There are so many times I feel like my eyes are playing tricks on me, but when it comes to the optical illusions below, I know they’re definitely trying to pull a fast one. It’s so freaky how something can morph right in front of our face without really changing at all! Of course, it’s a lot of fun, too. I remember spending hours with my face scrunched up and staring at Magic Eye books that were popular back in the day, eagerly trying to unscramble the hidden image. The strange thing about most of the optical illusions below, on the other hand, is how little effort it takes for your eyes to adjust and transform the images in no time. Have you ever been stumped by any of these tricky photos? Let us know in the comments which one was your favorite — or if we missed the best one you’ve found. 1. Distorted Lattice The lines are all straight, but because of the black and white marks on the edges, the image appears warped. 2. After Image Stare at the white dot in the center of the portrait for 30 seconds, then close your eyes and you should see a picture perfect image of a certain celebrity whose initials happen to be M.J. 3. Motion Blindness As you stare at the blinking green dot in the center, your eyes lose track of the yellow dots despite them always being there. 4. Rotating Snakes Nope, this isn’t a GIF of moving circles — your eyes are doing that all on their own with the stationary photo. The more you look around from circle to circle, the more they appear to spin. 5. Swimming Red Seeds Just like the rotating snakes, this peripheral drift illusion isn’t at all, just seems to be making waves as you move your eyes across it. 6. Silencing Hue After staring at the white dot in the center for a few seconds, you’ll notice the brightly colored dots start to fade. If you can hold your eyes long enough, they might seem like they’re disappearing completely. 7. Leaning Between Columns Do you see the silhouettes between these columns? They look like people leaning in to shares secrets to me! 8. Disappearing Pink Dots As you focus on the black dot in the center, the pink ones will appear to turn bright green before seeming to fade away altogether. 9. Dissociating Circle If you’re on a phone or tablet, move the image on your device from left to right to see the circle dissociate from the surrounding rectangle. 10. Color Illusion The pink paper in the top images appears to be brighter than that on the bottom, but its just the background colors throwing your eyes off — they are both exactly the same shade of pink. 11. Blind Spot Close your right eye and focus on the cross with your left, then move your head and see when the circle disappears. Do the same with your left eye closed and focus on the circle to see the cross disappear. Source
