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The United States wants to transform its security and defense alliance with Japan into a global one in line with its ongoing process of realigning the global military posture, according to senior U.S. administration officials.

While the two nations have no intention of revising their security treaty in their ongoing talks to beef up the alliance, the proposed ”alliance transformation” could stir concerns in Japan as going beyond the scope of the treaty and the war-renouncing Constitution.

Under the treaty, Japan cooperates with U.S. forces to defend itself and provides bases to protect Japan and security of the Far East.

The U.S. side has already made the proposal, and the two nations are already working on it in their ongoing bilateral discussions to realign U.S. forces in Japan and to share defense roles.

”Our relationship is in the process of being transformed, and it is transforming itself from its traditional regional focus to a focus that reflects more closely the global interests that we share with Japan,” U.S. Deputy Defense Undersecretary for Asia and Pacific Affairs Richard Lawless told a congressional hearing Thursday.

Referring to the ongoing talks with Japan, Lawless said, ”The result, we hope, when we complete the process, will be an updated and truly transformed security relationship with Japan that both countries will see as clearly encompassing their respective visions of their national interests in the 21st century.”

His comments came a day after senior Japanese and U.S. foreign affairs and defense officials held a two-day meeting in Washington on the realignment and the sharing of defense roles. Lawless represents the Pentagon in the senior working-level sessions.

Japan has been cautiously proceeding with the talks, apparently to avoid misperceptions back home over politically sensitive self-defense issues as its officials have carefully avoided using such expressions as ”transformation” in characterizing the process.

But the U.S. side considers the process, including the realignment of U.S. bases and the easing of the burden on Okinawa and other base-hosting localities, as part of its ongoing review to transform the global military posture.

”We believe, in turn, that this will ensure a more stable and enduring forward presence for the foreseeable future,” Lawless said.

U.S. President George W. Bush plans to withdraw some 70,000 troops deployed overseas, mainly from Europe, while also reviewing alliances, restructuring domestic bases, reconfiguring armed forces and advancing military technology for more rapid forward deployment and better combat capabilities.

The envisioned global alliance with Japan apparently reflects the increasing Japanese presence overseas, including its deployment of the Self-Defense Forces for reconstruction in Iraq, refueling work for counterterrorism operations related to Afghanistan and relief missions after the tsunami in the Indian Ocean region in December.

Testifying at the same hearing with Lawless, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill said, ”This administration came to office with a vision for advancing our relations with Japan toward a fuller, more global partnership.”

”With each passing year we are finding more ways to have a positive impact on the world by acting in concert with Japan,” Hill said. ”Whether it is helping the victims of disasters, like the Indian Ocean tsunami, rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq, or countering terrorism and proliferation, we find out common interests taking us toward common goals.”

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has also repeatedly stressed the need to strengthen the alliance and enhance the global partnership with the United States.

But his government certainly wants to avoid a recurrence of domestic controversy fueled by a reported U.S. plan to move the headquarters of the Army’s 1st Corps in Fort Lewis, Washington, to Camp Zama in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture. The mission of the 1st Corps covers the entire Asia-Pacific region under the Far East provision of the security treaty.

The senior foreign affairs and defense officials accelerated their talks under an agreement and a set of ”common strategic objectives” hammered out at the Feb. 19 ”two-plus-two” top security meeting of their ministers in Washington.

The two nations are aiming at completing the process by holding the top meeting sometime between July and September to adopt a final document.

But the two nations face many politically tough issues under the agreed objectives of maintaining U.S. military deterrence in Japan, while reducing the burden on base-hosting local communities, especially the stalled plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Futemma Air Station in Okinawa.

The United States wants to transform its security and defense alliance with Japan into a global one in line with its ongoing process of realigning the global military posture, according to senior U.S. administration officials.

While the two nations have no intention of revising their security treaty in their ongoing talks to beef up the alliance, the proposed ”alliance transformation” could stir concerns in Japan as going beyond the scope of the treaty and the war-renouncing Constitution.

Under the treaty, Japan cooperates with U.S. forces to defend itself and provides bases to protect Japan and security of the Far East.

