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The total span of procedures necessary for care of the human eye and its associated structures is broad. Two professional groups, optometrists and ophthalmologists share in providing this total care. Each must hold a valid current license to practice his or her profession and the extent of prerogative and limitations is spelled out in practice acts recorded in the Florida Statutes. Optometrists must complete a minimum of 2 years of college level instruction in a community college or university before enrolling in professional school. The duration of professional school for optometrists is 4 years, including clinical experience, which leads to the degree of Doctor of Optometry (O.D.). Ophthalmologists are basically doctors of medicine or osteopathic medicine. Although most practicing optometrists use some assisting personnel, the potential or more extensive use of technically trained assistants has been little exploited to date. Firm data on which to establish an acceptable order of priority among the several health professions' educational programs do not exist at this time. Continuing, intensive planning will be necessary. (Author/PG)

A two-process model of infant visual attention is constructed based on research using the modified Berlyne technique with three- to five-month olds. The length of time an infant fixated a pattern was examined along with what caused him to turn to the pattern at all. The study was based both on a re-examination of previous research and on new experiments. Two distinct sets of processes were found in infant attention: Attention-Getting and Attention-Holding. It was found that in the four-month-old infant, habituation is primarily a function of the Attention-Holding process, and occurs more in males than females, although both sexes initially show preferences for, or look longer at, the more complex patterns. Performance on some trials indicates a tie-in between Attention-Getting and Attention-Holding, with the information obtained from prior fixations of the stimuli somehow determining the speed of subsequent head and eye orientation. The model is followed from occurrence of an Environmental Event, to operation of the Peripheral Perceiver, to information processing and splitting up by the Perceptual Processor, to Memory. Detailed flow charts are included. (LH)

Eye movement analysis should provide a basis for differentiation of humans in terms of developed preference for certain kinds of visual presentations over other kinds. A study was conducted to examine this position. A total of 40 children from grades 8 through 12 participated as subjects. Each subject was presented with a synchronous audio-visual paired-associate learning situation, with one group receiving pictorial representation and the other receiving print representation: in the picture condition, the subject viewed a picture of the objects, and in the verbal condition, a printed sentence identifying the objects. A pretest and posttest evaluated by means of an eye camera the subject's use of his eyes, recall tests were given at the end of each learning trial, several standard ability measures were administered, and demographics were obtained. Results showed that pictorial supported audio-visual associative learning is superior to printed word supported learning, and that adding eye movement variables to prediction equations using more conventional predictors greatly increases the amount of variance accounted for. (SH)

This brochure gives basic facts about optometry which may be helpful in considering such a career. Included are a discussion as to what an optometrist is, the development of the profession, the need for practitioners projected by State to 1980, types of services rendered, and the variety of employment opportunities available. Over one-third of the brochure comprises a listing of the educational requirements to be met for admission into each of the twelve schools or colleges of optometry accredited by the Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association. Sources of further information on optometry as a career are given. (SC)

Included in this booklet are facts about optometry which would be helpful for those considering entering the profession. The need for optometry, its history, accredited schools, distribution of manpower, and what the optometrist does are outlined. Over one-third of the booklet is a "Profile of a Profession" which discusses specialized optometric services (care of children with learning disabilities, care of the aged, rehabilitation of the partially sighted, contact lenses, environmental vision), optometric research, types of practice and delivery systems, optometry in the armed forces, and the professional organization, the American Optometric Association. A final section indicates the current and projected need for optometrists and colleges of optometry as well as changes and trends in the field. (SC)

The question of whether pupil diameter indicates information processing load during reading was investigated in three experiments involving 24 college students reading passages of varying difficulty. A TV camera and monitor, together with a video-recorder, were used to measure the diameter of the pupil under a reading condition and under three control conditions. No evidence was obtained which would suggest that the pupil dilates while reading. The generality of these results was investigated by measuring the pupil size of 20 college students while listening to tape recordings of the reading passages. No evidence was obtained which suggested that the pupil dilates while listening. These results suggested that pupil size cannot be used as an objective indication of whether or not an individual is, in fact, processing the information contained in connected discourse while he is supposedly engaged in reading or listening activities. Tables and references are included. (BT/author)

