The effect of hypoxia upon macular recovery time in normal humans

Bright light illumination (photostress) of the macula produces a negative after-image in the form of a central scotoma. The time needed for restoring normal visual acuity function, "macular recovery time," may be measured using a nyctometer. We have measured the recovery in 30 normal men, aged 18 to 23 years, at sea level and at 8,000 ft (n = 10), 15,000 ft (n = 10), and 18,000 ft (n = 10) of simulated altitudes in a low pressure chamber. The degree of initial recovery (the first 30-40 s) was unaffected by hypoxia equivalent to 8,000, 15,000, and 18,000 ft. The recovery at 2 min was impaired by hypoxia at an altitude of 18,000 ft (p = 0.009) but not at 8,000 ft or 15,000 ft. The initial phase of recovery may represent the neural phase of macular function and appears to be more resistant to hypoxia than the recovery at 2 min, the latter probably being dominated by photochemical recovery. The study establishes a critical level of hypoxia where complete recovery of macular sensitivity is not achieved.