OPTICAL ILLUSIONS EXPLAINED (PART 3)

If you haven’t taken a look at our first optical illusions blogs, check them out here and part 2 here. It’s been awhile since we ventured into optical illusions and how they work, but it was so much fun the first two times that we thought we’d show you some more! Our eyes are pretty cool and even have the ability to deceive our brains. The way certain images, colors, or lighting come together can create many misleading effects and fool our brains into believing exactly what we are seeing. The trick is that not everyone sees an image the same exact way. As we go through some examples, do not be alarmed if you can’t see some of the effects that we explain or see something different. It’s completely normal! Let’s jump right in to some more eye tricks and go into detail about each and every one of them…

1. The Expanding black hole

Take a look directly in the center of the black hole. You may see the black hole start to expand and may even seem as if it is coming towards you! In all actuality, it is staying completely still.

Our brains often try to predict what is happening and that is exactly what is happening here. We predict the expected future by seeing the hole expanding. The circular gradient shadow simulates optic flow, and our brain triggers the outward expansion of the black hole. The part of this illusion that we think is the most unique is often the unseen… the viewer’s pupils will tend to dilate to take in more light, predicting the darkness expanding. Trippy, huh?

2. van gogh starry night illusion

This one really got us! By staring at the spinning circles in the top image, the famous Starry Night painting comes to life! Our brain simply twists the image to how our eyes are adjusting to the painting and swirls.

3. The numbers Illusion

While looking at this spiral, how many numbers do you see?

For most of us, the number 2 in the center jumped out to you almost immediately. Maybe you were also able to make out a "528" or "4528" without straining your eyes much. However, the correct answer is actually seven digits long! Closer inspection reveals that the number is “3452839.” This illusion is all about contrast sensitivity. The better contrast sensitivity you have, the easier it is to see all the digits. Sometimes, your eyes can adjust to different contrasts and it may become clearer the more you focus. Unfortunately, some people with certain eye conditions just have limited contrast sensitivity and won’t be able to see all the numbers. Contrast sensitivity is not something we test on your usual eye exam, but we will test for this in certain conditions.

Our eyes and brains are pretty impressive, but they can often fool us into thinking something is there when it actually isn’t there at all. These, and many other, optical illusions out there are proof that sometimes believing is actually not seeing, even though it appears that way!