Mirror phenomenon after a shower

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The discussion centers on the phenomenon of observing unusual visual effects in a fogged bathroom mirror after a shower, particularly around the eyes. Participants describe seeing larger shadows and bright white rings that change size and shape based on viewing angle, suggesting an optical illusion rather than a medical issue like high blood pressure. Theories include the effects of condensation on the mirror and how light refracts through the water droplets, potentially resembling a small-scale sun dog effect. The conversation highlights the uniqueness of this experience and invites others to share if they notice similar effects. Overall, the phenomenon appears to be a fascinating interplay of light and perception in fogged mirrors.
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Whenever I look in the bathroom mirror after a shower. I immediately notice where the reflection of my eyes are, there is some sort of larger shadow around them. If I move closer, my eyes look like bright white rings (no, it doesn't resemble the normal reflection). Both phenomena seem to change size and shape depending on where in the mirror I look and they don't appear unless the mirror is fogged. It all looks like some optical illusion and I doubt it's my imagination because at first glance at the fogged mirror meters away without thinking about it, the phenomena immediately makes itself noticible always accurately indicating where in the mirror my eyes are.

Try it yourself. What do you think is going on?
 
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Sounds like high blood pessure to me have it checked
 
It's possible I have high blood pressure but why would it cause these symptoms?

To give you a better idea of what I see from a distance, the black I see is like the non existent grey dots in this optical illusion:
Optical-Illusion-Black-Squares-and-Gray-Dots.jpg


Next time you leave the bath/shower, look at your reflection in the fogged mirror. It would interest me to know if this is common.
 
I don't understand what you post #3 is trying to convey, so I'm going to ignore it.

It seems to me that, when you are looking at your own eyes, that is the only circumstance under which your line of sight is exactly normal to the mirror's surface.

My first guess would be that the dark and light rings you are seeing are a cumulative effect of images in the myriad drops of condensation on the mirror.

If the rings are truly concentric around the image of your eyes, that means that every light ray in any given ring has the same angle and thus would be subject to the same refraction.

So I'd speculate that it's basically a sun dog, writ small.
 
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I'll chew that one over.

The optical illusion in the 3rd post gives the impression of grey dots where the white lines intersect. Their (grey dots) appearance & behavior of changing visibility depending on where you look resembles what I see around the fogged mirror image of my eyes even from across the room.
 
hl_world said:
The optical illusion in the 3rd post gives the impression of grey dots where the white lines intersect. Their (grey dots) appearance & behavior of changing visibility depending on where you look
Got all that...

hl_world said:
resembles what I see around the fogged mirror image of my eyes even from across the room.

Ah. So a sort of elusive peripheral vision thingy.
 
DaveC426913 said:
Ah. So a sort of elusive peripheral vision thingy.

Right, but smaller and localised on the mirror image.
 
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