Researchers at Manchester University believe that they have “worked out a formula to calculate how ‘beer goggles’ affect a drinker’s vision.” The variables in the formula at right consist of:
- An = number of units of alcohol consumed
- S = smokiness of the room (graded from 0-10, where 0 clear air; 10 extremely smoky)
- L = luminance of ‘person of interest’ (candelas per square metre; typically 1 pitch black; 150 as seen in normal room lighting)
- Vo = Snellen visual acuity (6/6 normal; 6/12 just meets driving standard)
- d = distance from ‘person of interest’ (metres; 0.5 to 3 metres)
I really thought that this was a joke, but the article seems serious…
