Date:         Fri, 30 Apr 2004 18:20:21 +1200
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:      Re: Night vision trick (was "E-codes w/ 9004 bulbs?")
In-Reply-To:  <20040429224356.9722.qmail@web14608.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii

>Andrew, I didn't mean to suggest that one drive around
>with one eye pinched shut for any length of time; just
>long enough to get past the offending driver. Five
>seconds or so.
>
>I'm no ophthalmologist, but a quick test with a
>flashlight in the mens-room mirror confirms my
>suspicion that regardless of how much light one eye
>gets, both pupils will dilate together in response to
>a bright light. But closing one eye prevents that
>eye's retina from being seared by the oncoming driver.
>(The same experiment also assures my co-workers that I
>should not be allowed in the rest room unsupervised.)

I have noticed that my eyes do NOT respond in coordination... if one
is exposed to lower light levels than the other, I will note an
uncomfortable difference... easily testable by closing the eyes
alternately under uniform light. They can take minutes to come right.
This may be neural rather than pupillary.

>Sure, driving with the other eye temporarily blinded
>is briefly disconcerting, but certainly less so than
>driving with TWO frazzled eyeballs. Besides, most
>Vanagon drivers are quite accustomed to driving with
>one eye on the road and the other on the gauges ...

That's IF the instrument lighting is working...

--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut