A WOMAN has been left seeking reassurance that she isn’t the only one with a dirty mind after her stunning cave photo went viral for all the wrong reasons.

       The dubious image, showing a shaft of sunlight beaming through a stone tunnel, created a rather unfortunate shape as users were left in stitches.

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       The image caused a stir online with some users believing that resembled a phallic object

       The X-rated illusion was shared on Twitter by @Midge1415 who expressed her shook at the discovery.

       "Tell me it's not just me who sees it," she captioned the tweet. "Please, I worry about me."

       Her unique snap has since racked up a staggering 17,000 interactions online as users had their say.

       One person wrote: "I'm trying to work out what it actually is cos it can't be what I'm seeing."

       Another agreed: "I'm embarrassed to tell you how long it took me to see the shaft of sunlight."

       "But your brain also has to 'fill in the blanks,' meaning it has to make some guesses based on the simple clues from the eyes."

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       While a third admitted: "We're all juvenile and smutty but it is funny."

       Speaking to Newsweek, Mairhead, from Ireland, admitted that she was surprised by the amount of traction that the post had gained online.

       She said: "It was sent to me via WhatsApp and I found it funny.

       "Funny what takes off online."

       And it's not the first time that X-rated optical illusions have caused a storm online – with phallic shapes appearing in a number of unsuspecting places.

       Professor Cedric van den Berg, from the University of Queensland in Australia, explained that it was simply a trick that our brain plays on us while trying to “fill in the blanks.”

       "Our eyes and brain speak to each other in a very simple language, like a child who doesn't know many words," he told Newsweek.

       "Most of the time that's not a problem and our brain is able to understand what the eyes tell it."

       "Optical illusions happen when our brain and eyes try to speak to each other in simple language but the interpretation gets a bit mixed-up."

       Winter Olympic torch lighting ceremony mocked as 'phallic'