I wrote a song for you

[venta]

You know that orange dye they sometimes put in your eyes as part of an eye exam? The one that makes you briefly see the world in sepia, and then leaves you looking faintly jaundiced for the rest of the day?

Do you also know the sort of generic eye-lubricating drops you might have recommended by an optician if you've got irritated eyes?

Well, in that case you might like to know that the orange dye and the generic eye-drops react together in such a way that your eyes will stream bright neon yellow for a while. Seriously. Actual looks-like-it-might-glow-in-the-dark neon yellow.

Didn't bloody mention that, did they?

Comments

[shermarama]

Right, yes, looking it up it looks like fluorescein is a dye they use for that test, and, well, yes, can you guess what notable thing that does? I used to work with it sometimes as a lab technician, and as you buy it it's a dull, brick-red powder. If you make concentrated solution it looks an unpromising orange, and it's only when you get it quite dilute that it turns that neon yellow-green... as you've just discovered the empirical way. Newton would approve :)

[shermarama]

(And I know what the song is but don't want to acknowledge it, except I've now got it as an earworm. Bah, humbug, skinny indie boy on your freezing-looking beach. I never did work out what the point of the video was, other than that maybe it was meant to induce sympathy and the urge to make him a cuppa, and in lieu of being able to do that, buy the record instead.)

[venta.livejournal.com]

Wow, it seems really improbable that just diluting that gungy orange stuff can make it go SO BRIGHT!

[shermarama]

I think it's more that the stuff is always REALLY BRIGHT, but when it's too concentrated there isn't room to get enough light through for it to really show itself. (I'd guess when it's in your eye it's a thin film and they're using a bright light.)