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 pr ecision of many tasks and has made the presence of lasers commonplace. In the military the pervasive use of laser devices in uncontrolled en vironments enhances the potential for human exposure. The visual disru ption experienced during these exposures could lead to serious injury or disruption of performance. Characterization of changes in visual-mo tor performance of military personnel exposed to safe levels of laser glare assists in minimizing mission performance decrements. Methods: T here were 18 female and male military personnel who performed a tracki ng task in the field and in the laboratory. Two systems were used to a ssess possible gender differences inherent to the operation of each un it. There were six 3-s laser trials presented at an irradiance of 400 mu W . 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-t arget (TTOT) scores were determined. Results:Analysis showed that afte r the flash females tended to lead and males lagged behind the target. No significant differences in MAE or TTOT scores attributable to gend er were found. Dawn/dusk flash trials produced greater disruption of p ursuit tracking than did bright light trials. Repeated flash exposures showed either an adaptive or a cumulative response. Conclusions: Sign ificant visual disruption was found following exposure to ''safe'' lev els of laser light and this effect was increased during simulated dawn /dusk conditions. The degree of performance decrement was not related to gender.