Stamper D A, Lund D J, Molchany J W, Stuck B E
U.S. Army Medical Research Detachment, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Brooks Air Force Base, TX 78235-5138, USA.
Aviat Space Environ Med. 1997 Jul;68(7):580-7.
The developments in laser technology have increased the precision of many tasks and has made the presence of lasers common-place. In the military the pervasive use of laser devices in uncontrolled environments enhances the potential for human exposure. The visual disruption experienced during these exposures could lead to serious injury or disruption of performance. Characterization of changes in visual-motor performance of military personnel exposed to safe levels of laser glare assists in minimizing mission performance decrements.
There were 18 female and male military personnel who performed a tracking task in the field and in the laboratory. Two systems were used to assess possible gender differences inherent to the operation of each unit. There were six, 3-s laser trials presented at an irradiance of 400 microW.cm-2 during 15 bright light and 15 simulated dawn/dusk trials with each system. The laser beam on the retina was collinear with the image on the sight. Maximum absolute error (MAE) and total time-off-target (TTOT) scores were determined.
Analysis showed that after the flash females tended to lead and males lagged behind the target. No significant differences in MAE or TTOT scores attributable to gender were found. Dawn/dusk flash trials produced greater disruption of pursuit tracking than did bright light trials. Repeated flash exposures showed either an adaptive or a cumulative response.
Significant visual disruption was found following exposure to "safe" levels of laser light and this effect was increased during simulated dawn/dusk conditions. The degree of performance decrement was not related to gender.
激光技术的发展提高了许多任务的精度，使激光的存在变得很普遍。在军事领域，激光设备在不受控制的环境中的广泛使用增加了人员暴露的可能性。在这些暴露过程中经历的视觉干扰可能导致严重伤害或性能下降。对暴露于安全水平激光眩光下的军事人员视觉运动性能变化进行表征，有助于将任务性能下降降至最低。
18名男女军事人员在野外和实验室中执行跟踪任务。使用两个系统来评估每个单元操作中可能存在的性别差异。在每个系统的15次强光试验和15次模拟黎明/黄昏试验中，以400微瓦·平方厘米的辐照度进行6次3秒的激光试验。视网膜上的激光束与瞄准具上的图像共线。确定最大绝对误差（MAE）和总脱靶时间（TTOT）分数。
分析表明，闪光后女性倾向于领先，男性则落后于目标。未发现MAE或TTOT分数因性别而存在显著差异。黎明/黄昏闪光试验比强光试验对追踪跟踪的干扰更大。重复闪光暴露显示出适应性或累积性反应。
暴露于“安全”水平的激光后发现有明显的视觉干扰，并且在模拟黎明/黄昏条件下这种影响会增强。性能下降的程度与性别无关。
