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Some of the difficulties associated with the problem of determining drug effects on the visual sensory system are outlined. Specific consideration is given to the selection of human and animal subjects for study, the use of electrophysiological techniques, and a variety of experimental procedures which may be employed. Problems associated with the attention and motivation of subjects, the use of anesthesia, and the need for investigation of a wide range of drug dosages are discussed. Some experiments which reveal fairly specific effects on visual function are described.

The problem of short term blindness following exposure to intense flashes of light has important practical implications for military aviators in the atomic age. Experimental studies of flash blindness are reviewed and the physiological bases for the phenomenon are inferred for a wide range of conditions. Several methods of developing a descriptive equation are considered and an empirical formulation is presented.

Experiments concerning the effects of acceleration on motor performance are discussed in a sequence which illustrates the evolution of research techniques in recent years. In the simplest of these techniques, performance is evaluated during or immediately following exposure to pre-programmed acceleration time histories. A more complex technique involves the study of interaction of subject performance with the pattern of acceleration experienced. Accelerations are actually controlled by subject performance by means of an analog computer control system. Certain limitations of centrifuge simulations are discussed.