With what do we see? the Eyes or the brain.

This has been the question bugging the minds of vision scientists for years now, some say “we see with our brains”, some say “we see with our eyes” and the argument and quest to disprove each other has continued for generations. There is a saying that goes thus: “we all look, but see differently”. With this article I do hope to enlighten you and maybe convince you to decide whose side you are on.
When you look at the image below, is it moving?

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Image source: all-that is interesting .com
Majority of us would say “yes!” the image is moving but the truth is that the image is not, in fact, it is static! .funny enough, some of us might begin to wonder if our eyes are playing tricks on us .
It's not our eyes that is playing any trick it is a phenomenon called Optical illusion. Michael Bach, a visual scientist defined optical illusion as "a mismatch between the immediate visual impression and the actual properties of the object" i.e. it occurs when your eyes and brain do not agree with each other
Optical illusions occurs as a result the visual areas (areas responsible for processing vision) of the brain as they receive and process information. In other words, the moving circles in the above picture has more to do with how our brain works and a little less of what is seen by the eyes. Everything that the eyes sees needs to be interpreted through the brain in order to make a meaning. Basically what the brain does is; it chops off and adds information to what the eyes is feeding it. What this depicts is, the eyes cannot function without the full interpretation power of the brain. So, when next you reading a book that the prints aren’t so clear or torn pages with words missing and you are wondering how you were able to fill in the blanks, just know that the brain is at its full power of interpretation of visual processing.
Although, some visual scientists believe that the brain can still “see” without the eyes as long as the other senses are intact. Take for example, a visually impaired sculptor who makes replica of objects, faces just by he/she touching and feeling the object. Another example cited are visually impaired people who undergo rehabilitative training and end up becoming good shoemaker, basket weavers, etc. these set of people have no eyes or are impaired visually but they are good at their skill just by the power of perception and not vision. The other group of visual scientists who believe we see with our eyes do argue that these set of examples cited above are people who once had good vision or once perceived shapes of objects before they became visually impaired and must have saved such visual cues in the memory prior to when they became impaired.
As the argument continues to linger on and on with both parties counteracting each other, one thing is certain for sure is without the eyes the whole world would be dark and without the brain the world would have no meaning. Secondly, the eyes and the brain both function together to bring about “single clear binocular vision” and create memories that linger on…
My dear readers, I hope I have been able to interest you. Whatever side you pick, please do remember that “we all look but see differently, the key to seeing is perception”. Our ability to see from different perspectives makes us humans and adds spice to our everyday lives. THANK YOU!!!