Laboratory simulator and field pursuit tracking performance with females and males in the presence of laser glare.
BACKGROUND
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.


METHODS
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.


RESULTS
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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Stamper
D A
DA
U.S. Army Medical Research Detachment, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Brooks Air Force Base, TX 78235-5138, USA.
Lund
D J
DJ
Molchany
J W
JW
Stuck
B E
BE
D000328:Adult; D000360:Afterimage / Q000502:physiology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003623:Dark Adaptation / Q000502:physiology; D004869:Equipment Safety; D005260:Female; D019466:Glare / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008328:Man-Machine Systems; D008889:Military Personnel; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011601:Psychophysics; D011698:Pursuit, Smooth / Q000502:physiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis