SENSITIVITY OF THE RETINA TO RADIATION DAMAGE AS A FUNCTION OF WAVELENGTH*

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Abstract
—Exposure of the retina of the rhesus monkey to visible and infrared radiation from CW optical sources like the Sun, xenon lamps, etc. produces small lesions or scotomata which may be classified as thermal or photochemical, depending on the wavelength and duration of exposure. The action spectrum for the production of retinal lesions has been determined for eight monochromatic laser wavelengths extending from 1064 to 441 nm. The corneal power required to produce a lesion decreases by three orders of magnitude in going from 1064 to 441 nm. Exposure to 1064 nm radiation for 1000 s produces a typical thermal lesion at elevated retinal temperatures. whereas a 1000 s exposure to 441 nm light produces a photochemical lesion at power levels too low to raise the retinal temperature by an appreciable amount (2 to produce a mild photochemical lesion. Reciprocity is maintained over the exposure range 10–1000 s. Radiant exposure to the 700–1400 nm spectrum, on the other hand, required roughly 69,100 J/cm2 for a 1000 s exposure. This was a mild thermal lesion. We were unable to produce a lesion for exposure times less than 1000 s. We interpret these data to mean that solar retinitis and eclipse blindness are primarily photochemical events produced by the short wavelength component of the solar spectrum, and that the infrared component of the solar spectrum plays only a minor role in these retinal pathologies.