I am not sure how many of you have experienced this but coming from a very hot region (South India), I have experienced this numerous times. Especially when I enter my home after spending long duration playing outside on a bright sunny day.
I sort of hallucinate(for lack of better word) and see patterns of rings, bubbles and ellipses floating in front of me. I have to either rub my eyes a few times or wash my face to get rid of them!
Is there a specific word/phrase to describe this?
My search revealed psychedelic but I am not sure if that's the word I am looking for.
Having intense, vivid colours or a swirling abstract pattern
[ODO sense 1.2]
More details on the phenomenon I experience:
The patterns that I see are initially very bright because my pupils are still small. As time progresses, the brightness of the vivid patterns starts to fade. I see the patterns with my eyes open. Sometimes I also see them when I rub my eyes. The walls at my home are light, so yes light colored (I haven't been in a room that is dark colored {except for cinema halls, of course}). Not only on walls, I see them on empty spaces right in front of me as well. Yes, they throb and move. They don't change shapes but sizes(expand and contract). The patterns are random. The moment I enter my home, they are everywhere (all over my field of view). Gradually they are at different spots and they fade away. All this lasts for may be 4-5 seconds.
Best Answer
I'm not completely sure what you're describing, but what you're describing might be phosphenes. I'm also reminded somewhat of the aura that is sometimes experienced by people suffering from chronic migraines before an attack begins, although that term is rarely used outside that context.
"Psychedelic" is certainly a good word to describe them, though! Another word that might apply is "kaleidoscopic", comparing the images to what one might see in a kaleidoscope.