What's this light show in my eyes?

OK, I got a question for ya:

What are those weird patterns and designs and colors you see when you close your eyes and push on your eyeballs with your hands? What is that? How does it do that?

-- Gina Rysdyk, Netland

Stop poking at yer eyeholes, Gina! Poking your eyes compresses the fluid inside them, which stimulates the receptors in your retina. Some receptors are designed to register light, some to register color. As these are randomly stimulated, the signals go to your brain, which translates them into spots or stripes of light and color. But Dr. Peeper, our staff eye guy, says it's really not a good idea to poke at your eyeballs, even with the fireworks show.