Sight (Vision)

Seeing more than your eye does

Most people assume that what you see is pretty much what your eye
sees and reports to your brain.

In fact, your brain adds very substantially to the report it gets from your
eye, so that a lot of what you see is actually "made up" by the brain.

Some special features of the anatomy of the eyeball make it possible to

demonstrate this to yourself.

The front of the eye acts like a camera lens, differently directing light
rays from each point in space so as to create on the back of the eye a
picture of the world.

The picture falls on a sheet of photoreceptors (red in the diagram),

specialized brain cells (neurons) which are excited by light.
 Sight (Vision)
Seeing more than your eye does
The sheet of photoreceptors is much
like a sheet of film at the back of a
camera. But it has a hole in it.

At one location, called the optic

nerve head, processes of neurons
collect together and pass as a
bundle through the photoreceptor
sheet to form the optic nerve (the thick black line extending up and to the left in
the diagram), which carries information from the eye to the rest of the brain.

At this location, there are no photoreceptors, and hence the brain gets no
information from the eye about this particular part of the picture of the world.

Because of this, you should have a "blind spot" (actually two, one for each eye), a
place pretty much in the middle of what you can see where you can't see.
 Sight (Vision)
Seeing more than your eye does

Now follow the instructions !

 The Blind Spot
One of the most dramatic experiments to perform is
the demonstration of the blind spot.
The blind spot is the area on the retina without
receptors that respond to light.
Therefore an image that falls on this region will NOT
be seen.
It is in this region that the optic nerve exits the eye on
its way to the brain.
To find your blind spot, look at the next image:
 The Blind Spot

Close your right eye. Hold the image (or place your head
from the computer monitor) about 20 inches away.

With your left eye, look at the +. Slowly bring the image (or
move your head) closer while looking at the +.

At a certain distance, the dot will disappear from sight...this

is when the dot falls on the blind spot of your retina.
 The Blind Spot

Reverse the process. Close your left eye and look at the dot with your
right eye. Move the image slowly closer to you and the + should
disappear.
 The Blind Spot

For this image, close your right eye. With your left eye, look at
the red circle. Slowly move your head closer to the image. At a
certain distance, the blue line will not look broken!!

This is because your brain is "filling in" the missing information.

 The Blind Spot

This next image allows you to see another way your brain fills in the blind spot. Again,
close your right eye. With your left eye, look at the +. Slowly move your head closer to
the image. The space in the middle of the vertical lines will disappear.
 The Blind Spot

In the next two images, again close your right eye. With your left eye, look at the numbers on the
right side, starting with the number "1."

You should be able to see the "sad face" (top image) or the gap in the blue line (bottom image) in
your peripheral vision.

Keep your head still, and with your left eye, look at the other numbers. The sad face should
disappear when you get to "4" and reappear at about "7." Similarly the blue line will appear complete
between "4" and "7."
 The Blind Spot

Here is another image to show your blind spot. Close your right eye.
With your left eye, look at the +. You should see the red dot in your peripheral
vision.
Keep looking at the + with your left eye.
The red dot will move from the left to the right and disappear and reppear as the
dot moves into and out of your blind spot.
 Did you know?

An octopus does not have a blind spot! The retina of the octopus is
constructed more logically than the mammalian retina.

The photoreceptors in the octopus retina are located in the inner portion
of the eye and the cells that carry information to the brain are located in
the outer portion of the retina.

Therefore, the octopus optic nerve does not interrupt any space of retina.
 Depth Perception

Two eyes are better than one, especially when it comes to

depth perception.

Depth perception is the ability to judge objects that are

nearer or farther than others.

To demonstrate the difference of using one vs. two eye to

judge depth hold the ends a pencil, one in each hand.

Hold them either vertically or horizontally facing each other at arms-length

from your body.

With one eye closed, try to touch the end of the pencils together. Now try
with two eyes: it should be much easier.

This is because each eye looks at the image from a different angle.
What you see isnt always what is there.

Or is it?

The eye can play tricks on the brain.

Here are several illusions that

demonstrate this point
Optical
 What is an Optical Illusion?
Optical Illusions can use color, light and patterns to create images
that can be deceptive or misleading to our brains.

The information gathered by the eye is processed by the brain,

creating a perception that in reality, does not match the true image.

Perception refers to the interpretation of what we take in through our

eyes.

Optical illusions occur because our brain is trying to interpret what we

see and make sense of the world around us.

Optical illusions simply trick our brains into seeing things which may
or may not be real.
 What is an Optical Illusion?
Try out some of these illusions and discover just how
tricky it can be for your brain to accurately interpret the
images from your eyes.

Begin your exploration of optical illusions!

Lines between arrowheads are
the same length?
 Lines between arrowheads are
the same length?
Measure them. You may be surprised to find out that they are the same
length. We see the lines as different because we have been "taught" to use
specific shapes and angles to tell us about size.
 Stare at one of the lobster's eyes, after a little while it will look like the broken plate has repaired
itself.
 Blue vs. Green

llusion zoomed in. We

didnt believe until we
opened it in photoshop!

