The human visual system is a complex matter, it’s because of these complexities only that this unique system tends to make some mistakes too. Illusions, which are quite simple in design yet deceptive to our brains, causing us to see fallibility expose this. As per another study in the Journal of Neuroscience, this happens because the neural pathways that feed to the visual cortex get themselves tied up into knots, giving rise to feedback loops that supplement the external stimuli seen by the eyes.
When you look at an optical illusion and you might believe you’re seeing something, which may look like curved line but that’s actually straight, or even a moving thing that’s standing still. In such scenario, you mostly feel that your eyes are playing tricks on you.
It’s not your eyes. An illusion is an evidence that you do see what you feel you do — due to the way your brain and your entire visual approach perceive and translate a picture.
These visual illusions occur due to properties of the visual areas of the mind as they receive and process data. To put it differently, your understanding of an illusion has to do with how your mind functions — and much less with your eye’s optics.
An illusion can be defined as “a mismatch between the immediate visual impression along with the actual properties of the item”.
Although individuals popularly call some brain teasers “optical illusions,” this might not be the best word for them, as scientists create a differentiation between optical illusions and the things they call visual illusions.
An optical illusion implies that the illusion occurs due to a few properties of their eye.
But since optical illusions are rare, a much better and more accurate expression is “visual illusions,” since this helps to explain why these senses happen.
Example Of The Floaters
A great example of an optical illusion; one that actually occurs inside the eye is floaters.
Floaters are little specks, stains or dark shapes that seemingly float in your area of vision. To some, they seem like white snow or flashes of light. Floaters are caused by little irregularities in the fluid which happens to be in the eye. To put it differently, they’re real. They become more common as one gets older.
But almost any other illusion happens at the mind level, which explains why scientists say they shouldn’t be referred to as “optical illusions,” and why the term “visual illusions” is more suitable.
Instead of thinking that you cannot trust your own eyes when you see an illusion, then you really should be saying, “that I can’t always trust my visual approach,“s. The system comprises not only the eyes but also the optic nerve, that connects the eye into the mind; and also the visual cortex, the area of the brain that processes visual information.
Another example of an illusion is if you “see stars” following a hard blow to the head.
According to scientists, seeing stars effects in a mechanical stimulation and stimulation of these nerves in the eye, which your mind misinterprets as light. Light does not enter the eye if you hit on your head, but also your system perceives it that way.
