Move over blue/gold dress: This test starring Einstein/ Monroe determines your eyesight

It seems like a regular picture of Albert Einstein. Or Marilyn Monroe. Or both. What do you see when you look at the below image?

The person you see in the image could determine if you need glasses, or stronger glasses. At first, from a distance, you will be able to see Marilyn Monroe, but at normal distance, if you still see her over Albert Einstein, you  may need a trip to the opticians.

According to this Independent repor , this classic optical illusion was created  years ago by neuro-scientists at MIT, Boston. But it came into the limelight a couple of weeks ago through a Youtube video by AsapScience, a channel dedicated to topics of science. The video now has close to 2 million views.

The video highlights the process behind the trick, which can also be seen in a still image by anyone if they move closer and then farther away from the screen.

The video explains, “Up close, we’re generally able to pick up fine details like Einstein’s moustache and wrinkles. But as the distance increases, or if your vision is poor, and creates a more blurred image in the first place, your ability to pick up details fades away. Instead you only see general features, like the shape of mouth, nose and hair, and are left seeing Marilyn Monroe.”

Daily Mail reports that the MIT team, led by Dr Aude Oliva, had spent over a decade creating hybrid optical illusions that show how images can be hidden with textures, words and other objects.

Needless to say, social media was buzzing with opinions about this vision test.

Einstein or Marilyn Monroe? I see Einstein when its big but marilyn when its small pic.twitter.com/0SwPXr4kuD

— scott (@scottwaldman7) April 6, 2015

@openculture It's a badly focused photo of Albert Einstein. If you squint a little, though, it does look like Marilyn Monroe.

— daniel (@danieldaking) April 5, 2015

SHUT UP ABOUT THE DRESS WHAT ABOUT THIS EINSTEIN OR MARILYN MONROE pic.twitter.com/1mpLrzy7Hm

— 🥀 (@worstuser2k16) February 26, 2015

Watch the AsapScience video here: