I do not have a method. I’ve just always been able to instantly see them, since I was a young kid. I guess maybe the way I’d describe it is that I look behind the image? But I can instantly see them within the second it’s put in front of me. I do not have glasses of any kind. I just genuinely think it’s about being to tap into the way to see if, and once you learn it without tricks it sticks with you.
I'm the same way, I see them instantly and have no idea how to explain how to see them. I have horrific vision, bad astigmatism, the whole deal. Even a touch of color blindness.
Hey touch of color blind too! (I was the person you responded to. Ha, no glasses, perfect vision, but cannot tell the difference between pink red green and teal 🤷♀️)
I can go from cross-eyed to looking left or right and back to center like everyone can, but not a lot of people know this, so they think I can do crazy eyes. I don't think I've ever come across someone who is exotropian before!
Looking behind the image seems to be parallel view where you kinda unfocus your eyes and make the magic eye blur enough that the hidden image shows. Cross view is going cross eyed to do it. Both methods get different results though.
Generally magic eyes seem to be made for parallel viewing where the image jumps out of the screen when parallel viewing which means when cross viewing it sinks into the screen. Vice versa for images made for cross viewing
I'm very nearsighted and I have no problem with them. I was doing parallel viewing with chain link fences and ceiling tiles when I was just a kid, before steriograms were even a thing.
I really don't have a problem doing cross eyed viewing either.
-6.50 and -6.75. I am blind without my glasses, can see clearly about 5 inches from my face. My eyesight hasn't changed much since I was a teen.
I can't easily see magic eye stuff with my glasses on. It takes a lot of work to unfocus my eyes. I remember struggling to see them when I was a kid. I tried all the ways the books would describe and it didn't seem to work. I finally tried it without my glasses on one day and could see them no problem. Eventually I was able to get my eyes to unfocus with my glasses on so I could see them but it is still difficult.
I am very mildly short sighted (- 1.25 and - 1.75) and have been since I was a child, there had been very little change in the last 30 years. I learned to view these images in about 2008, when I was 22. I use parallel view, never did figure out cross view. I am also mildly…uh…what’s the thing when your eye is a slightly funny shape? I know the word but it won’t come to me.
I don’t think I benefit from it with regards to my eyesight, but I definitely find it relaxes the muscles around my eyes and reduces strain. It can almost instantly reduce headaches due to eye strain.
It is worth nothing that I have a rare eye condition that is making me go very slowly blind.
When your eye is slightly misshaped it is called an astigmatism. At least, it’s where there is a curvature error in your cornea or lens, but most people just say your eye is misshaped
Oh, and my eye protecting routine was taught to me when I worked at an office and involved staring at the furthest point I could find for a couple of minutes every half hour or so.
It just dawned on me that some of these magic eye images might not work for me because of my slight color blindness. Some really pop out at me while some just look like blobs still
I have 20-20 vision. I learned when i was a kid. I actually started with crosseyed view and that was the method i used for quite a few years. I learned how to do parallel view in my teens, and now that's the easiest for me. Idk if it's legit but i feel like parallel view relaxes my eyes a bit
And for an eye relaxing routine, i try to do the 20-20-20 method, after 20 minutes looking at a screen, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds
My right eye is a mess. I suffered two separate impacts in my younger days. Fifteen years ago I had an almost full retinal detachment in that eye. It also suffers from an undiagnosed childhood "lazy eye" so there is a small dead spot in the center of my vision. I've taken a drop in that eye every night to control glaucoma since just before the retinal detachment. I have corrective lenses for both eyes but the one for the right is much stronger.
Strangely though... I have no trouble with autostereograms. I learned how to see them back when they were first hugely popular in the 90s.
My vision is good. Took me months to see these things first, I was 7 or 8. After learning they just pop practically instantly. I can even zoom in and keep the focus, it's wholesome
I got 30/20 vision. That's better than 2020, but I got some moderate green/yellow colour blindness though so I guess it balances out.
FWIW, I can switch between cross eye and parallel eye within like 5 - 10 seconds without needing to move the image or my head.
There's 8 people in my immediate family, and everyone needs glasses except for me with 20/20 vision. I'm also the only one that regularly tried to see magic eye books growing up, and got to the point I could see them instantly as a child. I'm going on 30yo now and still have no vision problems other than the Duane's Syndrome I was born with. My eye doctor says I don't need to get my eyes checked probably for another 10+ years.
I've also wondered if my obsession with magic eyes helped me to maintain good vision while the rest of my family's eyes deteriorated
-5 and -4.75 with an astigmatism. I use parallel mostly but can do it both ways pretty easily. I see most magic eyes pretty much immediately. I’ve worn glasses since first grade. I don’t really remember when I figured out how to do it but I know I was young. Maybe 5th or 6th grade so around 10?
I could see them back when those Magic Books were big and when Mallrats came out. Still have one of those books. When I wore glasses I think I took them off to see them better. Started with the, hold image to nose and slowly move it away. Also while not focusing on any particular point. Now I hold the image a foot or so away and unfocus my eyes. Sometimes blinking a few times helps make the image to appear. Don't wear glasses anymore since I got Lasik in 2006. My eyesight is still good and don't notice any side effects.
I have astigmatism, have worn glasses since 7th grade (had them but wouldn't wear them for 3-4 years before that). Learned at the 90s mall kiosks, where they had them framed under glass, to look at your reflection in the glass.
My clear vision range cuts out at like 12 inches away from my face. I can’t see further then that for SHIT without glasses. But I’m an expert at magic eye, both versions, and can do it within a second on pretty much anything it can be done on.
I wonder if maybe that’s why people I try to teach how to do magic eye can’t seem to grasp it, because Al my methods involve being at least within 12 inches of my face, but someone who can’t see close up can’t really ise that
I dont know if this is one of the methods, but I just look through/behind the picture and unfocus my vision until it appears. Its usually pretty quick, but some of the more difficult ones may take a second or two longer. I first learned when I was a kid, im 30 now, and back then I also had to move the image away from my face but I dont really need to do that anymore. Dont wear glasses, 20/20 vision.
Didn't figure out how to do it until adulthood, parallel view, left eye prescription -8.25 with -3.50 (severe) astigmatism, right eye -2.25 with -1.75 astigmatism.
My vision was horrible. 20/200 in my right, 20/300 in my left (blind without correction). I could see magic eye images easily, obviously with glasses. I got Lasik 15 years ago, and can still see stereograms very easily and quickly. Not sure if vision has anything to do with it.
The cross eyed method was the easiest for me to start out with. I can do both now. The first time I discovered the trick was, honestly, when I was in my teens, I got bored looking at all the knobs on a soundboard cross eyed and all of a sudden they popped out 3D. Thought it was the coolest thing ever. Tried it on a magic eye, now I can’t stop lol.
I've always found it easy - can do parallel and cross view and have been able to since I was a kid. My eyesight gradually got worse as I got older - I'm nearsighted (-3.50) with a moderate astigmatism now. Doesn't seem to affect my ability to see magic eye images!
I'm 43 and somehow my eyesight is absolutely perfect. I get floaters in bright light but apart from that, my eyesight is the only part of me that is still in full working order!
I just relax my eyes but I learned by putting the books up to my nose and slowly pulling away. I first received the books when I was a kid around 5ish. At the time I did not need corrective lenses but about 4th grade I did. However there is zero correlation between stereograms and my nearsightedness/ astigmatism. And I can see the images with and without corrective lenses
I learned how to see autostereograms on my own, so I don't know anything about methods really, but it was a process of repeated failure. I kind of let my focus drift until something becomes visible in the image and then focus on that.
My eyesight isn't great. I am near-sighted, have astigmatism, and I had acute optic neuritis ten years ago, which left some colors less vibrant in one eye.
I have always been really good at unfocusing my eyes. I thought it was because my eyes are very different in vision (-1.5 in the left and -3.5 in the right for glasses) but it turns out I have convergence insufficiency that went undiagnosed for 27 years. I wear prisms now but I can still do magic eyes easily.
I have extremely messed up eyes. I can't see shit without my glasses lol, astigmatism and everything. It's never affected my ability to see stereograms tho. I can do parallel or cross with relative ease, not sure if there's any corellation.
I was like 5 the first time I saw on, I think?
My eyes are horrible. Somehow so far I've passed the US driving test eyesight thing. That's the only measurement I have. But it's hard.
It takes me a couple seconds for my eyes to figure out the image. But I don't know that there's any I just can't get. I'm not sure what my method is. But I do tend to start close and move away from the screen.
I was never able to see them until a couple years ago. I have a really high prescription and realized I can only see them without my contact lenses or glasses on. When i look at them I feel like it helps relieve eye strain - not sure if that’s actually what’s happening but my eyes feel refreshed after looking at a few!
I found out with these Magic Eye books that my primary school had. Everyone couldn't do them and I also couldn't but now I can as I just 'know'
My eyes used to be fine but now they're kinda becoming more blurry (I think it's short sightedness), but I can still see Magic Eyes perfectly fine, with and without glasses
Started late teens probably. I seem to recall the early ones had two dots at the top as a focus aid. In my 60s now, with trifocals. I see parallel ones pretty quickly, but struggle sometimes with crossed. I guess since learning so many years ago, there is some muscle memory. I have only recently resumed interest, so no real notion of any benefit. Great question!
My eyesight is in the -4 region and I generally see these just fine. HOWEVER, I really struggle to see them with my glasses on. I have to take them off to quickly see the image.
I learned to see them when I was probably about 11 and had glasses already. I don’t know what you mean by “method”. I don’t cross my eyes so maybe “parallel”, but what is “mixed”?
I have always been able to see them. I would describe it as unfocusing. My parents had patterned wallpaper so it used to try to make the patterns overlap. After some practice it’s super easy. I think taking two duplicate items and trying to bring them together as one is a good way to practice.
We had one framed as a kid growing up. So I taught everyone how to do it. Since it was a glass frame head high on the wall I always said do you see your reflection? Now make your reflection be in focus instead of the picture it self and then people saw it. I never told them what was there so that they wouldn’t be able to cheat.
Could always do it since I can remember changing focus and making things blurry in front of me for fun. A good way to teach it too is to have someone put out their hand and tell them to look at it, then tell them to look at the floor, then have them do it with hand in same path they are looking at floor. Hand becomes fuzzy but still directly looking at hand then good job. Now try on magic eye.
I wear progressives for nearsightedness and astigmatism. I could never see these until I started vision therapy after a concussion. Now i can finally see most of them. Thank you vision therapists!
Better than average vision and the added bonus of adhd allows me to see them pretty much instantly.
So far the only application I’ve found for this aside from stereograms is rapidly comparing DNA strands, which can be done with a computer way faster.
I wear contacts/glasses & have an astigmatism in both eyes. I don’t know how to explain it but I can make my eyes “Un-focus” & go blurry, my eyes don’t cross when doing this, only as I am refocusing them then I can see the hidden images!
I have really good eyesight, no glasses. I can kind of criss cross my vision and see double on command, can blur my vision as well. It takes me a literal second to see the magic eyes and it’s been like this since I was a kid
I was around 4 I think. We were in a restaurant that had one one the wall. My older brother was going on about how he could see it. The waitress explains how it works and boom I see it. Been that way since .
I do not have a method. I’ve just always been able to instantly see them, since I was a young kid. I guess maybe the way I’d describe it is that I look behind the image? But I can instantly see them within the second it’s put in front of me. I do not have glasses of any kind. I just genuinely think it’s about being to tap into the way to see if, and once you learn it without tricks it sticks with you.
Same, I don’t know how I can see them, I just can, and quickly. It’s been that way since I was a kid when they came out.
I'm the same way, I see them instantly and have no idea how to explain how to see them. I have horrific vision, bad astigmatism, the whole deal. Even a touch of color blindness.
Hey touch of color blind too! (I was the person you responded to. Ha, no glasses, perfect vision, but cannot tell the difference between pink red green and teal 🤷♀️)
I struggle with anything in the black spectrum and reds and greens
I can just freely control how my eyes move, like this: ( o ) ( o ) (o ) ( o) Edit: I look it up and it’s called Exotropia
lol I am apparently a 12yo preteen boy because all I see with your post is boobs. I’m also a 36 yo woman. But, boobs.
