DEVELOPMENT OF A PORTABLE DARK FOCUS INSTRUMENT

NEUROBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH INDICATES THAT CHANGES IN ACCOMMODATION ARE ASSOCIATED WITH STRESSES THAT MAY OCCUR DURING SPACE MISSIONS (E.G., EXTENDED DURATION FLIGHT, VARIABLE GRAVITY, LONG-TERM CONFINEMENT, SPACE MOTION SICKNESS). THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS FOR THE NATIONAL SPACE PROGRAM ARE TWOFOLD. MEASURES OF ACCOMMODATION MAY BE USED TO INDEX ONSET AND EXTENT OF SPACE MOTION SICKNESS AND OTHER STRESSES OF SPACEFLIGHT, BOTH AFTER ENTRY TO HYPOGRAVITY CONDITIONS AND DURING READAPTATION TO TERRESTRIAL CONDITIONS. AN ACCURATE MEASURE OF ACCOMMODATION MAY BE USED TO SIGNAL THAT VISUAL PERFORMANCESMAY BE DEGRADED. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP, CALIBRATE, AND VALIDATE A PORTABLE DEVICE TO MEASURE ACCOMMODATION. IN PHASE II, FABRICATION AND EXTENSIVE FIELD TESTING OF THE DEVICE WOULD BE CONDUCTED. NEUROBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH INDICATES THAT CHANGES IN ACCOMMODATION ARE ASSOCIATED WITH STRESSES THAT MAY OCCUR DURING SPACE MISSIONS (E.G., EXTENDED DURATION FLIGHT, VARIABLE GRAVITY, LONG-TERM CONFINEMENT, SPACE MOTION SICKNESS). THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS FOR THE NATIONAL SPACE PROGRAM ARE TWOFOLD. MEASURES OF ACCOMMODATION MAY BE USED TO INDEX ONSET AND EXTENT OF SPACE MOTION SICKNESS AND OTHER STRESSES OF SPACEFLIGHT, BOTH AFTER ENTRY TO HYPOGRAVITY CONDITIONS AND DURING READAPTATION TO TERRESTRIAL CONDITIONS. AN ACCURATE MEASURE OF ACCOMMODATION MAY BE USED TO SIGNAL THAT VISUAL PERFORMANCESMAY BE DEGRADED. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP, CALIBRATE, AND VALIDATE A PORTABLE DEVICE TO MEASURE ACCOMMODATION. IN PHASE II, FABRICATION AND EXTENSIVE FIELD TESTING OF THE DEVICE WOULD BE CONDUCTED.