Evening star., 1925-11-04

oOntlnned from FIRST PaEe.)
be the rule in dealing with violate
Of the headlight laws.
Automobile service stations report q
heavy demand for inspection cards
Yesterday, while lesser number Of
dazzling lights was noticeable on the
streets last night.
Evils OF glaring automobile head
lights were pointed out by DR.. W. X.
Butler. noted Washington eye special
ist, who sees in them the constant
possibility OF serious accidents to mo-
tOristS and pedestrians because of
the harmful effects a dazzling light
produces on the human eye.
Il am absolutely opposed to bright
headlights, because they are entirely
too glaring." declared DR.. Butler
The effect Of a dazzling light. such
as an overnight headlight OF an auto
mobile, is to produce retinal blindness
by drowning the eye with light. II a
person has on eyeglasses, it means
that he is going TO have extra trouble
because of the reflection caused by the
excessive light.
When a persons eyes are exposed
to sudden glare. ~ they are I'm COM
ing face to face with an undulv bril-
liant automobile lamp, he is tempo
rarily blinded, and immediately after
ward is thrown into utter darkness
when the car carrying these lamps
pa sses This means that he is left yir-
tually powerless to act II an emer-
gency were TO arise just at that mo-
ment. This condition probably will not
last more than few seconds. but
while he is recovering from his tempo
rary blinded condition something may
have come toward him from the side
and collision with another car or
injury to pedestrian is almost in
evita BILE
Few Have Normal Eyes.
The danger Is heightened according
to DIR. Butler. by the fact that a large
number Of persons have defective eve.
sight or eyes that do not function as
efnclenty as does the normal eve. In
fact. according to this eyesight spe
ciallst, there are compa atiyelv few
normal" eyes, II that term is under.
stood to mean freedom from all de-
fects.
If the normal eye suffers to q
marked degree from a glarinp LIGHT
and there are few entirely norma,
eyes-the effect on an eve with q dis
eased condition or inability to adjust
itself to varying degrees OF light Is
Proportiohateiy greater" said DR..
Butler.
THE difference between the nornaI
eve and one which functions inner.
| fectly Is shown by the reaction of the
| pupil in darkness and sunshine When
one goes into dark room the nnniI
dilates, but when a person walks intn
the bright sunshine the. punil CON,
tracts, so as to shut out the excess of
light. VI
In an eye whose functions are i'm.
paired this regulatory condjtiop doas
not exist as 1t should. As r.s',1t
such person suffers so much woe
from an unusually bright light There
are many persons having such defec
tive eyes who do not suspect II until
| 1t becomes so bad as to be noticea hle
Urges Precise Adjustment
"A glaring light has the effect Of ob.
funding. or deadening. the transn,it.
| ting power Of the retina by blindin :,
the eye with an excess of light This
especially Is true Of persons having .
diseased condition Of the retina IN
such cases the retina simply does moi
respond to sudden changes of light
| intensity.
while the eye recovers from its
state OF temporary blindness with con.
! Si1ci oOiC iaPioiiS, anything NAV han.
pen during the few seconds this con.
dition exists. So that from the don.
| BILE viewpoint Of the effect dazzling
| lights have on vision and the possibii.
| ity Of accident they should not he
| permitted in traffic.
Unless automobile lamps are care.
| fully adjusted to the proper angle. the
harmful effects may result even after
an attempt has been made to reduce
the glare. They should be so set that
they will not strike the eye of a per.
son the car is approaching. Such an
| adjustment necessarily must be pre-.
else, since there will be sufficient gla re
from the peripheral rays to harm the
eye even though the main portion of
the beams of light thrown from the
lamp may fall relatively close to the
ground"
| santo Domingo plans for extensive
frsS1t ,