INTERACTION OF AGE AND ALCOHOL ON DARK ADAPTION TIME

THIS EXPERIMENT IS A CONTINUATION OF THE LABORATORY'S EFFORTS TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ON THE ABILITY TO DETECT A LOW CONTRAST TARGET UNDER MESOPIC LEVELS OF ILLUMINATION. ALCOHOL PRODUCED ANALOGOUS RESULTS IN UPPER MIDDLE-AGED PERSONS-50 TO 60 YEARS OLD, AND IN YOUNG ADULTS-21 TO 30 YEARS OLD. SIGNIFICANT IMPAIRMENT WAS EVIDENCED AT 80 MG. PERCENT BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL (B.A.L.), WHILE LITTLE OR NO DETERIORATION OCCURRED AT 60 MG. PERCENT, 40 MG. PERCENT, OR NORMAL BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVELS. INDEPENDENT OF THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL, AGE WAS SHOWN TO BE A LIMITING FACTOR AND A SUBSTANTIAL HANDICAP. SEVERAL SUGGESTIONS ARE OFFERED TO APPRISE THE OLDER PERSON OF THE PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WITH REDUCED ILLUMINATION LEVELS. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Rept No ICRL-RR-70-9
• Corporate Authors:

  Public Health Service

  Injury Control Research Laboratory
  Providence, RI  United States 
• Authors:
  • Lewis, E M
• Publication Date: 1972

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 21 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adolescents; Aged; Alcohols; Blood alcohol levels; Driver performance; Drivers; Drunk driving; Illuminating engineering; Night vision; Personnel performance; Teenage drivers
• Old TRIS Terms: Illumination engineering
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00224574
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 3 1974 12:00AM