What Number Do You See?

This puzzling optical illusion will put your eyesight to the test.

Things travel very fast on the internet. In no time, any content or information can go viral all over the world. This time, what has taken the internet by storm is an optical illusion that was shared on Twitter by a user named @benowine.

The image shows a number partly concealed within a striped black and grey circle. Viewers are asked if they see a number and, if so, what number do they see?

The stripes are arranged in uneven spirals, making the number even trickier to work out.

Thousands of people from around the world have viewed the visual puzzle after it went viral on Twitter, and have come to very different conclusions on the hidden figures.

One person tweeted: ’45 283…and what’s the catch? Should I book an appointment with my GP?’

Another posted: ‘I can only see 528. Does that mean anything about my eyesight?’

A third wrote: ‘I can see 45283, since looking at the other replies I’ve others are seeing 2 other numbers. I can see there are numbers there but can’t make them up.’

However the actual answer is seven digits: 3452839.

It is understood that the illusion works by playing on contrast sensitivity, an important measure of visual function that allows us to perceive differences between objects and their backgrounds.

This comes into play in real-life situations such as driving in low light or fog, where a higher level of contrast sensitivity is required because the contrast between objects and their background is reduced.

In the case of the puzzle, the numbers are on one level and the swirls on the other.

People with higher contrast sensitivity are more likely to be able to see all seven digits at once.

Poor contrast sensitivity can be a symptom of eye conditions including cataracts or glaucoma.

Source:her.womenworking.com, dailymail.co.uk

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