The U.S. side has already made the proposal, and the two nations are already working on it in their ongoing bilateral discussions to realign U.S. forces in Japan and to share defense roles.

”Our relationship is in the process of being transformed, and it is transforming itself from its traditional regional focus to a focus that reflects more closely the global interests that we share with Japan,” U.S. Deputy Defense Undersecretary for Asia and Pacific Affairs Richard Lawless told a congressional hearing Thursday.

Referring to the ongoing talks with Japan, Lawless said, ”The result, we hope, when we complete the process, will be an updated and truly transformed security relationship with Japan that both countries will see as clearly encompassing their respective visions of their national interests in the 21st century.”

His comments came a day after senior Japanese and U.S. foreign affairs and defense officials held a two-day meeting in Washington on the realignment and the sharing of defense roles. Lawless represents the Pentagon in the senior working-level sessions.

Japan has been cautiously proceeding with the talks, apparently to avoid misperceptions back home over politically sensitive self-defense issues as its officials have carefully avoided using such expressions as ”transformation” in characterizing the process.

But the U.S. side considers the process, including the realignment of U.S. bases and the easing of the burden on Okinawa and other base-hosting localities, as part of its ongoing review to transform the global military posture.

”We believe, in turn, that this will ensure a more stable and enduring forward presence for the foreseeable future,” Lawless said.

U.S. President George W. Bush plans to withdraw some 70,000 troops deployed overseas, mainly from Europe, while also reviewing alliances, restructuring domestic bases, reconfiguring armed forces and advancing military technology for more rapid forward deployment and better combat capabilities.

The envisioned global alliance with Japan apparently reflects the increasing Japanese presence overseas, including its deployment of the Self-Defense Forces for reconstruction in Iraq, refueling work for counterterrorism operations related to Afghanistan and relief missions after the tsunami in the Indian Ocean region in December.

Testifying at the same hearing with Lawless, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill said, ”This administration came to office with a vision for advancing our relations with Japan toward a fuller, more global partnership.”

”With each passing year we are finding more ways to have a positive impact on the world by acting in concert with Japan,” Hill said. ”Whether it is helping the victims of disasters, like the Indian Ocean tsunami, rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq, or countering terrorism and proliferation, we find out common interests taking us toward common goals.”

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has also repeatedly stressed the need to strengthen the alliance and enhance the global partnership with the United States.

But his government certainly wants to avoid a recurrence of domestic controversy fueled by a reported U.S. plan to move the headquarters of the Army’s 1st Corps in Fort Lewis, Washington, to Camp Zama in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture. The mission of the 1st Corps covers the entire Asia-Pacific region under the Far East provision of the security treaty.

The senior foreign affairs and defense officials accelerated their talks under an agreement and a set of ”common strategic objectives” hammered out at the Feb. 19 ”two-plus-two” top security meeting of their ministers in Washington.

The two nations are aiming at completing the process by holding the top meeting sometime between July and September to adopt a final document.

But the two nations face many politically tough issues under the agreed objectives of maintaining U.S. military deterrence in Japan, while reducing the burden on base-hosting local communities, especially the stalled plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Futemma Air Station in Okinawa.

The United States wants to transform its security and defense alliance with Japan into a global one in line with its ongoing process of realigning the global military posture, according to senior U.S. administration officials.

While the two nations have no intention of revising their security treaty in their ongoing talks to beef up the alliance, the proposed ”alliance transformation” could stir concerns in Japan as going beyond the scope of the treaty and the war-renouncing Constitution.

Under the treaty, Japan cooperates with U.S. forces to defend itself and provides bases to protect Japan and security of the Far East.

The U.S. side has already made the proposal, and the two nations are already working on it in their ongoing bilateral discussions to realign U.S. forces in Japan and to share defense roles.

”Our relationship is in the process of being transformed, and it is transforming itself from its traditional regional focus to a focus that reflects more closely the global interests that we share with Japan,” U.S. Deputy Defense Undersecretary for Asia and Pacific Affairs Richard Lawless told a congressional hearing Thursday.

