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Paracontrast is a physiological phenomenon in vision where a preceding light stimulus in an adjacent area of the retina inhibits the perception of a subsequent stimulus. This means that if you see one light, and then a second light appears nearby shortly after, the second light might appear dimmer or even disappear. This effect is a form of visual induction and is related to inhibitory processes within the retina that modulate how the eye responds to light. It's distinct from simultaneous contrast, where colors influence each other when viewed at the same time.1

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