The internet exploded when a Tumblr user posted the picture below and asked followers whether or not the dress was blue and black, or white and gold, sparking debate across blogs and social media. Reena A. Garg, MD, Ophthalmologist at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai and Assistant Professor of Glaucoma at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai explains why we can’t agree:
Blue or Black, White or Gold–Understanding How Humans See Color
Our eyes have cells that are light sensitive and help us distinguish color and shade. They are called the rods and the cones. The cones are color sensitive, specifically to red, green, and blue. The rods are shade sensitive and see black and white.
In dim light settings only the rods are activated, and we are able to see contrasts in shades. This helps us with our night vision. In bright light settings our cones also become activated and we can discern colors. The rods and the cones work together with other cells in the eyes and the brain to organize the light reflected as contrasts between light and colors—or as shades of colors.
The retina has adaptive mechanisms to correct images based on the input from the rods and cones and the shades and colors that it is receiving.
So, why do some people see this dress as gold and white and others as black and blue?
This photograph was probably taken on a phone camera and is very poorly exposed. It depends if your retina is interpreting this photo as over- or underexposed. More scientifically speaking, it depends whether your rods, or your cones, are dominating the image interpretation.
If you see the dress as black and blue, you’re probably seeing the photo as overexposed, meaning there is too much light, so the colors in the dress appear darker to you after the retina has compensated. If you see the dress as white and gold, then you’re probably seeing the photo as underexposed, meaning there is too little light and the colors in the dress appear lighter to you after the retina has compensated.
So, what color do you see?