Referring to the ongoing talks with Japan, Lawless said, ”The result, we hope, when we complete the process, will be an updated and truly transformed security relationship with Japan that both countries will see as clearly encompassing their respective visions of their national interests in the 21st century.”

His comments came a day after senior Japanese and U.S. foreign affairs and defense officials held a two-day meeting in Washington on the realignment and the sharing of defense roles. Lawless represents the Pentagon in the senior working-level sessions.

Japan has been cautiously proceeding with the talks, apparently to avoid misperceptions back home over politically sensitive self-defense issues as its officials have carefully avoided using such expressions as ”transformation” in characterizing the process.

But the U.S. side considers the process, including the realignment of U.S. bases and the easing of the burden on Okinawa and other base-hosting localities, as part of its ongoing review to transform the global military posture.

”We believe, in turn, that this will ensure a more stable and enduring forward presence for the foreseeable future,” Lawless said.

U.S. President George W. Bush plans to withdraw some 700,000 troops deployed overseas, mainly from Europe, while also reviewing alliances, restructuring domestic bases, reconfiguring armed forces and advancing military technology for more rapid forward deployment and better combat capabilities.

The envisioned global alliance with Japan apparently reflects the increasing Japanese presence overseas, including its deployment of the Self-Defense Forces for reconstruction in Iraq, refueling work for counterterrorism operations related to Afghanistan and relief missions after the tsunami in the Indian Ocean region in December.

Testifying at the same hearing with Lawless, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill said, ”This administration came to office with a vision for advancing our relations with Japan toward a fuller, more global partnership.”

”With each passing year we are finding more ways to have a positive impact on the world by acting in concert with Japan,” Hill said. ”Whether it is helping the victims of disasters, like the Indian Ocean tsunami, rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq, or countering terrorism and proliferation, we find out common interests taking us toward common goals.”

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has also repeatedly stressed the need to strengthen the alliance and enhance the global partnership with the United States.

But his government certainly wants to avoid a recurrence of domestic controversy fueled by a reported U.S. plan to move the headquarters of the Army’s 1st Corps in Fort Lewis, Washington, to Camp Zama in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture. The mission of the 1st Corps covers the entire Asia-Pacific region under the Far East provision of the security treaty.

The senior foreign affairs and defense official accelerated their talks under an agreement and a set of ”common strategic objectives” hammered out at the Feb. 19 ”two-plus-two” top security meeting of their ministers in Washington.

The two nations are aiming at completing the process by holding the top meeting sometime between July and September to adopt a final document.

But the two nations face many politically tough issues under the agreed objectives of maintaining U.S. military deterrence in Japan, while reducing the burden on base-hosting local communities, especially the stalled plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Futemma Air Station in Okinawa.

The United States wants to transform its security and defense alliance with Japan into a global one in line with its ongoing process of realigning the global military posture, according to senior U.S. administration officials.

While the two nations have no intention of revising their security treaty in their ongoing talks to beef up the alliance, the proposed ”alliance transformation” could stir concerns in Japan as going beyond the scope of the treaty and the war-renouncing Constitution.

Under the treaty, Japan cooperates with U.S. forces to defend itself and provides bases to protect Japan and security of the Far East.

The U.S. side has already made the proposal, and the two nations are already working on it in their ongoing bilateral discussions to realign U.S. forces in Japan and to share defense roles.

”Our relationship is in the process of being transformed, and it is transforming itself from its traditional regional focus to a focus that reflects more closely the global interests that we share with Japan,” U.S. Deputy Defense Undersecretary for Asia and Pacific Affairs Richard Lawless told a congressional hearing Thursday.

Referring to the ongoing talks with Japan, Lawless said, ”The result, we hope, when we complete the process, will be an updated and truly transformed security relationship with Japan that both countries will see as clearly encompassing their respective visions of their national interests in the 21st century.”

His comments came a day after senior Japanese and U.S. foreign affairs and defense officials held a two-day meeting in Washington on the realignment and the sharing of defense roles. Lawless represents the Pentagon in the senior working-level sessions.

