Commercial fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Physiological - Other
Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
General None Reported / Taken
Airport; Human Factors
I was asked while taxiing over the DFW North Bridge westbound if the lights on the new B Terminal extension were a problem. They are very bright and not hooded for westbound taxi that I could tell. I have recently been doing research on pilots and vision. It can take the better part of an hour to develop night vision and this exposure during a taxi to [Runway] 18L is a night vision destroyer; especially when told to follow traffic from D and B terminals. I don't know if this was a Ground Controller doing opinion research or part of an airport survey. I know an Engineer who was involved with the last light update on the C and A terminals and it was a very well considered project that required several adjustments to accomplish. Similar effort should be devoted to this project as well. I voiced my concern to the Controller based on my research and the other two opinions I heard raised no concern. I think this needed to be looked into.The FAA provides the following guidance in regards to night vision. The rods can take approximately 30 minutes to fully adapt to darkness. A bright light; however; can completely destroy night adaptation; leaving night vision severely compromised while the adaptation process is repeated.
When asked by Ground Control to assess the level of brightness of the terminal lights on a new section of Terminal B at DFW an air carrier Captain; serendipitously involved in pilot vision studies; described the unshielded lights as a 'night vision destroyer;' in particular for traffic taxiing westbound.