Analysis of the effects of flicker on the blood-flow variation in the human eye

Flicker annoyance measurement, regardless if it isperformed by processing the supplying voltage or by evaluatingthe light emitted by the lamp, relies on the assumption of a propermodel of the behavior of the complex eye–brain system in thepresence of fluctuating light. The only experimental data availableare the ones obtained, for a certain incandescent lamp, by askingseveral people to report their perception about the flicker to whichthey were subjected. In this paper, the possibility of achieving an“objective” evaluation of the flicker effects on a human subjectis investigated. In particular, the increment of the blood flow in avessel at the optic nerve is considered and taken as a possible indexof annoyance due to flicker.