expect. In the periphery it's more relaxed. That's why when you try and focus on it you lose it.

Haha.. I know you don't want to hear a medical reason.. but .. you know your eye has rods and cones .. well the cones (for day vision) are focused to the middle .. rods are your peripheral vision and night vision. Might not be just a coincidence that people see ghosts mostly at night and in the periphery. (Quick Edit to Add)Also since your peripheral/night vision is in shades of black and blues.. not full color.. it might be why they appear as 'shadow' people.. since if you see them with that part of your eye, you couldn't detect color even if it was there

For paranormal reasons (ok this isnt really paranormal..).. maybe it's because we focus too hard on what's in front of us our mind just locks in on what we expect. In the periphery it's more relaxed. That's why when you try and focus on it you lose it.

LOL are you a photographer or an Opthalmologist? Yea know Hun, I was a nurse and EMT for over 11 years and I know my stuff. I know blind spots, cones and rods and all that crap. I see them during the day and at night, but not all the time of course (thank God)..Ok so lets say you are sitting in your living room watching TV, or reading, or playing on the puter. All the sudden out of the corner of your eye you see something go past a door faster than you eye can see. Then you look and POOF its gone. When I go to my room to go to bed, I wont even begin to explain what I see, or what I have here..I can see the entire ceiling turn darker and darker till its all black, even tho it is illumated by a light in another room. I can see HUGE white and or black orbs going up and down the walls hovering over my bed,which is not a comfort. In any case, what I am trying to say is, I see alot of things the average person doesnt see, so why "sometimes" out of my peripheral vision. Debunk that LOL..

You tell people that you are seeing things (not just things, but your ceiling going black and black and white orbs moving up and down the walls) out of the corner of your eye and then, when someone offers you a perfectly good explanation you get all pissy.

You claim that you love questions and alternative solutions but when someone offers them to you, you always have something smart to say and that challenge of "debunk that!". Your stories have been debunked over and over again but you never seem to notice it.

My suggestion to you, would be psychological counseling.
The things you are seeing out of the corner of your eyes is the least of your problems!

I was a nurse and EMT for over 11 years and I know my stuff.

My wife is a Nurse for 40 years. She said cut your eyelashes and you won't see shadow person. lol

My wife is a Nurse for 40 years. She said cut your eyelashes and you won't see shadow person. lol

bio-evoIt's easy to understand why peripheral vision would have been preserved in human evolution. As a prey species, humans have long had an urgent, compelling need to look around their world and monitor the periphery. Survival in a mosaic grassland would have required a comprehensive, wide-angle visual scan. Dangers can be anywhere: left or right, above or below, in front or behind. If you focus in one place for too long, you become vulnerable to attack from some other direction. Ideally, you'd have two overlapping sensibilities; one to focus on the center of attention, another to monitor the neighborhood. Given the demands of their environment, we can assume that primal humans used their vision in a comprehensive manner, a rough balance between peripheral and focused vision. They focused on objects of attention of course, but they also kept a broad scan going. They concentrated on food, friends and other curiosities, but they always maintained peripheral sensitivity. This is the default use of vision, the natural use of the human eye.

I can give you an anthropological reason. It comes from thousands of years ago when humans, (and human ancestors,) were not just hunters, but also prey. We had to be able to react to an ambush from an attacking animal, so we are actually better able to detect quick movements out of our peripheral vision than dead on, as many attacking animals pounce from a hiding place in order to catch their prey.

c&p from www.goanimal.com
(I know, I'm a big dork, but I love this stuff!)

eta: OT, but I'm all excited! I'm an appairiton and not ectoplasmic residue anymore!!!

(I know, I'm still a dork.)

I can give you an anthropological reason. It comes from thousands of years ago when humans, (and human ancestors,) were not just hunters, but also prey. We had to be able to react to an ambush from an attacking animal, so we are actually better able to detect quick movements out of our peripheral vision than dead on, as many attacking animals pounce from a hiding place in order to catch their prey.

c&p from www.goanimal.com
(I know, I'm a big dork, but I love this stuff!)

eta: OT, but I'm all excited! I'm an appairiton and not ectoplasmic residue anymore!!!

(I know, I'm still a dork.)

hey thats ok cause im a dork too!!

I've heard 2 theories:

1) It has something to do with the angles of light. Shadows (and ghosts) are more 2D than 3D (in theory). Looking at a shadow or ghost head on you'd barely see a very very very thin edge. They can only be well seen from the sides. Ever read the book "Flat Land"? It's a classic story of life in a 2D world!!

2) Physically, our eyes are structured with the greatest concentration of light sensing cells grouped towards the middle of the retena. Especially color sensing cells. In theory some people are more sensetive to stray light coming in thier eyes from an angle and hitting the very edge of the retena where mostly B&W cells are and not very concentrated. The brain interprets these fleeting slight light signals as shadows.

2) Physically, our eyes are structured with the greatest concentration of light sensing cells grouped towards the middle of the retena. Especially color sensing cells. In theory some people are more sensetive to stray light coming in thier eyes from an angle and hitting the very edge of the retena where mostly B&W cells are and not very concentrated. The brain interprets these fleeting slight light signals as shadows.

Now, I am wondering if that shadow figure going down my stairs at the house in Jersey is something I actually saw. Though, much I doubt a lot of fleeting motion I see out of the corner of my eye, that shadow was very pronounced. Though, this bit of info is very good to know.

I recently attended a presentation by a doctor on the subject of, amoung other things shadows, and this is how he explained the majority of sightings. I think he may have a good point. Most sightings are corner-of-ther-eye events.

I also personally think just tired eyes and distracted minds account for a lot of claimed sightings, especially in low light and dark conditions.

Alright, please stop with mental health checks in the forums.... If you don't agree with someones point of view, state your own and leave it be... Calling someones mental health into question does nothing but put the person who said it in a negative light.
Let it go and get back to the subject at hand please.

Alright, while i was reading here i always check my back coz i'm alone in our study room. I feel there's someone watching me.
Now i have to switch off the light in the kitchen before i go to bed but i have to turn all the lights in the hallway just in case someone tap my back. I'm getting paranoid because of this peripheral vision of mine. It's always better to get ready just in case something happen. How i wish i will survive the night and wait till tomorrow. I'm always in war with the ghost.

(I know, I'm a big dork, but I love this stuff!)

eta: OT, but I'm all excited! I'm an appairiton and not ectoplasmic residue anymore!!!

(I know, I'm still a dork.)

I am asking a serious question here for once. Why is it we see, so many images out of our peripheral vision as opposed to dead on (no pun intended). Seems to happen to all of us at one time or another. I know about the frontal lobe and how it works so I am not really asking for the medical reason, but the paranormal answer. Also does it make a difference which eye we see something out of peripherally? Thanks..JN..

We can see stuff with periphal vision because the center of our eyes is hardened up from constant use and the side of our eyes are more sensitive to other frequencys

This funny thing happened to me at work today.
I was assigned to another area and i'm the only one who work there.
I saw someone passing on my 45 degree vision and this person hides.
He thinks he can surprise me so i hide too and trying to surprise him first. But he never showed up.
I've searched everywhere but can't find this person.
I really do know i saw someone and it's not on the corner of my eye. No big deal for me whoever that person is.
It's a shadow person or not, who cares?

That's the first shadow person i've seen in my life.
But i always see "Elementals".