The influence of filtering by the macular carotenoids on contrast sensitivity measured under simulated blue haze conditions

Vision Research
Billy R HammondJennifer C Wong

Abstract

Distant objects are often obscured as a result of wavelength-dependent scattering in the atmosphere. This scattered light, which is mostly short-wave, effectively forms a veiling luminance (or background light) against which a target must be detected and discriminated. The macular pigment (MP) carotenoids could reduce the effective background intensity by selectively filtering out short wavelengths which would increase the contrast of the object in the retinal image, thus improving visibility. This Visibility hypothesis was originally posited by Wooten and Hammond (2002). This study represents a first empirical test of the hypothesis. Five young healthy subjects were evaluated. MP optical density (OD) was measured using HFP. Visibility was assessed by measuring contrast sensitivity thresholds at 8 cycles/deg (CST) using an optical system that passed xenon-light through the sine-wave grating. Blue haze was simulated using an ecologically valid broad-spectrum filter. Changes in MP density were simulated using a variable path length filter with an oil-based carotenoid solution that mimicked the absolute absorption spectrum of MP. The average baseline CST was 0.004. Adding 0.25OD of simulated MP lowered the average threshold to 0.0...Continue Reading

References

Oct 1, 1972·American Journal of Optometry and Archives of American Academy of Optometry·S M Luria
Dec 1, 1995·Optometry and Vision Science : Official Publication of the American Academy of Optometry·C A Johnson, E J Casson
Jul 1, 1997·Optometry and Vision Science : Official Publication of the American Academy of Optometry·B R HammondD M Snodderly
Mar 4, 2000·Optometry and Vision Science : Official Publication of the American Academy of Optometry·J S WolffsohnS Wu
Jan 3, 2001·The British Journal of Ophthalmology·A C VenturaM Böhnke
Jun 14, 2002·Progress in Retinal and Eye Research·Billy R Wooten, Billy R Hammond
May 17, 2005·Optometry and Vision Science : Official Publication of the American Academy of Optometry·Billy R Wooten, Billy R Hammond
May 17, 2005·Optometry and Vision Science : Official Publication of the American Academy of Optometry·Billy R HammondBill Smollon
May 26, 2007·Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science·Michael EnglesBilly Hammond
Sep 18, 2007·Optometry and Vision Science : Official Publication of the American Academy of Optometry·James M Stringham, Billy R Hammond
Feb 26, 2008·Optometry and Vision Science : Official Publication of the American Academy of Optometry·James M Stringham, Billy R Hammond
Jan 21, 2009·Visual Neuroscience·Thorsten Hansen, Karl R Gegenfurtner
May 12, 2009·American Journal of Ophthalmology·Billy R HammondJing Dong
May 25, 2010·Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics : the Journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists)·Lisa M Renzi, Billy R Hammond
Oct 5, 2010·Experimental Eye Research·Lisa M Renzi, Billy R Hammond

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Citations

Jan 1, 2012·Scientifica·Billy R Hammond
Oct 15, 2014·Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology = Albrecht Von Graefes Archiv Für Klinische Und Experimentelle Ophthalmologie·David I ThurnhamStephen Beatty
Oct 27, 2016·Clinical & Experimental Optometry : Journal of the Australian Optometrical Association·Lisa M Renzi-Hammond, Billy R Hammond
Apr 20, 2016·The British Journal of Ophthalmology·Kwadwo Owusu AkuffoStephen Beatty
Jun 14, 2013·Nutrients·Ekaterina LoskutovaStephen Beatty
Oct 12, 2012·The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition·Billy R Hammond, Laura M Fletcher
Aug 26, 2014·Optometry and Vision Science : Official Publication of the American Academy of Optometry·Laura M FletcherBilly R Hammond
Aug 14, 2020·Molecules : a Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry·Barbara Demmig-AdamsWilliam W Adams

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