Strange optical illusion lets you know if you should drive in the rain

Optical illusions really do thrive on the internet, and to be honest I think a lot of us wonder why that is the case.

Often, they end up hurting your head in unimaginable ways, and leave you with more questions than when you proceeded to go online in the first place.

In recent weeks, we've seen people left convinced that an NFL pundit is half-naked due to a trippy optical illusion and ships appearing to be 'floating in the sky'.

While this particular optical illusion is perhaps not as wild, it does let us know whether we should drive in the rain.

The rather puzzling image was posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, and to say it has left people confused is an understatement.

The optical illusion showed a black and white striped circle with numbers hidden inside of it.

Twitter/@benonwine

But, as you'd expect with an optical illusion, the line space and direction vary, making it near impossible to decipher what on earth is actually appearing on the screen.

Of course, many have tried to guess what number is appearing on the illusion, though the answers on X are very much varied.

"Do you see a number? If so, what number," the optical illusion was captioned on social media.

Since it was uploaded to X last year, more than 28,000 people have commented on the optical illusion in the attempt to make a guess at the number.

"45,283 … and what’s the catch? Should I book an appointment with my GP," one social media user guessed.

A second added: "3,452,839, but to be honest the first 3 is a bit of a guess. Can’t get a fix on it. Easier to see if you jiggle the image up and down, but I don’t know why."

While a third remarked: "I can see 45,283, since looking at the other replies … others are seeing two other numbers. I can see there are numbers there but can’t make them out."

Pexels

If your contrast sensitivity is on-point, you'll know the entire number in the image is 3,452,839.

Contrast sensitivity allows you to perceive clear outlines of small objects, or even identifying the smallest of differences in shading and patterns.

A lack of contrast sensitivity can actually pose a lot of real-life issues, including with driving in certain conditions.

People with reduced visual contrast sensitivity are actually advised to avoid driving in the rain, fog and glare.

Though this trippy optical illusion is a good indicator if you might have a problem, opticians tend to use the Peli Robson test, featuring rows of letters of decreasing contract, turning a lighter shade of gray against a white background.