The thing is, people in an NDE typically report seeing their body from above, and are able to report what went on round them.
Even if we leave aside the requirement to relocate the viewpoint to somewhere near the ceiling, and assume the eyes are open, seeing needs the eye to focus and to have small movements that keep shifting the focus so that the image continues to be visible.
Exactly right! I mean people can faint without even losing all blood supply to the brain - it is that critical.
Another fact to bear in mind, is that NDE's typically continue getting grander until the heart is started again - they don't fade out the further in you go.
On the hypothesis that our consciousness really does separate from the body at death, isn't it possible that this huge event disturbs the brain cells into a final burst of activity?
Some people suggest that brains put out a last burst of activity as they die because the nerves start to fire uncontrollably because of the release of excess glutamate. Maybe this is so, but does it make sense to suggest that uncontrolled firing of this sort could represent a nuanced event like an NDE!
David