Japan has been cautiously proceeding with the talks, apparently to avoid misperceptions back home over politically sensitive self-defense issues as its officials have carefully avoided using such expressions as ”transformation” in characterizing the process.

But the U.S. side considers the process, including the realignment of U.S. bases and the easing of the burden on Okinawa and other base-hosting localities, as part of its ongoing review to transform the global military posture.

”We believe, in turn, that this will ensure a more stable and enduring forward presence for the foreseeable future,” Lawless said.

U.S. President George W. Bush plans to withdraw some 700,000 troops deployed overseas, mainly from Europe, while also reviewing alliances, restructuring domestic bases, reconfiguring armed forces and advancing military technology for more rapid forward deployment and better combat capabilities.

The envisioned global alliance with Japan apparently reflects the increasing Japanese presence overseas, including its deployment of the Self-Defense Forces for reconstruction in Iraq, refueling work for counterterrorism operations related to Afghanistan and relief missions after the tsunami in the Indian Ocean region in December.

Testifying at the same hearing with Lawless, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill said, ”This administration came to office with a vision for advancing our relations with Japan toward a fuller, more global partnership.”

”With each passing year we are finding more ways to have a positive impact on the world by acting in concert with Japan,” Hill said. ”Whether it is helping the victims of disasters, like the Indian Ocean tsunami, rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq, or countering terrorism and proliferation, we find out common interests taking us toward common goals.”

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has also repeatedly stressed the need to strengthen the alliance and enhance the global partnership with the United States.

But his government certainly wants to avoid a recurrence of domestic controversy fueled by a reported U.S. plan to move the headquarters of the Army’s 1st Corps in Fort Lewis, Washington, to Camp Zama in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture. The mission of the 1st Corps covers the entire Asia-Pacific region under the Far East provision of the security treaty.

The senior foreign affairs and defense official accelerated their talks under an agreement and a set of ”common strategic objectives” hammered out at the Feb. 19 ”two-plus-two” top security meeting of their ministers in Washington.

The two nations are aiming at completing the process by holding the top meeting sometime between July and September to adopt a final document.

But the two nations face many politically tough issues under the agreed objectives of maintaining U.S. military deterrence in Japan, while reducing the burden on base-hosting local communities, especially the stalled plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Futemma Air Station in Okinawa.

An extract of the herb ginkgo biloba has been shown to repair the damage to the peripheral vision of glaucoma patients, according to the February 2003 journal Ophthalmology. In a study conducted at the Glaucoma Center of the Universita di Brescia and the Universita di Cantania, both in Italy, participants began to show improvement after only 4 weeks.

Although the cause of “visual field” deterioration has not been established, reduced blood flow to the optic nerve is believed to play a role, and ginkgo, a powerful antioxidant, has been shown to increase blood flow in the eye.

When anyone looks at individuals who are deemed true leaders in the materials management or supply chain segment of the healthcare industry, what sets them apart from their peers? Is it based on their ability to move products throughout the system without inventory investments? Is it based on their ability to negotiate a best price?

Although these factors are important, they are not what get these leaders noticed by the industry at large. Instead, before these individuals gain recognition from their peers, the professional societies or the trade journals, they gain recognition from within their organization. Simply, it is not their title or where their office is located, but how others in the organization perceive them. They are often seen as a resource to the rest of the organization, as the “go to” person when other departments are facing expense management problems. In many cases, these individuals are seen as a key player by the executive team and are often consulted when new strategies are developed for the organization.

With financial challenges continuing to top the list of CEO concerns, many healthcare organizations are starting to look for more ways to reduce expenses. How the materials managers of today position themselves for the tomorrow may well decide if they are perceived as a leader and a resource or a potential liability in future expense management initiatives.

Why do this?

