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 Connections
In Branch
Source Mandelbaum effect, Wikipedia
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.
In Branch: Cognitive Psychology, Lead sentence
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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