The blue background is actually the same color all the way
through, even though half looks green.
The reds/greens
on the left are
identical to the
ones on the
right. They
appear different
because of
contrast to the
colours on either
side.
Impossible shapes!
 Impossible objects

This is another example of an impossible object. Three circular prongs at one

end become two rectangular prongs at the other. This is known as a Blivet.
Looking up, or looking down?
The squares marked A and
B are exactly the same
shade of grey!
 Which is longer ?

This is known as Jastrow Illusion. Both shapes are exactly the same size. Just the
positioning can effect how the brain perceives size.
 Which is smaller ?

This is the Ebbinghaus Illusion. The orange circle on the left appears much smaller
than the circle on the right, but they are in fact the same size.
The Cafe Wall Illusion was discovered by Dr Richard Gregory.
Parallel Lines

Yes, they are parallel!

 Is this a level balance?

Although we have 5 major senses, most of the information from our surroundings comes from the eyes, making sight a very important part of our
lives. The eye contains many rods and cones and they gather information and send it to the visual processing part of the brain, the information is
sent via electric signals. Optical illusions can be caused by our brain expecting to see something, and processing the eye's signals in a way that
creates something that makes sense on one hand, but on further looking begins to make less sense.
 Read Over
Read this sign and see if you notice something wrong?

Did you notice the double the?

 Connecting Lines
The Poggendorff Illusion illustrates how the brain can be tricked by the interaction of
diagonal and horizontal lines. One assumes that the blue line is a continuation of the
black line.

However, on closer viewing it is actually the red line.

 What does it say?

You may not see it at first, but the white spaces create the word OPTICAL, while the blue
landscape spells out ILLUSION.

Teach is one
that Im sure
you saw, but did
you see learn?

ME & YOU!
 Man or woman?

(Hint: the man playing a horn is in profile facing right;

the woman is facing you, and her right eye is the black dot in front of the horn handle)
Read:
Is the blue wall on the
back or on the side?
How
many
horses
in this
picture?

7 (supposedly)
There
Nice and
are simple
no black dots!
If you focus directly on each dot, youll see that all
Just count the black dots!
of them are white.
Look at the
black dot and
move your
head back
and forward

This illusion
makes your
brain think
the outer
circles are
moving when
they are not.
 Moving Humps

These humps appear to be moving, but of course they are not.

Its static not moving!
Are the wheels
Nothing moving!moving?
This picture is NOT animated
An optical illusion is difference between reality and what the brain thinks its seeing. The information gathered by the eye is
processed in the brain to give a image that does not agree with a physical measurement of the source. There are three
main types: literal optical illusions that create images that are different from the objects that make them, physiological
ones that are the effects on the eyes and brain of excessive stimulation of a specific type (brightness, tilt, colour,
movement), and cognitive illusions where the eye and brain make unconscious inferences.
Do you see a
young woman or
an old woman?
 What do you see?
A word or a face?

You might see a face or the word Liar

 What do you see?
A word or a face?

You might see a the word LIFT or some black blocks. For some
reason girls usually see the word more easily than boys.
First look at the sea
plane.
Now stare at the
cyan and yellow for
30 seconds.
Overload your brain
with the sensation
of colour.
Now look at the sea
plane again.
What do you see
A rabbit or a duck?
Stare at the queen for at least 30 seconds, then at the
white space for about ten seconds
Keep looking at the
flashing dot and it
will always be pink.
But the moment
you look at the
cross the flashing
dots will turn
green!
Say the colour of the writing, dont read the word.

YELLOW BLUE ORANGE

BLACK RED GREEN
PURPLE YELLOW RED
ORANGE GREEN BLACK
BLUE RED PURPLE
GREEN BLUE ORANGE
 Happy Obama

When a face is turned upside down, but the features (mouth, eyes, etc.)
remain right side up, our mind has a hard time distinguishing the difference.
 Leaning Tower

Yes, the leaning tower does lean, but both of these images are exactly the same.
The image on the right appears to lean more, but that is only because your brain
assumes the one on the left is straight.
Arches or Ships?

Houses or People?
Is she looking
at you?
Stare at her
for 30
seconds and
she will be!
A spiral?
No
 Disappearing dots

If you focus on the orange dot in the center of the rotating square for a
few seconds, you will see the 3 black dots disappear!
Count the people. When they move, count
them again.
A lovely vase? .
Find a way to completely remove one
of the glasses from the tray.
Look at the picture. Notice anything unusual?

Your brain is good at finding human faces. Now you know

thats what you are looking for, can you find five or six?
4 or 5 is the average / 6 or 7 above average / 8 or 9 very observant / extraordinarily observant
This illusion uses color to make the two
shapes appear as though they are stepping
when actually they are moving at the same
time together.
 Spinning Silhouette

Which side of your brain is more dominant? Instead of concentrating on her chest, concentrate on the womans
movement.
If it appears she is spinning clockwise, that means youre using the right side, or more creative side of your brain.
If she appears to be moving counter-clockwise, then that means the left side, or more logical side of your think muscle
is superior.
 Clockwise movement

The actual direction of the movement of the hearts is clockwise and is the
one we see when we look at the picture for the first time.