That’s why Healthcare Purchasing News teamed up with Strategic Initiatives In Healthcare LLC, to create and develop a self-assessment survey for readers to gauge their place on the executive track. The purpose of this self-evaluation is to help materials management and/or supply chain executives determine how to position themselves in their organization. That is, are they on the road to becoming a recognized resource and leader within their organization? While this exercise is intended to help individuals help themselves, we included a general scoring mechanism to provide a little more perspective to the assessment. After carefully considering each question and deciding on your answer, you will be able to assess your own strengths and weaknesses. If you aren’t already headed toward a leadership position, your answers will provide a solid basis for the creation of a personal plan.

For every “yes” answer give yourself two points; for every “no” give yourself one point. Healthcare Purchasing News will provide the rationale for each question in a handout at the HPN booth at the annual conference of the Association for Healthcare Resource and Materials Management in Anaheim, CA, July 24-27. If you are unable to attend the conference or fail to stop by the HPN booth be sure to check the HPNWeb site (www.hpnonline.com) for the handout the first week in August.

Remember: To be meaningful, it is essential to answer the following questions with “Yes” or “No” as honestly as possible.

1. Do you find your position in the organization to be both challenging and rewarding at the same time?

2. Does the executive team of my employer view the materials management/supply chain function as critically important to the long-term financial viability of the organization?

3. Do you feel that your employees fully understand how and why decisions are made by you?

4. Do you encourage employees to contribute opinions and ideas to you to help with the formulation of decisions pertaining to changes that will impact your department?

5. Be you have regular meetings (at least once per month) with your supervisor to discuss the big picture strategies for the organization and how you can make additional contributions to support those strategies?

6. Do you believe your peers perceive you as a resource when it comes to expense management opportunities within their departments?

7. Does the executive team solicit your input on any issues when developing strategic plans for the organization?

8. Do you make a habit of regularly soliciting feedback, in person, on your performance from other department directors?

9. Are you invited to attend the medical staff meetings as a guest on a regular basis?

10. Are you open and honest with everyone when you make mistakes?

11. Do you truly enjoy working with people and helping them to work through problems?

12. Have you read at least two self-help/professional development books each year for the past two years?

13. Do you try to maintain a respectful but earnest interest in your employee’s personal well-being?

14. Do you personally conduct exit interviews with all employees within your operational infrastructure when they resign?

15. Other than your boss and your “direct reports” are the remaining members of the executive team and the other department directors aware of the full scope of all of the services provided by your department(s) and the benefits derived by the organization?

16. De you publicly recognize members of your team who have contributed to the success of the organization?

Eye disease causes suffering, loss of productivity, and diminished quality of life for millions of Americans. During Save Your Vision Week, we raise awareness of eye disease and encourage all our citizens to take action to safeguard their eyesight.

As people age, they can develop conditions that affect eyesight, including cataracts, glaucoma, retinal disorders, dry eye, and low vision. Through regular eye exams, many of these problems can be detected and treated early, reducing the risk of vision loss. The National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), suggests five steps for all Americans to take to protect their eyesight: regular physical exams; a complete eye exam every 1 to 2 years; a check of family history; immediate attention if you notice any loss of eyesight, eye pain, or other eye problems; and use of sunglasses and a hat to protect eyes from the damaging effects of ultraviolet rays.

My Administration is committed to helping Americans lead better, healthier lives. We have doubled funding for the NIH, helping the United States to stay on the leading edge of medical research and technological change. Through education, prevention, early detection, and further research into effective treatments for eye disease, we can bring hope and comfort to our citizens and help more Americans keep the precious gift of sight.

The Congress, by joint resolution approved December 30, 1963, as amended (77 Stat. 629; 36 U.S.C. 138), has authorized and requested the President to proclaim the first week in March of each year as “Save Your Vision Week.”

Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 6 through March 12, 2005, as Save Your Vision Week. I encourage eye care professionals, teachers, the media, and public and private organizations dedicated to preserving eyesight to join in activities that will raise awareness of the measures all citizens can take to protect vision.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-ninth.

Utilizing 1/2 in. Kodak KAI-311 CCD for 648 x 484 image quality, Model TM-6710CL features non-interlace, quad-speed, 120 fps video at full VGA resolution, and offers simultaneous analog and digital video output. Full-frame electronic shutter with asynchronous reset permits shutter speeds ranging from 1/60-1/32,000 sec. Camera Link digital interface allows connection to other equipment, as well as software control for gain, A/D/ ref, shutter, and mode selection.

