What happens to white balance when you are operated for cataract with new eye lens?

[achanth]

I would like to document here a dilemma for photographers. What happens to white balance when you have been operated for cataract and have a new lens replacing your old eye lens?

There are two photos here: one taken with olympus 510. It gives a yellow tinge of colour. Good colour, rich.

This second photo here is taken with Nikon D300. It gives a whiter colour.

My left eye is not operated on yet...so it gives me an "Olympus" view of the world.

My right eye is already operated on...it gives me a whiter, brighter "Nikon" view of the world.

In adjusting the white balance, which one should be the right white balance?

 

[Rashkae]

The Nikon one looks more accurate to me.

 

[LittleWolf]

In adjusting the white balance, which one should be the right white balance?

If you're asking for a colorimetrically accurate rendition, overwhelmingly likely neither.

If you're asking for a "perceptually" acceptable rendition, it is entirely subjective.

 

[giantcanopy]

if you are asking about the science behind the chromatic shift pre and post surgery,

The optical density of the your good old human lens changes when one ages. but color perception is remarkably constant. ( Blurry vision in cataracts aside ) The green that you see at your age with cataracts should be the same green that you saw at age 18. This is probably because of the human brain's adaptive response compensates any possible color changes over the years.

However immediately after surgery there is not enough time for the brain to compensate the changes of the new lens, and there are people who percieves a color shift in perception and things look more blue / less yellow. The effect is not permanent though, and the brain will re-adapt to the new lens. This is probably why you have a difference in the percieved color before / after

Ryan

 

[lsisaxon]

I would like to document here a dilemma for photographers. What happens to white balance when you have been operated for cataract and have a new lens replacing your old eye lens?

There are two photos here: one taken with olympus 510. It gives a yellow tinge of colour. Good colour, rich.


This second photo here is taken with Nikon D300. It gives a whiter colour.


My left eye is not operated on yet...so it gives me an "Olympus" view of the world.

My right eye is already operated on...it gives me a whiter, brighter "Nikon" view of the world.

In adjusting the white balance, which one should be the right white balance?

I think you'll probably get used to it... The eye is actually quite adaptive.. I would probably liken it to wearing blue or yellow tinted glasses for a while and you lose the sense of colour after you have already gotten used to the colour. ;p

There is no right or wrong. Best is to see if it matches the original scene as you intended it to be seen.

I shoot my Nikons using Cloudy WB and it gives me a colour somewhat between what the Olympus and the Nikon gives. I find the Nikon AWB a tad too cool for my preference.

 

[achanth]

Thanks everyone for your inputs and comments. I will be doing the other eye once the right eye settles down. Hopefully, I will be able to see the rich colours of Olympus; if not, the whiter world of Nikon, is okay too!