afterimages

Afterimages occur when your eyes and visual system continue to perceive an image briefly after looking away from it. They happen because photoreceptor cells in the retina become temporarily overstimulated by certain colors or patterns. For example, staring at a vivid image might cause you to see a ghostly version of it in complementary colors once you look elsewhere. This is a normal visual response as the eye resets. Afterimages help illustrate how our visual system processes and adapts to visual stimuli, demonstrating the dynamic way our eyes and brain work together to interpret the world around us.