Effect of Sleep Deprivation on Eye Movement Behavior in Flight Simulation

To examine the effect of sleep deprivation （SD） on eye movement be- havior in flight task, four subjects who were skilled in flight simulator participated in the experiment, which were asked to perform a level flight task in a flight simulator. Eye movement data and flight performance data were measured at the following hours： 11：00, 15：00, 04：00, 11：00, 15：00. The subjects workload and fatigue were assessed with the method of national aeronautics and space administration-task load index （NASA-TLX） and rating of perceived exertion （RPE）. Eye movement indices of average pupil area, av- erage saceade amplitude and average saccade velocity decreased during the 32 h of SD and they all showed significantly change in the final SD while the index of average fixa- tion time increased in the final SD. Flight performance deteriorated during the 32 h of SD, but not significantly. The feeling of fatigue and workload reported by subjects both increased during the 32 h of SD. Daily rhythm effects on the measured indices were also found, there were a obviously change at the hour of 04：00. 32 h of SD has obvious effect on eye movement behaviors which have close relation to fatigue because of SD. The eye movement measurement can be served as a tool to continually monitor fatigue online.

To examine the effect of sleep deprivation(SD) on eye movement behavior in flight task,four subjects who were skilled in flight simulator participated in the experiment,which were asked to perform a level flight task in a flight simulator.Eye movement data and flight performance data were measured at the following hours:11:00,15:00,04:00,11:00,15:00.The subjects workload and fatigue were assessed with the method of national aeronautics and space administration-task load index(NASA-TLX) and rating of perceived exertion(RPE).Eye movement indices of average pupil area,average saccade amplitude and average saccade velocity decreased during the 32 h of SD and they all showed significantly change in the final SD while the index of average fixation time increased in the final SD.Flight performance deteriorated during the 32 h of SD,but not significantly.The feeling of fatigue and workload reported by subjects both increased during the 32 h of SD.Daily rhythm effects on the measured indices were also found,there were a obviously change at the hour of 04:00.32 h of SD has obvious effect on eye movement behaviors which have close relation to fatigue because of SD.The eye movement measurement can be served as a tool to continually monitor fatigue online.