LIGHT AND VISION 2-19

leacirUne to believe that there is an important difference between direct

and reflected glare, if the results are evaluated in terms of the brightness
viewed by the observer, it is not necessary to state whether the brightness
is/of a glare source viewed directly or of its reflected image.
J 'Although it may often be possible to modify a lighting design so as to
eliminate glare, even after the design has been carried out in a practical
installation, usually it is simpler and less expensive to avoid the defect
in the original design. For this reason illuminating engineers are working
to develop satisfactory preinstallation methods of evaluating design bright-
ness relationships with respect to their potential glare effect.
However, glare involves physiological and psychological as well as phys-
ical factors, and to determine the true relationship between the many
variables under all practical conditions is a formidable task.
Despite the fact that a completely satisfactory solution is not in sight,
several useful theories having individual merit have been proposed. How-
ever, because each of the theories is subject to some justifiable criticism,
glare is considered a controversial subject and the theories should be
applied carefully.
Though the desirability of judging glare phenomena against disability
and discomfort criteria (distinct and unrelated in concept) has been agreed
upon, and the utility of the Holladay-Stiles formula for evaluating dis-
ability glare has been recognized, no similar agreement has been reached
on a method of evaluating discomfort glare.
The following convenient definitions, though not standard, serve to
increase the precision achievable in glare discussions. Unless otherwise
qualified the intended meaning in this handbook is that defined.
Adaptation level (B
A )
that brightness of a perfectly uniform field which
would result in the same state of adaptation as the practical field of view
in question.
Task (t)the 2-degree area imaged on the fovea which includes the
object or detail to be seen and the contrasting background.
Surround (s)all of the field of view not occupied by the task.
Field
of
view
(J)
comprises two monocular fields represented by two
solid angles approximately 90 degrees wide and 120 degrees high that com-
bine to form an approximately circular binocular field subtending about
120 degrees. (See Fig. 2-21,
pg.
2-26.)
Glare source
(g)
any brightness in the field of view which causes either
visual disability or a sensation of discomfort.
Disability Glare
Disability-glare sources, by increasing an observer's adaptation level,
reduce his contrast sensitivity or the contrast between a visual task and its
background, or both. The same effect is observed if .a veiling brightness
is superposed uniformly on a task and background,
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