Effects of Lens Color on Target Visibility for Air-Sea Rescue

Abstract

Visual detection of life rafts in the sea presents a difficult task which might be aided by use in appropriate sunglasses designed to reduce glare and atmospheric attenuation while enhancing target-to-background contrast. To evaluate this possibility, target acquisition performance associated with several types of sunglass lenses was compared with that of the unaided eye. A circular 1:10000 scale terrain model was used to simulate an air-sea rescue operation under conditions of relatively low daylight illumination. No filter was found to be superior to the unaided eye. The data agree with recent target acquisition studies in showing no advantage for yellow sunglass lenses. The results are also consistent with the assumption that supposed enhancement properties of colored lenses may well be offset by losses in light transmission associated with their use. The results are also consistent with the assumption that supposed enhancement properties of colored lenses may well be offset by losses in Light transmission associated with their use.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1974
Accession Number
ADA009623

Entities

People

  • R. G. Searle
  • R. L. Hilgendorf
  • S. Macleod

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Air Sea Rescues
  • Atmospheric Attenuation
  • Audiovisual Aids
  • Biomedical Research
  • Detection
  • Glare
  • Illumination
  • Life Rafts
  • Light Transmission
  • Losses
  • Sea Rescues
  • Search And Rescue
  • Target Acquisition
  • Terrain Models

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Vision Science/Vision Psychology/Cognitive Neuroscience.