IT&#39;S A SHADE FAMILIAR to BMW drivers who aimed their roundel at the dark horizon in the Eighties: the signature red-orange glow emanating from the instruments and buttons. What made those old BMW gauges seem perfectly attuned to night driving? Just ask the 19th-century Czech anatomist Johann Evangelist Purkinje, who was first to describe what became known as the Purkinje effect. Imagine the red-tinted war room in a nuclear sub or the glowing orange instruments in a dark airplane cockpit, and you&#39;ll understand the Purkinje effects practical application. In near darkness, our vision thrives on that particular wavelength of light.Broadly speaking, your eyes have two types of receptors: Rod cells handle low-light environments, and cone cells process brighter light. That red-orange wavelength sits in a sweet spot, visible to your low-light rods without saturating your bright-light cones. Your dark-adjusted eyes can seamlessly move from the road to red orange gauges. Conversely, cone cells are highly sensitive to blue, green, and white lighting at night-the Purkinje shift. On a dashboard, these hues force a jarring handoff between your dark and bright-vision circuits, forcing your eyes to readjust every time you glance at your speedo.That problem manifests inside modern vehicles, too, with brands jockeying for screen supremacy, stuffing interiors with ever-larger digital panels. It&#39;s no surprise that a bright foot wide screen will lead to extra eyestrain. So we&#39;re begging automakers: Downsize the screens and bring back that red-orange glow. For safety, of course, and a tiny bit of nostalgia. O

RED-ORANGE GLOW

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