Temporal modulation sensitivity in cone dark adaptation.

The temporal modulation sensitivity of cone vision was studied using sinusoidally modulated lights. We found that the effects of bright flash bleaches mirror the effects of light adaptation and raise low frequency threshold most. Prolonged pre-exposures, however, raise high frequency threshold most. Two processes are therefore required to describe the mechanisms of recovery of sensitivity following bleaching exposures, one which acts like a background light and selectively attenuates low frequencies, and another process with a long integration time which selectively attenuates high frequencies.