The Mandelbaum effect is the tendency for the eyes to involuntarily shift focus to a near distance, typically about one meter away, when visual cues are degraded by poor visibility such as darkness, fog or a dirty windshield. Under these conditions the eyes settle into a resting or dark focus rather than accurately focusing on distant objects, which is not a structural problem with the eye but a normal consequence of how the visual system behaves when it lacks strong cues to focus on. The effect is a recognized hazard for pilots and drivers, since a distant obstacle can go undetected while the eyes are effectively focused much closer.
Facts
Core ClaimThe eye involuntarily shifts its focus to a nearer distance, about one meter, in conditions of poor visibility. 1 First Described Year Classification
Type of Phenomenon Sources
1. Mandelbaum effect, Wikipedia
Lead section
The Mandelbaum effect is the tendency for the eye to involuntarily shift its focus to a nearer distance, usually about one meter away, in conditions of poor visibility.
Lead section, citation 1
It was first described by J. Mandelbaum in 1960.
lead section, phenomenon-kind classification
The Mandelbaum effect is the tendency for the eye to involuntarily shift its focus to a nearer distance, usually about one meter away, in conditions of poor visibility.
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