I have had a similar experience with the VVIQ. I can't really explain it, but it's almost as if when I close my eyes, my mind shuts down vision-related activity. It's not just the VVIQ, though that was what made me start thinking about this. In general, with my eyes open, I can recall visual details more readily, even though I don't really see anything in my "mind's eye."

*incorrectly