DUDE
Intercom
Duke University Medical Center
VOLUME 23, NUMBER 48
DECEMBER 10,1976
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Detecting ^Built-In Dirty Windshields^
Glare Test May Become Licensing Routine
By David Williamson
Writer James Thurber, whose
vision began to fail him in later life,
had first-hand experience with the
difficulties older people sometimes
face driving after dark.
"A peril of the night road is that
flecks of dust and shreds of bug
blood on the winshield look to me
often like old admirals in uniform or
crippled apple women, or the front
end of barges, and I whirl out of their
way, thus going into ditches and
fields and up on front lawns," he
wrote after one trip.
Mass Screening
In an effort to help the North
Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles
identify drivers like Thurber who are
at a disadvantage after dark and
during poor weather conditions, and
thereby reduce the highway accident
toll, a medical center scientist has
developed a mass-screening device
to test for glare sensitivity.
Dr. Myron Wolbarsht, professor of
ophthalmology and biomedical
engineering, also has improved an
existiiig peripheral vision tester to
make it suitable for widespread use
at licensing stations.
Bureau of Highway Safety
employes conducted successful field
trials of the devices in 32 North
Carolina cities last year. Fifteen
hundred driver applicants
participated in the trials.
Standard Vision Exams
Wolbarsht said both the glare
sensitivity and peripheral vision
testers may become part of the
standard vision examinations for
license applicants within the next
two years, after current studies and
refinements have been completed.
Many drivers with increased glare
sensitivity have otherwise normal
daytime vision and are currently
indistinguishable from those who
have no special problems with glare,
he explained. At night or under
adverse conditions, these drivers'
eyes "scatter" light internally, much
as dust particles do on a dirty
windshield.
"People with light scattering
within the eye can be considered to
have a built-in dirty windshield,"
Wolbarsht said. "They can pass a
visual acuity test for licensing and
still present a hazard to themselves
and others at night.
Wolbarsht said abnormal glare
sensitivity is sometimes, but not
always, a symptom of other eye
problems such as cataracts. His
studies and those done by other
researchers indicate that glare
sensitivity is greater in older drivers.
Night Driving Hazard
Decreased visibility due to glare
may rank behind alcohol abuse and
poor judgment as one of the chief
causes of automobile accidents at
night and during rain or fog, he said.
But exactly how great a toll glare
(Continued on page 5)
Union Apparently Rejected
In Large Voter Turnout
REDUCING HIGHWAY ACCIDENTS—That's the goal of mass-screening tests Dr.
Myron Wolbarsht is using to check this woman's glare sensitivity and peripheral
vision. Within the next two years both tests Wolbarsht devised may become part of
the standard vision examinations for North Carolina driver's license applicants.
(Photo bylna Fried)
Eighty per cent of the 2,024 eligible
voters in the medical center
participated in the Nov. 16 union
election which apparently rejected
representation by Local 77 of the
American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME).
Of the 1,616 ballots cast, 743 were
against the labor organization, 684
were in favor and 189 were
challenged.
Eminent Guest to Attend Hospital Party
NORTH POLE, Arctic Circle —
Sources close to Santa Claus,
renowned distributor of good cheer,
have announced that Claus will visit
the medical center on Dec. 15.
He will give informal lectures and
demonstrations of his work in the
courtyard cafeteria between 2-4 p.m.
and 10 p.m.-midnight.
The topic will be "The
Interrelation Between Candy Canes
and Ho-Ho-Hoing in the Christmas
Spirit Phenomenon A First-hand
Appraisal."
The gatherings also will feature
abundant refreshments and
entertainment by local talent. At least
25 large turkeys will be given away
as door prizes.
All employees are encouraged to
participate.
"All employees voting are to be
congratulated for their
participation," said Richard L.
Jackson, assistant vice president and
director of personnel for the
university.
Intercom has delayed reporting the
election vote, pending an official
certification of the tally by the
National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB). However, Jackson said
official certification could be months
off because of the 189 challenged
ballots.
In spite of the challenges, Jackson
said, it is unlikely that the outcome
of the election will be changed.
Jackson explained the challenged
ballots this way:
Duke challenged 21 voters as
irregular part-time employees;
AFSCME chaUenged 39 voters as
business officie clercials and/or
supervisors; and the NLRB issued
the balance of the challengers to
voters whose names were not on the
voting eligibility list.
Even if the NLRB decides in favor
of the union, Jackson pointed out, it
probably would gain only 21 votes
(those challenged by Duke), not
enough for a majority.
Both Duke and AFSCME have
filed objections regarding the
conduct of the election.
The NLRB will conduct hearings
in the next few months to determine
the validity of the objections and
challenges.