Monocular rivalry

Monocular rivalry is a phenomenon of multistable perception. It refers to subjective fluctuations in the visibility of two conflicting visual patterns.

The term "monocular" rivalry was initially chosen to distinguish this effect from the related phenomenon of binocular rivalry, where the two conflicting patterns are split between the two eyes. However, monocular (single-eyed) vision is no prerequisite for this kind of perceptual competition. Hence, it is now often referred to as pattern rivalry in order to avoid confusions.