Criteria for a State-of-the-Art Vision Test System

Abstract : Many vision test/screening devices used in the Armed Services have not changed since the 1940's. The reduction in the size of the pool of qualified aircrew candidates has caused operational Commands to question the validity of these tests. Current objectives of vision testing have evolved from a means to eliminate pilot candidates to methods of predicting aircrew performance. The Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (NAMRL) is attempting to correlate the results of several vision tests with the visual abilities of pilot trainees as demonstrated during monitored training flights. This report describes status that could be considered as useful parameters for testing in the Armed Forces vision test battery of the future. One major conclusion is that the operational visual task(s) must be suitably described in order to select appropriate clinical and laboratory test measures. Correlations and validation studies can then be performed with cooperative efforts such as those between NAMRL and AFAMRL. Additional keywords: Visual acuity; Eye position measures; Accommodation; Neurology; and Color vision.