Followup: Ultraviolet Vision After Cataract Surgery 311
xmas2003 writes "Several months ago, I posted to Slashdot about being able to see ultraviolet light after cataract surgery. While a lot of the discussion whimsically discussed the best way for 'Captain UV' or 'UltraMan' to use this 'super-power,' there were some people who were skeptical or (incorrectly) said this is Tetrachromatic vision. I've subsequently done more testing using an Oriel Instruments MS257 Monochromator and was able to see color down to 350nm — below the usual ~400nm limit of the visual spectrum. It's also easily demonstrable with a pair of 400nm and 365nm UV flashlights. Some readers who also have UV vision commented this can be quite annoying at black-lit Disney Rides, Halloween Haunted Houses, etc. Fortunately for me, it's just an interesting oddity so far. Along those lines, some interesting related stories about using UV vision during World War II and Star Gazing. Finally, many/most people end up getting vision debilitating cataracts, so my experience having a Crystalens implanted after cataract surgery may be informative."
Re:Cool (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually that's a good question: since you see UV light, could you use a UV flashlight to walk around in what appears to be almost complete darkness but you see just fine with the UV flashlight? I suppose that would be cool, not sure how useful that would be but interesting anyway.
Answered my own question: half-way down this page he says he can see light from a 365nm UV flashlight that appears to have no light. [komar.org] So yes, he could light his entire house in 365nm UV light and "see" while everyone else would see pitch black.
That would be neat, but some things that would appear as black to other people actually appear as violet to him. [komar.org] I would find that annoying, I guess technically he's now color blind, "the inability or decreased ability to see color, or perceive color differences, under lighting conditions when color vision is not normally impaired", since now he perceives some black colors as violet. [wikipedia.org]
Think I'll pass on this superpower.
Re:Cool (Score:2, Insightful)
Actually it all depends on whether we are talking pigment or light.
If its light, White is a mix of ALL colors, and black is the absence of any of the colors.
If its pigment then White is the absence of pigment, and Black is all pigments combined.