VERNIER ACUITY THROUGH NIGHT-VISION GOGGLES

Night vision goggles (NVG's) are being used increasingly in military a nd civilian environments. Despite the use of these devices, relatively few tests exist to assess visual performance through NVG's. Hyperacui ty tasks may provide a sensitive index of performance through night vi sion devices. In this study, grating vernier acuity was measured throu gh NVG's. As reported previously, a power law relation was observed be tween vernier acuity and stimulus contrast. Comparison of vernier acui ty with and without NVG's indicated that performance is limited by the contrast transfer of the device. Vernier acuity measurements can be u sed to assess the quality of vision and quantity of contrast transferr ed through night vision devices.