NVRI Laboratory with eye protection test equipment

Historical Significance: Some staff of the College and Department were involved in committee work with the Standards Association of Australia including the committees concerned with sunglasses and eye protection. This photograph shows the low mass high velocity ballistic missile test for eye protectors built to test against the Australian Standard for eye protection. Also in the photograph in the adjoining room is a spectrophotometer for measuring (among other things) the transmittance of sunglasses. This equipment was equipment of the College/Department but was moved into the new laboratories of the National Vision Research Institute (NVRI) to fill one of the laboratories since in 1975 there was only one research project current in the NVRI. The Laboratory was then named the Swaby laboratory after Hamilton optometrist Ray Swaby, recognising the donations made to build the NVRI by western district optometrists.The staff member in the picture is long serving laboratory manager, Charles Murray.