Scientists who have joined the ranks of secretaries, journalists, data processors, and others who spend most of the day glued to a VDT screen, take note. Last month James Sheedy, chief of the University of California, Berkeley’s Video Display Terminal Eye Clinic, reported that an eye-focusing problem in people in their 20s and 30s was the number one problem in clinical studies of 153 patients. The study did not prove a causal relationship between regular VDT use and difficulty with eye focusing because it failed to use a control population for comparison. However, Sheedy said the high incidence of focusing problems in such a young population was “compelling.” He recommends that anyone who works regularly at a VDT have their eyes examined, particularly for focus.

A custom software package developed by Eastman Kodak Co. for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOM) will enable the public to gain better access...