Project 4.1-- Biomedical Effects - Flash Blindness and Chorioretinal
Burns ~ Col. R. S. Fixott
OBJECTIVES
To gain information regarding the behavior of lid reflexes
under the high illuminations produced by atomic devices; to further
evaluate the blink reflexes as a protective mechanism against
chorioretinal burns.
To gain information on shutter and filter mechanisms for eye
protection against chorioretinal burns caused by atomic weapons of
various types anid yields.
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INSTRUMENTATION
The experimental arrangement for this project required the exposure
of animal eyes to the weapon detonation at distances which produced
retinal lesions in a similar test series during UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE.
Rabbits and monkeys were the animals of choice; the former because of
ready availability and limited motility of the eye, the latter because
of close resemblance to the human eye.
Exposure racks were constructed
to render nearly complete protection of the animal from whole body
effects, when such protection was indicated.
limited to one eye of subject rabbits.
Direct exposure was
The monkeys had both eyes
exposed, being used solely for determining the protection offered
by the blink reflex.
Staggered shutters of two types were used.
The simple closure
shutters were open at time zero and closed at varying intervals after,
up to 1 second.
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The closed-open-closed shutters were closed at time
zero, opened at a specified time, remained open for varying durations,
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