The TM-6710CL, a Camera Link version of JAI PULNiX’s popular TM-6710, features non-interlace, quad-speed, 120 fps video at full VGA resolution, and utilizes a 1/2″ Kodak KAI-311 CCD for high image quality (648 (h) x 484 (v)). The camera has simultaneous analog and digital video output. The full-frame electronic shutter with asynchronous reset permits shutter speeds ranging from 1/60 to 1/32,000 sec. The Camera Link digital interface allows easy connection to other equipment, as well as software control for gain, A/D/ ref., shutter, and mode selection. The large 9[micro]m square pixels provide the light sensitivity needed for high-speed image capture and provide a precise geometry for superior definition in any orientation. The camera’s exterior dimensions are: 46.1mm x 39.6mm x 140.0mm. Suitable applications for the TM-6710CL include motion analysis, high-speed on-line inspection, gauging, character reading, high-definition graphics, and high-speed surveillance.

JAI PULNiX, Inc. is a manufacturer of high quality, industrial-grade cameras for the machine vision, security, manufacturing, military, aerospace, medical and scientific markets. JAI PULNiX includes an ITS (intelligent transportation systems) division that develops and implements ITS solutions for government and private organizations.

JAI PULNiX provides the broadest camera offering of any industrial matrix camera manufacturer in the world. JAI PULNiX’s product line features both CCD and CMOS technologies, spatial resolutions from VGA to multi-mega pixel, progressive scan and interlaced format, and sensitivity to light levels as low as .00001 lux. Our camera offerings include both monochrome and color, capture rates from real-time to over 1,000 fps, and a wide variety of physical interfaces including Camera Link(TM). We also offer many other crucial, cutting-edge capabilities.

JAI PULNiX is an ISO-9001 certified manufacturer and customer-driven organization well known for high quality, technical innovation, and miniaturization. JAI PULNiX follows a policy of Total Quality Management (TQM) that builds in quality at every step through continuous process improvement. “Quality” at JAI PULNiX means meeting and exceeding customer needs and expectations consistently and efficiently.

About the JAI Group

JAI was established in 1963 in Copenhagen, Denmark, and has subsidiaries in Japan, the US, and the UK. The JAI Group has annual sales of more than $70 million (USD) and employs 250 people worldwide. The JAI Group’s mission is to develop and distribute user-friendly tools for the professional international world market by combining electronic eyes and electronic brains into a meaningful whole.

JAI has two primary businesses: JAI Camera Solutions and JAI Systems. JAI Camera Solutions is a component supplier that designs, manufactures and markets CCD and CMOS camera solutions primarily for the ITS, medical and industrial machines vision markets. Our cameras help improve our customers’ businesses in a variety of ways, whether by improving quality and accuracy, lowering costs, increasing yields, or simply enabling better service. JAI Systems is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialized traffic systems. Our solutions are based on JAI-developed hardware and software, which is often integrated with third-party products.

Students at UC-Santa Cruz are using computer engineering technology to help the blind. BY LYNNE SHALLCROSS

WHEN YOU’RE a student in engineering professor Roberta Manduchi’s class, your goal won’t be to design the newest, neatest, most sensational gadget around.

“It’s not just a matter of making a device that is coo!,” says Manduchi, an assistant professor of computer engineering at the University of California - Santa Cruz. Much more important, he says, is carefully considering a problem in society and creating an appropriate tool to alleviate it. It’s with this goal in mind that Manduchi and a handful of his students are designing assistive technologies for the blind, aimed at improving blind users’ navigation skills using recent advances in computer vision.

Manduchi and the students are working on a laser-based virtual white cane designed to replace the long and rigid, traditional white cane. Although the traditional cane helps blind users survey the area in front of them, it’s not well-suited for all situations - especially highly populated areas. The virtual cane, for which the initial prototype was designed by UCSC graduate student Dan Yuan, is about the size of a flashlight. The laser is paired with a digital camera and computer processor to analyze spatial information as the users scan it over the area in front of them. The cane then communicates information back to the users via audio signals; Manduchi says a tactile interface is also in the works.

