Magic Eye

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Magic Eye Things arent always what they appear
to be. Anne Seifferlein aseiffer_at_nmu.edu
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Were always watching things, looking at the
world around us, and making observations. Our
eyes are a key part of our daily lives. Just
imagine being blind, never knowing the beauty of
the sunset or having any concept of what the
color blue is. We count on our eyes to help us
out every day. We trust them and rely on what we
see with them. However, did you know that even
your eyes can trick you?
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Activity 1 - Close your right eye, or cover it
with your hand. - Stare at the black circle
(below). - While looking at the circle, use
peripheral (side) vision to see the X. - Slowly
move your head towards the screen. - The X should
completely disappear! - Continue moving forward,
and it will re-appear!
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Blind Spot
Recall what you have already learned about the
anatomy of your eye. When you see an object, the
image forms on your retina and goes to the brain
through the optic nerve. Where the optic nerve
connects to the retina, a blind spot is
developed. Your brain doesnt usually notice it
because it takes the images from both eyes and
makes you see what would logically be there.
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Activity 2
Look carefully at any one of the white dots in
the grid below.How many black or grey dots can
you see elsewhere in the grid? Look again!
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Peripheral vision can mess with your brain.
The grid includes thick gray lines on a black
background. There are white dots at the
intersections of the gray lines. This isnt
necessarily what your eyes see, though. The
white spots that you arent directly looking at
become discolored by your brain. This happens
because what we see in our peripheral (side)
vision is dominated by the black background.
Your brain tries to fill in the white circles
with the black because black is the color that
covers most of the grid. If it were a red grid,
the circles would appear pink. What other
colored backgrounds can you think of that would
mix with the white to make alternate colored dots?
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Activity 3
Are the blue, green, and red lines bent or
straight?
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Straight Curves?
The colored lines are actually straight! The way
the multiple circles form around the lines trick
the eye into thinking that the lines are curved.
Need proof? Just hold up the edge of a piece
of paper to one of the lines.
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Challenge
What other tricks do your eyes play on you?
Below are a few websites for you to check out to
find out more. These sites are just a start.
Feel free to search beyond them.
http//www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/4073/itrix
.html http//www.scottferguson.com/pages/OI00.html
http//www.laughinglynx.com/coolstuff/eyetricks/
index.html