system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
What is it that you are seeing when you close your eyes and press your fingers into your eyelids?

What is it that creates the patterns and moving segments of light you see when doing so?
gpt
When you press on your eye, the image its called a "pressure phosphene".
Pressing on your eye stimulates your retinal nerves to interpret the pressure as light.  Besides rubbing your eyes you can "see stars" after a head bump or even a strong sneeze if these events cause the retinal receptors to fire.

Another common reason for seeing something weird when pressing your eye is floaters. the little bits of protein floating in the vitreous humor (clear liquid) inside the eye.  Floaters are ignored by your visual system if they don't move.