PLZT thermal/flash protective goggles: Device concepts and constraints

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Abstract
In 1975 Sandia Laboratories began the design and development of PLZT Goggles for the U.S. Air Force to provide protection from temporary flashblindness and permanent retinal burns caused by the brilliant flash of nuclear explosions. The user requirements, system and physical constraints, and use/storage environments were all considered in arriving at the final design goals. When the program began, there was no industrial capability to manufacture large-aperture PLZT materials or bonded lens assemblies. The technology has been established from a laboratory baseline in a brief period, and operational testing and evaluation by the Air Force has been completed. The goggles, identified as the EEU-2/P, are now in production.