Do we know what the world looks like? The eye is made up of some of the most amazing tissue in the body. The lens, for example, is perfectly clear, perfectly curved and is capable of focusing on an incredible amount of data. But vision has only partly to do with the retina, lens, and cornea. Understanding what we see mostly happens in the brain, which is why a person with perfect vision is still susceptible to optical illusions. Do we know what the world looks like? We know approximately what it looks like, which is enough to get by, but our perception of the world is not without a certain amount of 'misreading.' Our visual nervous system approximates color, shape, and dimension.

A Person With Perfect Vision is Still Susceptible to Optical Illusions! The process of seeing begins with the presence of light, an image being formed on the retina, and an impulse transmitted to the brain, but there are many other factors that play a part in how we perceive visually. Our perceptions are influenced by our past experiences, imagination, and associations.

You probably read the word ME in brown, but when you look through ME you will see YOU!

The "illusion" is that this is just a picture of coffee beans; but it is not. Can you find a man's face among the beans? Some say that if you find the man in 3 seconds or less, the right half of your brain may be more well developed than most. PS: This is not a trick. A man's face is really hidden among the beans.

The following pictures are NOT animated.

Can you count the black dots? Contrast This grid, known as Hermann's Grid, is an example of how contrast affects color perception. The area at the corners of the black boxes appear gray. This happens because of something called lateral inhibition. In the retina when some light- receiving cells are activated others around them shut down.

How many legs does this elephant have?

Man playing a horn? Or woman's face?

A skull? Or a woman looking into a vanity mirror?

One face? Or two profiles facing each other?

Do you see one man in this picture... or several people? If you look very carefully, you'll find 9 different faces in the picture; the 9th belongs to a dog.

Which of the figures in the picture do you think would measure the tallest with a ruler?

What do see? A face, or the word liar?

Lift or just black splotches? Girls usually see it better than boys.

Is this woman old...or young?

How many human faces can you find in this picture?

Two elderly faces, or a larger scene?

Faces or places?

Where does the puzzle begin and end?

Faces FacesII Lincoln