Medical research on ocular diseases is part of the work programme of Sub- Committee “Medical” as resolved at Cairo 1981. In this context, medical research on ocular diseases is considered being related to the use of visual display units (VDUs) such as synthetic radar displays, electronic data displays or any other visual display unit in use in air traffic services.

Several studies have already been carried out in the field of ocular diseases related to VDUs. It has been established that personnel using VDUs at their working positions had to adjust their spectacles or to start to wear spectacles. But is this only due to the use of VDUs? It is in fact found very difficult to prove that VDUs are the cause of ocular diseases although it is known that the fact of being struck by a known refractive deficiency, which may be corrected or not, is not the only cause of a beginning difficulty in visual adaptation. On the other hand a lack of ocular equilibrium (heterophoria) unknown to the operator may be the origin of a visual fatigue. The visual constraint is in fact the resultant from several factors such as light conditions, duration and organisation of work, individual characteristics of the operator.

Since long term effects of professional nuisance must not be ignored, one has to evaluate the consequences of visual engagement at work in terms of risks for the visual apparatus of an operator. These risks include premature obsolescence of the visional organs, acceleration of pre-existing pathological processes (diagnosed or not), accentuation of certain refractive deficiencies.

The classical ophthalmic examination confined by its normalisation standards cannot always detect the minor deficiencies which cause more or less intensive visual difficulties at work. This applies also to the Standards and Recommended Practices of ICAO as laid down in Annex 1 “Personnel Licensing”.

The question arises whether an ophthalmic examination carried out according to these standards will detect in time the above mentioned risks. It is felt that the only means of obtaining objective information is the recording of the results given by detailed ophthalmic examinations carried out by an ophthalmologist at regular intervals. A study of these records during a longer period would show whether VDUs do affect ocular fitness or not.