Optical illusion leaves people divided over which number it actually shows

It's nearly the weekend, and you know what that means! Time to get (slightly) distracted from work with a good old optical illusion.

Are you ready to put your eyes to the test?

Rather than faces or hidden objects, this illusion focuses on a number - or maybe no number, or perhaps multiple numbers, depending on what you can see.

Pixabay

The illusion gained attention online after being shared by an X user, who wrote: "DO you see a number? If so, what number?"

The illusion is made tricky thanks to a black-and-white spiral facing in different directions, forcing your eyes to try and see beyond the swirls to the faint number hidden inside.

At first glance, if you can see a number at all, you might only spot one digit in the center of the circle.

Upon closer inspection, however, more numbers become visible.

Personally, I can see a whole sequence of numbers - 3452839.

However, much like laurel and yanny or the blue or gold dress, people have found themselves divided over the numbers they can see in the image.

X

"1528," one X user wrote after inspecting the image, while another said their answer changed depending on whether or not they were wearing glasses.

"45283 without my glasses. 3452839 with my glasses," they wrote.

One person even brought in some technology to try and determine the 'correct' answer, using Google Lens to figure out what numbers were hidden in the illusion.

However, after putting the lens to use, they expressed belief it was missing a number.

"Even Google Lens can see through almost 85%. Just the digit 3. It's 3452839," they wrote.

X

Some X users offered up tips as to how to get a better view of the image, with one person commenting: "Easier to see depending on how far away you look at it from."

Another person suggested that you may be able to see more numbers depending on your 'contrast sensitivity'.

"It can be tested by opticians. Worth doing if you're struggling, as it can affect your ability to see at night, or in rain, fog, etc," they explained.

All in all, though, the majority of people seem to agree that there are seven numbers in the sequence - some are just easier to see than others, with digits like '8' and '3' proving tricky to differentiate.

So, assuming you've sufficiently squinted at the image for long enough, do you see '3452839'? Or maybe a different sequence entirely?