The objectives of this study were to determine: (1) whether or not cognitive processes differ between advantaged and disadvantaged groups; (2) the capacity of pupil response to measure cognitive ability as compared to measurements of cognitive processes depending on verbal ability and environment; (3) whether pupil response can predict future academic performance; and (4) if differences and similarities found in cognitive functioning of advantaged and disadvantaged kindergarten children exist to the same degree in advantaged and disadvantaged high school students. Subjects tested were 64 kindergarten children and 60 high school students from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds. Results indicated that pupillary dilation is directly related to cognitive activity in a number of situations requiring vested effort on the part of the subject at the high school and kindergarten levels. (Author/EK)

This study investigated the degree of compliance, nature of local policies and implementation of the policies, and a determination of whether additional state directives and assistance were necessary for an effective eye safety program. All superintendents, principals, vocational directors, industrial arts and science teachers on the junior and senior high level and four students from one class taught by each teacher were polled. Response from principals and industrial arts teachers was 68 to 73 percent and from other categories, 37 to 51 percent. About 60 percent of responding administrators had a copy of eye safety legislation while 75 percent had read it. Other findings included: 147 of 416 teachers had copies of eye safety policies; 62 percent of the administrators stated they always complied with established policies; 42 percent of science students and 47 percent of industrial arts students had violated class policy at one time or another, while only six percent of the former and 15 percent of the latter violators had been penalized. A number of recommendations to improve eye safety were made. (BR)

A law passed by a state legislature requires that students in industrial arts shops and science laboratories must wear eye protective devices. Explanatory material presents the text of the bill and guidelines for implementation, including--(1) types of eye hazards, (2) types of protective devices, (3) administrating eye safety equipment, (4) financing and manufacturers, and (5) recommended eye protection for specific subject areas such as industrial arts, science, art, and technical-vocational education. A synopsis of the United States of America Standards Institute safety code for goggles, spectacles, and lenses is also provided. Drawings of safety spectacle types and monogoggles are included. (MM)

TWO METHODS OF IMPLEMENTING SCHOOL SHOP EYE PROTECTION PROGRAMS WERE INVESTIGATED TO DETERMINE THE MORE EFFECTIVE FOR DEVELOPING FAVORABLE AND LASTING STUDENT ATTITUDES. TWO INDEPENDENT SAMPLES, TOTALING 76, WERE DRAWN FROM THE TENTH GRADE VOCATIONAL MACHINE SHOP STUDENTS AND FROM COLLEGE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN AN ENGINEERING MACHINE SHOP COURSE. THE EXPERIMENTAL, CONTROL, AND FORCED GROUPS AT BOTH AGE LEVELS WERE GIVEN (1) A TAPE-RECORDED INTRODUCTION TO EYE SAFETY, (2) A PRETEST ATTITUDE SCALE, (3) SAFETY GLASSES, AND (4) A POST-TEST ATTITUDE SCALE. AFTER THEY WERE GIVEN SAFETY GLASSES, THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS SHOWN A FILM, "IT'S UP TO YOU." THE FORCED GROUP WAS REQUIRED TO WEAR SAFETY GLASSES IN THE SHOP FULL-TIME. THE FILM PRODUCED NO SIGNIFICANT ATTITUDE CHANGE IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT ATTITUDE CHANGE IN THE FORCED GROUPS. SUPPLEMENTARY TECHNIQUES ARE NEEDED IF SIGNIFICANT FAVORABLE AND LASTING CHANGES IN ATTITUDE ARE TO BE ACHIEVED. A FILM REACTION SURVEY FORM, A FORM FOR EVALUATING SAFETY GLASSES, AND A TALLY SHEET FOR RECORDING THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WEARING SAFETY GLASSES ARE INCLUDED. (EM)