Binocular rivalry

Have you ever played with two toys at the same time and didn't know which one to focus on? That's kind of like what happens with our eyes when we look at two different things with each eye. Our brain has to decide which one to pay attention to, but sometimes it gets confused and switches between the two things we're looking at.

That's called binocular rivalry. It's when our brain can't decide which image to focus on because each eye is sending different pictures to the brain. It's like a competition inside our brain - one eye wants to show us one thing, while the other eye wants to show us something else.

Our brain tries to make sense of the conflicting images by constantly switching between them, making one image disappear while the other one becomes clear. This can happen very quickly, so it might seem like the two images are blending together.

Scientists study binocular rivalry to better understand how the brain processes visual information. It also helps us understand how we perceive the world around us with our eyes. So, the next time your brain switches between two things you're looking at, you'll know what binocular rivalry is!