Are you really blind for 40 minutes a day

Have you ever experienced, while glancing at an old analog clock, that time seems to stand still for a brief moment?

Don’t worry you are not alone.

A phenomenon, referred to as Chronostasis, occurs when we simultaneous move both our eyes from one object and rapidly focus on something else. During this movement, we experience a temporal illusion that's known as the “Stopped-Clock Illusion”.  

The best way to demonstrate this illusion is by looking an object in the room and then flicking your eyes quickly to stare at an analog clock. Your immediate impression of the second hand of the clock is that is seems to be moving slower than normal.

SEE ALSO: Gazing into Someone’s Eyes Can Cause Hallucinations

This occurs because of a short interruption in consciousness as the brain is trying to fill in the gaps between inputs of our senses. Rapid eye movements are one way to cause gaps in your sensory perception because you don’t actually see anything between looking at the first object and glancing at the clock. In order to make sense of things, the brain fills in the gap with whatever comes after the break.

Going back to the “Stopped-Clock Illusion” and the test subject, when you divert your eyes to stare at the clock, the brain tries to cover up for the information it missed by telling you that you were looking at the second hand during the gap. Thus, the first tick of the second hand seems much longer than the ones that follow.

Researchers believe that we do not notice these little gaps in our sensory information because we experience vision as one continuous flow. The brain achieves this by covering up and making certain visual perceptions seems longer than they really are.  It is only when observing an object that moves in a regular and familiar motion (like a clock) that we can perceive the distinction.

A short Gif explaining Chronostasis:

Chronostasis occurs every day of our lives — we are constantly blinking our eyes to keep them moist and clean. This blinking also causes small but still considerable gaps in our sensory information, which the brain will naturally cover up by extending the time we perceive!

Michael from Vsauce in the video below discusses in further detail how the “Stopped-Clock Illusion” works, alongside the fact that we lose up to 40 minutes of sight every day, just by blinking our eyes! I have never thought of it in that way!

If you enjoyed this article, you might like: Our Mirror Universe: Where Time Moves Backwards

You’re completely blind for about 40 minutes a day. When your eyes move, your brain purposely blocks your vision, which is why you can’t see the motion of your own eyes in a mirror. It’s called Saccadic masking, and without it your life would be like watching a constant movie that’s filmed with a shaky, handheld camera. source

image via bigthink

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Know Your Eye Anatomy

Over the past 12 months in 2021, we spoke about important information regarding eye health, and diseases to enhance your knowledge about our eyes’ anatomy. Year-end 2021 is coming to an end, therefore, make a New Year’s resolution that is specific to your eye health.

Every morning, we open our eyes and become immersed in a wealth of visual information. The eyes and related brain structures are complex systems that allow us to experience visual information from the surrounding world. It is easy to take clear vision for granted, but even subtle changes in the structure or functioning of the eyes can disrupt our sight. Humans are blind for about 40 minutes per day because of Saccadic masking—the body’s way of reducing motion blur as objects and eyes move. An eye care provider conducts a thorough eye exam to ensure that these components are functioning well together.

Our eyes sit in a bony protective socket, the orbit, which has six extraocular muscles to each eye. These muscles allow movement of the eye up and down, side to side, and eye rotation. The eyeball is not a single, spherical structure as is commonly thought. It consists of a smaller, curved portion called the cornea that attaches to a larger, roughly spherical structure called the sclera (the white of the eye). The eyeball contains a jelly-like substance called the vitreous fluid.

Toward the front of the eye are three essential structures: the iris, pupil, and lens. The iris is the colored part of your eye – it can expand and contract to determine how much light to let in through the pupil, the black hole in the center of your eye. Finally, the lens is a flexible, convex structure that changes shape to direct light rays in different directions within the eye.

At the back of the eyeball is a layer of tissue called the retina. The retina consists of millions of photosensitive cells that react to certain types of light. Cone cells are clustered toward the center of the retina and react to colors and details in bright light. Rod cells, which are spread toward the periphery of the retina, react to dim lighting conditions (See Eye Anatomy below_Source: All About Vision).

The Eye Anatomy

• Conjunctiva Of The Eye
• Sclera: The White Of The Eye
• Cornea Of The Eye

• The Uvea Of The Eye
• Pupil: Aperture Of The Eye
• The Retina: Where Vision Begins
• Macula Lutea Of The Eye
• Choroid Of The Eye
• Lens Of The Eye
• Ciliary Body
• Eye Muscles
• Aqueous Humor
• Optic Nerve
• Fovea Centralis

Eyes Facilitating Vision

• Surface of the eyes and the eyelids inner surface contain the clear membrane conjunctiva.
• Tear film contains three layers that lubricate the eyes.
• Lacrimal gland makes the watery part of the tears and sits under the outside edge of the eyebrow (away from the nose) in the orbit.
• Meibomian gland produces oil that becomes part of the tear film, and tears drain from the eye through the tear duct (See illustration below for “Eye Surface”). 
• As light enters the eye through the pupil it passes through the lens, which changes shape to ensure that the light rays hit the retina. When the light rays reach the back of the eye, it stimulates the rod and cone cells to fire. Cone cells detect fine details and colors in the center of your visual field. Rod cells detect edges in peripheral vision and allow us to perceive shapes in dim light.
• In the retina there are rods and cones that convert light energy, functioning as a digital camera, into electrical signals that exit the eye through the optic nerve below the center of the retina.
• And finally, the optic nerve carries visual information to the occipital cortex in the very back of your brain, where it is processed to result in a vibrant visual experience (Back of eye illustration below).

(Source: aao.org/eye-health/anatomy/parts-of-eye)

Surface Of The Eye

Front Of The Eye

If any part of this complex arrangement functions improperly, there is vision impairment. Therefore, It is essential to receive regular optometry exams to evaluate your eye structures and visual abilities. Start out the year right by visiting with us so that we can determine your eye health.  F. Scott Fitzgerald,  “The world only exists in your eyes. You can make it as big or as small as you want.” – .”  Love your eyes.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to you and your family.

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