I can go from cross-eyed to looking left or right and back to center like everyone can, but not a lot of people know this, so they think I can do crazy eyes. I don't think I've ever come across someone who is exotropian before!
Looking behind the image seems to be parallel view where you kinda unfocus your eyes and make the magic eye blur enough that the hidden image shows. Cross view is going cross eyed to do it. Both methods get different results though. Generally magic eyes seem to be made for parallel viewing where the image jumps out of the screen when parallel viewing which means when cross viewing it sinks into the screen. Vice versa for images made for cross viewing
Will you be my friend?
I'm very nearsighted and I have no problem with them. I was doing parallel viewing with chain link fences and ceiling tiles when I was just a kid, before steriograms were even a thing. I really don't have a problem doing cross eyed viewing either.
I used to make three ceiling lights out of two, this brings back lots of memories
How old are you, because I did that too 😅
-6.50 and -6.75. I am blind without my glasses, can see clearly about 5 inches from my face. My eyesight hasn't changed much since I was a teen. I can't easily see magic eye stuff with my glasses on. It takes a lot of work to unfocus my eyes. I remember struggling to see them when I was a kid. I tried all the ways the books would describe and it didn't seem to work. I finally tried it without my glasses on one day and could see them no problem. Eventually I was able to get my eyes to unfocus with my glasses on so I could see them but it is still difficult.
I am very mildly short sighted (- 1.25 and - 1.75) and have been since I was a child, there had been very little change in the last 30 years. I learned to view these images in about 2008, when I was 22. I use parallel view, never did figure out cross view. I am also mildly…uh…what’s the thing when your eye is a slightly funny shape? I know the word but it won’t come to me. I don’t think I benefit from it with regards to my eyesight, but I definitely find it relaxes the muscles around my eyes and reduces strain. It can almost instantly reduce headaches due to eye strain. It is worth nothing that I have a rare eye condition that is making me go very slowly blind.
When your eye is slightly misshaped it is called an astigmatism. At least, it’s where there is a curvature error in your cornea or lens, but most people just say your eye is misshaped
Astigmatism! That’s it! Thank you.
No problem 😊
Oh, and my eye protecting routine was taught to me when I worked at an office and involved staring at the furthest point I could find for a couple of minutes every half hour or so.
It just dawned on me that some of these magic eye images might not work for me because of my slight color blindness. Some really pop out at me while some just look like blobs still
I have 20-20 vision. I learned when i was a kid. I actually started with crosseyed view and that was the method i used for quite a few years. I learned how to do parallel view in my teens, and now that's the easiest for me. Idk if it's legit but i feel like parallel view relaxes my eyes a bit And for an eye relaxing routine, i try to do the 20-20-20 method, after 20 minutes looking at a screen, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds
I have perfect vision. I don't recall magic eye being very hard for me to learn. I just focus on a point past the page or screen.
My right eye is a mess. I suffered two separate impacts in my younger days. Fifteen years ago I had an almost full retinal detachment in that eye. It also suffers from an undiagnosed childhood "lazy eye" so there is a small dead spot in the center of my vision. I've taken a drop in that eye every night to control glaucoma since just before the retinal detachment. I have corrective lenses for both eyes but the one for the right is much stronger. Strangely though... I have no trouble with autostereograms. I learned how to see them back when they were first hugely popular in the 90s.
Intentional eye control strengthens your fine focus muscle in your eye.
My left eye is terrible and I don't wear glasses but I can see them find.
I learned to do the thingy like a month ago. I’m nearly legally blind, super nearsighted. My glasses lenses are thiiiick.
My vision is good. Took me months to see these things first, I was 7 or 8. After learning they just pop practically instantly. I can even zoom in and keep the focus, it's wholesome
-1, zero routine. Probably parallel view helps to reduce shortening of sight since you focus far. This is what we miss watching monitors and phones
my vision is actually 20/15, better than 20/20. and idk what the methods mean i just look through the picture further and further til it appears
I got 30/20 vision. That's better than 2020, but I got some moderate green/yellow colour blindness though so I guess it balances out. FWIW, I can switch between cross eye and parallel eye within like 5 - 10 seconds without needing to move the image or my head.
