Dennis R J
AL/AOCOP, Brooks AFB, TX 78235-5117, USA.
J Am Optom Assoc. 1995 Apr;66(4):230-9.
Optometry has played a significant role in the USAF vision research program since the early 1960s. The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) sponsors active duty optometry officers for Ph.D. and masters programs in Physiological Optics at civilian universities. After training, they are assigned to research laboratories at Brooks AFB, TX, or Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. Senior research optometrists manage vision and medical research programs and have served on the staff of the United States Air Force (USAF) Surgeon General.
Research papers reporting on USAF vision research programs, especially those germane to improving aircrew combat effectiveness, have been published extensively by USAF optometrists in Air Force and joint services technical reports as well as the open literature. These programs include: refractive error trends, contact lenses, ophthalmic materials, night vision, aircraft transparency measurement, nuclear flashblindness, laser, and space flight. As long as vision remains the most important sensory input to the pilot, USAF optometrists will remain an integral part of the aerospace medical research team.
自20世纪60年代初以来，验光专业在美国空军视力研究项目中发挥了重要作用。空军理工学院（AFIT）为现役验光军官提供赞助，支持他们在民用大学攻读生理光学博士和硕士学位。培训结束后，他们被分配到德克萨斯州布鲁克斯空军基地或俄亥俄州赖特-帕特森空军基地的研究实验室。资深验光研究员负责管理视力和医学研究项目，并在美国空军军医局任职。
美国空军验光师在空军及联合部队技术报告以及公开文献中广泛发表了关于美国空军视力研究项目的研究论文，尤其是那些与提高机组人员作战效能相关的论文。这些项目包括：屈光不正趋势、隐形眼镜、眼科材料、夜视、飞机透明度测量、核闪光致盲、激光和太空飞行。只要视力仍然是飞行员最重要的感官输入，美国空军验光师将始终是航空航天医学研究团队不可或缺的一部分。