Yuan and Manduchi have high hopes for how the virtual cane could help the blind community. “We are expecting to see in the future that the blind use this tool as if they watch the world using their own eyes,” Yuan says.

A second assistive technology from Manduchi’s classroom is a small tag designed to help a blind person navigate to or through buildings. The tags - small colored labels with barcodes could be placed in specific locations, such as a doctor’s office or a classroom. A hand-held computer with a camera would recognize the tags and direct the user to a destination. “MapQuest for the blind” is what Manduchi has dubbed yet another project. With this technology, he and his students envision a blind person being able to navigate a map on the computer using a “force-feedback mouse,” which would give off physical sensations to help users feel their way through the map.

Manduchi and his students are collaborating on the projects with the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, a nonprofit research institute in San Francisco. Manduchi says SmithKettlewell’s researchers help him and his students stay connected to the reality of the problems and the needs of potential users. “That is a very important collaboration,” Manduchi says. “I rely on Smith-Kettlewell to give me the user feedback.”

Working with Smith-Kettlewell helps Manduchi and his students avoid “disconnect” - or what Manduchi calls the gap between engineers and the human side of the problem. Even if his students don’t plan on continuing to work on technologies for the blind, Manduchi says he emphasizes the need to consider the human aspect of all engineering problems. Simply creating the coolest engineering solution on paper won’t suffice. “We do need to build prototypes that work -we can’t just come up with beautiful ideas,” he says.

The personal computer has become ubiquitous in the business world since its introduction, but has not been without problems. Repetitive stress injuries, such as carpal tuned syndrome, have heightened public awareness of the potential health hazards of spending long hours typing on a computer keyboard. Vision-related problems have also become an issue due to the corresponding increase in the use of computer monitors.

“The most common symptoms are eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision and dry or irritated eyes,” says optometrist Stanley Segal of Dr.’s Savoy and Segal in Jersey City, New Jersey. “The extent to which someone may experience these symptoms is really based on his or her own visual health,” says Segal. “Working long hours at a computer terminal may exacerbate an existing or undiagnosed eyesight deficiency, but it will likely not cause a permanent problem,” he says.
When you’re inputting data from paper to a computer, the eye has to refocus every time you switch attention from the monitor to the paper. This causes the muscles in the eye to grow tired, thereby producing eyestrain. Uncorrected vision, poor computer monitor design, workplace ergonomics and a visually demanding job can contribute to the development of eye problems. Older people may find it more difficult to adjust to these working requirements.
* Take frequent alternative task breaks. Stop working at the computer monitor for a few minutes and work on another task. After working at the monitor for one hour straight, do some filing or catch up on phone calls, etc. Anything that will not cause your eyes to work as hard is considered an alternative task break. Another way to relax your eyes is to simply close them for a few minutes.

“Optometrists will tell you that the eye’s natural way of relaxing itself is by looking at a distance. When the eye does this, it does not require much focusing and therefore does not use as many muscles as if you were reading, doing needlepoint or working at a computer monitor,” explains Charlotte Rancilio, administrative director of media relations with the AOA.

* When looking at computer screens with dark backgrounds, use lower lighting. When working in a home office setting, use about half the normal office lighting. In an office setting, remove overhead fluorescent light bulbs. Dimmer lighting will reduce glare on the screen. The contrast between the screen and the characters should be high. Dark characters on a light screen are generally more legible than light characters on a dark screen. To check for sources of glare, place a small mirror in front of the monitor. It will direct you to the sources of light that cause glare.

* Keep the computer computer clean. “When the monitor is dean, your eyes will not have to go through the dust and particles to refocus themselves,” says Rancilio. An adjustable chair that allows you to sit at a comfortable height, angle and distance from the monitor is also important. Reference material should be on an adjustable holder dose to your screen and at the same viewing distance as your monitor. Having the material at the same height and distance will eliminate focusing strain on your eyes thereby preventing tired eyes.