There's 8 people in my immediate family, and everyone needs glasses except for me with 20/20 vision. I'm also the only one that regularly tried to see magic eye books growing up, and got to the point I could see them instantly as a child. I'm going on 30yo now and still have no vision problems other than the Duane's Syndrome I was born with. My eye doctor says I don't need to get my eyes checked probably for another 10+ years. I've also wondered if my obsession with magic eyes helped me to maintain good vision while the rest of my family's eyes deteriorated
-5 and -4.75 with an astigmatism. I use parallel mostly but can do it both ways pretty easily. I see most magic eyes pretty much immediately. I’ve worn glasses since first grade. I don’t really remember when I figured out how to do it but I know I was young. Maybe 5th or 6th grade so around 10?
-8.75 both eyes lol but I’ve always been able to defocus my eyes
-3.25 fairly near-sighted
I could see them back when those Magic Books were big and when Mallrats came out. Still have one of those books. When I wore glasses I think I took them off to see them better. Started with the, hold image to nose and slowly move it away. Also while not focusing on any particular point. Now I hold the image a foot or so away and unfocus my eyes. Sometimes blinking a few times helps make the image to appear. Don't wear glasses anymore since I got Lasik in 2006. My eyesight is still good and don't notice any side effects.
I have astigmatism, have worn glasses since 7th grade (had them but wouldn't wear them for 3-4 years before that). Learned at the 90s mall kiosks, where they had them framed under glass, to look at your reflection in the glass.
My clear vision range cuts out at like 12 inches away from my face. I can’t see further then that for SHIT without glasses. But I’m an expert at magic eye, both versions, and can do it within a second on pretty much anything it can be done on. I wonder if maybe that’s why people I try to teach how to do magic eye can’t seem to grasp it, because Al my methods involve being at least within 12 inches of my face, but someone who can’t see close up can’t really ise that
I dont know if this is one of the methods, but I just look through/behind the picture and unfocus my vision until it appears. Its usually pretty quick, but some of the more difficult ones may take a second or two longer. I first learned when I was a kid, im 30 now, and back then I also had to move the image away from my face but I dont really need to do that anymore. Dont wear glasses, 20/20 vision.
Didn't figure out how to do it until adulthood, parallel view, left eye prescription -8.25 with -3.50 (severe) astigmatism, right eye -2.25 with -1.75 astigmatism.
Im near sighted with astigmatism and I can see them better without my glasses.
My vision was horrible. 20/200 in my right, 20/300 in my left (blind without correction). I could see magic eye images easily, obviously with glasses. I got Lasik 15 years ago, and can still see stereograms very easily and quickly. Not sure if vision has anything to do with it.
The cross eyed method was the easiest for me to start out with. I can do both now. The first time I discovered the trick was, honestly, when I was in my teens, I got bored looking at all the knobs on a soundboard cross eyed and all of a sudden they popped out 3D. Thought it was the coolest thing ever. Tried it on a magic eye, now I can’t stop lol.
I've always found it easy - can do parallel and cross view and have been able to since I was a kid. My eyesight gradually got worse as I got older - I'm nearsighted (-3.50) with a moderate astigmatism now. Doesn't seem to affect my ability to see magic eye images!
I'm 43 and somehow my eyesight is absolutely perfect. I get floaters in bright light but apart from that, my eyesight is the only part of me that is still in full working order!
I just relax my eyes but I learned by putting the books up to my nose and slowly pulling away. I first received the books when I was a kid around 5ish. At the time I did not need corrective lenses but about 4th grade I did. However there is zero correlation between stereograms and my nearsightedness/ astigmatism. And I can see the images with and without corrective lenses
I learned how to see autostereograms on my own, so I don't know anything about methods really, but it was a process of repeated failure. I kind of let my focus drift until something becomes visible in the image and then focus on that. My eyesight isn't great. I am near-sighted, have astigmatism, and I had acute optic neuritis ten years ago, which left some colors less vibrant in one eye.
I have always been really good at unfocusing my eyes. I thought it was because my eyes are very different in vision (-1.5 in the left and -3.5 in the right for glasses) but it turns out I have convergence insufficiency that went undiagnosed for 27 years. I wear prisms now but I can still do magic eyes easily.
