  Interactions incorporating the vacuum polarization effects in curved
backgrounds modify the null cone structure in such a way that the photon
trajectories would not be the space-time geodesics anymore. The gravitational
birefringence introduced as a direct consequence of these effects, will allow
shifts in the photon velocities leading to polarization dependent superluminal
propagation. Taking these effects into account we study Fermat's principle in
the context of the 1+3 (threading) formulation of the space-time decomposition.
We find an expression for the modified spacetime refractive index and show it
is proportional to the light cone correction to the first order. Consequences
of this modification on polarization sum rules and spatial light paths are
considered.
