Derived from Plato, who probably inherited the concept from Persians, who in turn probably inherited it from Egyptians. The ancient view of vision was very different from ours. It extended beyond mere objects. Ancient philosophers were well-versed in qualitative sciences, and had observed that matter in an ordinary state was radiant. Matter sends out its emanations in all directions, even in the dark. The human & animal eye is a special organ through which the aura is projected. When the mind is properly initiated and exercised, consciousness can actually leak through the eyes, and be projected. When that happens, a very special type of vision occurs. They gave a name to the radiance coming from the eye and from all objects: EIDOLA, which means literally "idea messages". What they're saying is, when the Eidola from your eyes and Eidola from objects meet, that creates perception. One can literally examine ideas which have no physical form, but which nevertheless radiate Eidola. Ideas can radiate Eidola. Descartes restored this idea in his discussions of "Ether".Eidolic vision is the ancient term; Eidetic is what the term became with the movement from qualitative to quantitative. Eidetic vision includes a special type of persistent afterimage, which has conscious qualities. This is all beyond neurology.

It is an ability to process or reshape remembered forms and images. Memory is a reconnection with real things -- with eidetic or eidolic images.

Eidolic = qualitative

Eidetic = quantitative

Eidetic imagery is carried with a set of lines, as a living thing. (Vassilaitos)