Mild hypoxia and visual performance with night vision goggles

Military night vision goggles (NVGs) are image intensifiers normally used when the human operator's visual capabilities are unimpaired by oxygen deprivation. However, mountain search team members and aviators sometimes operate with NVG augmentation at altitudes where hypoxic visual decrement is documented. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of mild hypoxia on monocular visual performance with NVGs. It was found that mild oxygen deprivation significantly affects unaided square-wave grating visual acuity but does not significantly affect NVG-augmented performance. Large differences between visual sensitivities at different spatial frequencies were not differentially affected by mild hypoxia. Supplemental oxygen did significantly improve naked-eye but not NVG-augmented night resolution acuity up to a simulated altitude of 13,000 ft (3,962 m) above sea level (ASL).