Whydo the eyes in some photos and paintings appear to follow you as you move past them?
458960
your perspective never changes ( whether you are looking from front or side, it's still painted "eyes front", or as if it were looking at you)
730846
I make a concious effort not to stare.  As soon as I notice something like that, I will casually look elsewhere without trying to make it look like I'm not trying to look.  If I have the opportunity to take a better look I will, but only if I am sure they will not see me looking.
237422
It's due to a phenomenon known as "persistence of vision," in which the frames move by so quickly (24 frames per second for film or 30 fps for video) that we discern them as an unbroken "moving" image.
904924
I see the exact same thing.  And I thought it was only me that saw these !  You can see them outside in bright daylight if you look up at a bright sky for long enough.  They look like myriads of little white flashes moving around in all directions.  I don't think they are caused by an electrical overload in your retinas or optical nerves because I can also see them at normal light levels and even in a completely dark room.  If you stare at one spot for long enough (about 5 to 10 seconds) they will start to appear.   It even works when staring at a white computer screen (it doesn't have to be particularly bright), or even a blank sheet of paper !\n\nI have to say I don't see them unless I look for them, but when I do they are always there.  And, contrary to previous answers, they don't go away after a time, in fact they get stronger if anything.  If I don't blink and stay staring at the same spot for 1 to 2 minutes, eventually my entire field of vision is covered with these lights - they are all I can see until I move my eyes at which point they disappear completely !\n\nThey remind me of the 'static' noise that you see on a TV set that isn't tuned to any station, so they could be due to electrical noise in your optic nerves, or even in the brain itself.  I'm glad it's not only me that sees them, I thought I was starting to lose my eyesight !\n\nIncidentally, there is another phenomena that is similar to this, when you stare at a bright light in a dark room.  This effect looks like a myriad of bright streaks emanating out in straight lines in all directions away from the light source.  More like a halo than worms or static noise.  I think this is definitely something to do with the way your eye functions, but I have never seen any explanation for it.  Has anyone else experienced this ?
1068959
in a sense everything you go by is moving in reverse....\nit is travling behind you and further away
116508
Because you look up in the sky and they look like they are going around us?
235728
>when u constantly look back to check who's following u or might stab u or make u vanish into thin air but find out that the only person behind  u is the ice cream vendor...\n\n>when u ask a lot of wueations loike "am i paranoid?","did you see that?" or "do you think that my mascara's running?" You know those sort of wuestions...\n\n>oh! and you don't put your pix on ur profiles...\n\n>last but not least,you type in haste so you meespell the worlds...
1021083
I dont know...its wierd...sometimes you see someone and your'e just like, WOW
970514
my gf took a photo of me the other week and behind me you can see an actual person, face and all. it wasn't the flash coz it wasn't on, it's a ghost, scared the crap outa me. it looks like my gran that passed away five years ago.
32274
it's an optical illusion
433272
It's looking around suspiciously.
1145297
Because they look creepy
991661
No, I wasnt afraid of changing in front of the TV, but photos, pictures and paintings creeped me out!  My sister had a good copy of the Mona Lisa in her room as a child (it had belonged to our grandparents and had hung there since before I can remember), and she was really afraid of changing in front of it, and swore that the eyes followed her everywhere, my parents ended up taking it down cos it freaked us both out.
985345
Its something to do with the eyes I think. Sorry I cant give any further info.
678118
maybe you look at the wrong places???
1053283
your eyes are like pools\nses pools
992377
Yep, we all do. First, there are little translucent cellular fragments floating around that look like some sort of bacteria under a microscope, and then there are the patterns or 'light shows' that appear with closed eyed, especially when you press on them a little.  There's a term for it... Ahgh! I can't remember. They are like phototronics, no phototechnics? or something? Ask your biology teacher. But everyone can see them. Maybe even blind people? Who knows. But it is definately a function of your eyes componants.