SECTION 2

LIGHT AND VISION

Joint 'professional responsibility. Though the ophthalmologists and op-
tometrists are responsible for the care of the eyes, their ultimate success
in the discharge of this responsibilit}'
-
depends in part on the co-ordinated
skills of the architect, decorator, and illuminating engineer.
)
Effect of
poor illumination. If forced to live or work under conditions
of insufficient or poor quality illumination, or both, persons with normal
eyes frequently experience temporary discomfort or disability that re-
duces their visual efficiency. Over a period of time they have^been known
to suffer semipermanent or permanent impairment of vision.
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Benefits
of
good illumination are greatest
for
those with subnormal vision.
Lacking light, the best eyes are useless. The vision of those persons whose
visual deficiency the specialist is unable to correct or has not corrected to
normal (through the prescription of proper training, or of lenses, medica-
tion, or surgery) is more noticeably affected by the quantity and the qual-
ity of illumination than is the vision of persons with normal or corrected
to normal vision.
For these reasons the illuminating engineer shares with the eye specialist
the responsibility for providing the public with the means for achieving and
maintaining the best vision attainable within the limits of engineering de-
velopment and economic feasibility. Demonstrations of co-operation
between practitioners in each field are becoming more common as it is
realized that the objectives of the professions are the same.
Industrial progress in sight conservation. The trend in industry is to-
ward the assignment of vision problems, including those related to job
analysis, to committees or boards comprising a medical director, a safety
engineer, an ophthalmologist or optometrist, and an illuminating engineer.
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The American Standard
Safety Code for
the Protection
of
Heads, Eyes,and
Respiratory Organs, published by the National Bureau of Standards, de-
scribes the most common occupational eye hazards and means of prevent-
ing eye injuries, and includes specifications for goggles designed to protect
against glare, invisible radiation, fumes, and flying particles.
Child development research. In Texas, where a long-range research into
child development is being conducted, illuminating engineers and eye
specialists are prominent in the interprofessional commission organized
to guide the program.
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The Visual Process
i
The functions
of
the eye all depend on its ability to transform a light
stimulus into an impulse that may be transmitted through the nerve fibers
to the brain. There, the impulse is analyzed and a reaction initiated.
The undistorted perception of contrast and color, of shape and depth,
and of motion and direction, and therefore, most voluntary thought and
action depend on the consistent response of the eye to light. /
Note: References are listed at the end of each section.
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