Page 73 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Winter 2016

Figure 6 Wound-simulation suits illuminated with (A) white 8. Ver Hoeve JN. Visual adaptation. In: Tasman W, Jaeger EA,
flashlight and (B) Red-Green Tomahawk MC light. eds. Foundations of Clinical Ophthalmology: Physiology of
the Eye and Visual System. Ocular Allergy and Immunology.
Ocular Microbiology. Ancillary Diagnostic Techniques. Vol 2.
Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 1998:1–27.
9. Berson EL. Visual function testing: clinical correlations. In: Tas-
man W, Jaeger EA, eds. Foundations of Clinical Ophthalmol-
ogy: Physiology of the Eye and Visual System. Ocular Allergy
and Immunology. Ocular Microbiology. Ancillary Diagnostic
Techniques. Vol 2. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and
Wilkins; 1998:1–15.

Related Internet Links
Conclusion
http://www.strategic-operations.com/
The choice of tactical lights for acute trauma response is https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT01927536
based on the desire of the TCCC tactical first responder ?term=NCT01927536&rank=1
to deliver life-saving trauma medical response, maximiz-
ing visual acuity, color perception, and minimizing the
time for dark adaptation. The FM test demonstrates that
color perception is significantly better with red-green Ms Pedler is a professional research assistant in the Depart-
light than blue light. Color discrimination is quicker ment of Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado Den-
with the red-green versus blue light and the difference ver Anschutz Medical Campus. She has worked in medical
is perceivable to normal vision subject. Our study con- research on the campus since 2003 after moving to the United
firmed marked superiority of red-green LED over blue States, and in Australia from 1995 to 2002 prior to that. She
LED flashlights for a TCCC military first responder to graduated with a bachelor of science with honors in medical
assess acute trauma response. science from the University of Adelaide in 1994.
Mr Ruiz is a current DO undergraduate at the University of
Acknowledgment Quinnipiac, Connecticut, class of 2018. He earned a bach-
elor’s degree in biology at the University of Denver in 2014.
This work was supported in part by a Department of Prior to this he served in the Navy from 2003 to 2009 from
Ophthalmology Challenge Grant from Research to Pre- San Diego, California, where he was deployed.
vent Blindness, New York, NY.
Ms Lamari is a current undergraduate, class of 2017, obtain-
Disclosures ing a bachelor of biology degree at the University of Denver,
Colorado.
The authors have indicated they have no financial rela-
tionships relevant to this article to disclose. CPT Hutchinson, US Army, is a family medicine resident
at Martin Army Community Hospital located in Ft. Ben-
ning, Georgia. CPT Hutchinson has an extensive research
References background in the use of medical simulation and its effects
1. Hoang TN, Kang J, Laporta AJ, et al. Filling in the gaps of pre- on stress. He has recently helped and designed other research
deployment fleet surgical team training using a team-centered projects in improving the use of tactical lighting in low-light
approach. J Spec Oper Med. 2013;13:22–33. field environments. CPT Hutchinson is a DO graduate of RVU
2. Calvano CJ, Enzenauer RW, Eisnor DL, et al. Tactical lighting College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he was a graduate of
in special operations medicine: survey of current preferences. J the military honors track and received the school’s Exemplary
Spec Oper Med. 2013;13:15–21. Military Graduate Award.
3. Boynton RM, Box DE. The effect of background luminance
and contrast upon visual search performance. JIES. 1971;66:
173–186. LT Noyes is an Army veteran, a recent DO graduate from
4. Carter RC, Carter EC. Color coding for rapid location of small Rocky Vista University in Parker, Colorado, and now a lieu-
symbols. Color Res Appl. 1988;13:226–234. tenant in the Navy. His deployments to Iraq with the Army
5. Hovis JK, Ramaswamy S. Color vision and fatigue: an inciden- have allowed him greater insight into military medicine and
tal finding. Aviat Space Envir Md. 2007;78:1068–1071. research. His medical interest is in emergency medicine.
6. Records RE. Light and photometry. In: Tasman W, Jaeger EA,
eds. Foundations of Clinical Ophthalmology: Physiology of Dr Petrash is professor and vice chair for research at the Uni-
the Eye and Visual System. Ocular Allergy and Immunology.
Ocular Microbiology. Ancillary Diagnostic Techniques. Vol 2. versity of Colorado, Department of Ophthalmology, located
Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 1998:1–46. at the Anschutz Medical Campus (formerly Fitzsimons Army
7. Mertens HW, Milburn NJ. Validity of clinical color vision tests Medical Center) in Aurora, Colorado. He was appointed to
for air traffic control. Aviat Space Envir Md. 1998;69:666–674. the ophthalmology faculty at Emory University in Atlanta

Comparison of Red-Green Versus Blue Tactical Light 57