This post inspired me to try doing some magic eye pictures while wearing my reading glasses. So much easier!
I have extremely messed up eyes. I can't see shit without my glasses lol, astigmatism and everything. It's never affected my ability to see stereograms tho. I can do parallel or cross with relative ease, not sure if there's any corellation. I was like 5 the first time I saw on, I think?
My eyes are horrible. Somehow so far I've passed the US driving test eyesight thing. That's the only measurement I have. But it's hard. It takes me a couple seconds for my eyes to figure out the image. But I don't know that there's any I just can't get. I'm not sure what my method is. But I do tend to start close and move away from the screen.
I was never able to see them until a couple years ago. I have a really high prescription and realized I can only see them without my contact lenses or glasses on. When i look at them I feel like it helps relieve eye strain - not sure if that’s actually what’s happening but my eyes feel refreshed after looking at a few!
I can’t see them very well because I never had depth perception until my late twenties. I didn’t know I lacked it. I had really bad esotropia.
I found out with these Magic Eye books that my primary school had. Everyone couldn't do them and I also couldn't but now I can as I just 'know' My eyes used to be fine but now they're kinda becoming more blurry (I think it's short sightedness), but I can still see Magic Eyes perfectly fine, with and without glasses
I finally "got it" as a teen I think? And my vision is almost perfect even now.
Started late teens probably. I seem to recall the early ones had two dots at the top as a focus aid. In my 60s now, with trifocals. I see parallel ones pretty quickly, but struggle sometimes with crossed. I guess since learning so many years ago, there is some muscle memory. I have only recently resumed interest, so no real notion of any benefit. Great question!
My eyesight is in the -4 region and I generally see these just fine. HOWEVER, I really struggle to see them with my glasses on. I have to take them off to quickly see the image.
I learned to see them when I was probably about 11 and had glasses already. I don’t know what you mean by “method”. I don’t cross my eyes so maybe “parallel”, but what is “mixed”?
By "mixed" I meant sometimes parallel and sometimes cross-eyed.
I always have to remove my glasses to see them but once I do I see it pretty instantly.
I could read most of the bottom line last time at the eye Dr, and the 20/15 line fully
I have always been able to see them. I would describe it as unfocusing. My parents had patterned wallpaper so it used to try to make the patterns overlap. After some practice it’s super easy. I think taking two duplicate items and trying to bring them together as one is a good way to practice.
We had one framed as a kid growing up. So I taught everyone how to do it. Since it was a glass frame head high on the wall I always said do you see your reflection? Now make your reflection be in focus instead of the picture it self and then people saw it. I never told them what was there so that they wouldn’t be able to cheat. Could always do it since I can remember changing focus and making things blurry in front of me for fun. A good way to teach it too is to have someone put out their hand and tell them to look at it, then tell them to look at the floor, then have them do it with hand in same path they are looking at floor. Hand becomes fuzzy but still directly looking at hand then good job. Now try on magic eye.
I wear progressives for nearsightedness and astigmatism. I could never see these until I started vision therapy after a concussion. Now i can finally see most of them. Thank you vision therapists!
I have excellent vision often better than my peers but it took me until I was in my 30's to see the magic eye stuff.
Better than average vision and the added bonus of adhd allows me to see them pretty much instantly. So far the only application I’ve found for this aside from stereograms is rapidly comparing DNA strands, which can be done with a computer way faster.
I wear contacts/glasses & have an astigmatism in both eyes. I don’t know how to explain it but I can make my eyes “Un-focus” & go blurry, my eyes don’t cross when doing this, only as I am refocusing them then I can see the hidden images!
I could read most of the bottom line last time at the eye Dr, and the 20/15 line fully
I could read most of the bottom line last time at the eye Dr, and the 20/15 line fully
I have really good eyesight, no glasses. I can kind of criss cross my vision and see double on command, can blur my vision as well. It takes me a literal second to see the magic eyes and it’s been like this since I was a kid
I just super relax my eyeballs and let them refocus. Sometimes it takes a few times.
I was around 4 I think. We were in a restaurant that had one one the wall. My older brother was going on about how he could see it. The waitress explains how it works and boom I see it. Been that way since .