Sharpness of vision of pilots in air force of Serbia after +Gz acceleration in human centrifuge

Abstract

The high speeds achieved during the take-off, fl ight, and landing of modern aircraft present limitations for the visual system. The importance of maintaining visual function during these intervals has been recognizised since the earliest stages of aviation development. Because of the great practical importance of air combat, research on visual stress during fl ight is of great importance receives much attention. Vision is the most important sensory function in terms of both fl ight safety and the quality performance of fl ight duties. Visual acuity of 12 Air Force pilots was investigated before and after exposure to + Gz acceleration in a human centrifuge. This centrifuge is a combination gravity and altitude apparatus, capable of reaching accelerations of up to 20 G and simulating altitudes of up to 30, 000 m. Each pilot had individual centrifuge training, and individual skills were first statedmeasured at the first time of exposure to G acceleration, and again in a one week. The training level that correspondscorresponding to the improvement of individual skills during submission to Gz acceleration was applied. Exposure to +Gz acceleration provokes significant reactions and fl uctuations in the eye. Immediately after exposure to + Gz acceleration, there was a transient decrease in visual acuity at a distance of 0.02 ± 0.04 degrees of visual angle. Pupil diameter increased from 3.5 ± 0.6 to 5.6 ± 0.5 mm. This dilation continued for 15 min following exposure to acceleration. Changes on the eye bottom were not noted. Previous work has shown that exposure to + Gz acceleration results in an increase in the depth of the eye chamber. Energy reserves in retinal tissue and the central nervous system allow continued operation of brain and visual systems to continue for a few seconds following interruption of blood supply to the head. This enables rapid tolerance to high G loads for a short period of time, usually approximately 5 seconds. At high initial rates of acceleration, significant changes in visual function can occur. However, the importance of maintaining visual acuity is increasing due to the applica-tion of novel functional displays for rapid orientation of the pilot in space, the configuration of the area field, aircraftacuity in the context of real Gz accelerationinue studies that will provide accurate indicators of visual acuity in the context of real Gz acceleration and spatial disorientation.