Connecticut western news., 1877-05-04
Take Care of Your Eyes.

The more you avoid glaring and glancing lights in the room you habitu- ally sit in, the better. Therefore-al- though the following advice IS certain to meet with no attention from the great majority-it is our laughably painful duty to recommend ladies to have as few mirrors and other looking glasses, gilt picture frames and mould ings, bright colored curtains, and highly polished furniturs in their drawing rooms as possible; and what they must have should be so placed as not to allow bright lights to be thrown upon them. Highly colored curtains are additionally injurious when the windows are open, so that various brilliant and dazzling colors are flung about the room by the incoming breeze. A very bright carpet is a very injurious thing, and when combined with bright painted ceiling, madness. These things may be a merry life for the eyes, but they are 8 short one. A rich patterned, sober toned carpet and soft sky-gray or stone colored ceilingare my own private fancy. The almost invariable white wash of the British ceiling would be a constant injury but for the grave fact that the British isles are not overbur- dened with sunlight. But whether reading, writing, working, or in any other way, it should always be done with an oblique light, and never with 8 horizontal light. As to the use of To- tions, several prescriptions are given in the little book we commenced with, as we'll as in other works, but forbear to transcribe any of them, excellent as they no doubt would be, because To- tion too strong, or too frequently ap- piled, or not exactly the proper lotion for special case or individual peculi- arity, might do far more harm than good, unless used under professional supervision. The only exception is that of pure water. In cases of much inflammation, or difficulty of opening the eyelids in the morning, the water should be warm, and it may be mixed with warm milk; but in nearly all other cases the water should be cold. All those who have been engaged in read ing or writing during several hours at 8 stretch, and especially at night, should carefully bathe the eyes with cold wa tar before going to bed, and the first thing in the mornings ablutions. "All artisans who work at 8 blazing fire ought often to wash their eyes with cold pure water; and so should all those who work in wool, particularly carders and spinners, and all those employed in woolen and cotton manufactures, &c.,; for the fine dust almost impre- ceptible, it may be called, which such works disperse, often produces cataracts obstinate infammations, swelled eye ids," &c. l once lived, during weeks at 8 time, on the banks of an ophthal- mic river in the interior of Australia, and numbers of settlers and shepherds, and bushmen and diggers were afflicted every summer and autumn with sore eyes-so sore in some cases that you might have thought they would never open them again. One day 8 squatter who owned sheep station whereabouts rode up from Melbourne with a great air. He was "swell-squatter," who only now and then came to visit his snug little farm on the river to "see how his stock got on." I asked his ad- vice for the sore eyes of his shepherds and others. "IJ serves them right ]" said he. 'T never have these sore eyes and you, sir, will never have sore eyes. No gentleman ever has," Not exactly perceiving the nice distinction in this matter, l demurred. "It is @ nice dis tinction," said he; it is just that. You, no doubt, often wash your eyes with
 cold water. Those fellows never do." There was, no doubt, much reason in this, but something else was the cause. Beside the dirtiness of neglecting the hot sand and dust in the eyes, flies often rushed into them, and were not soon or easily cleared out; there was, moreover, very small river fly, who either bit or stung, and inflammation
 very speedily set in. should have been very thankful at that time for the sake of others (my horse included), as we'll as myself, to have received the following advice: Whenever fly or other insect, small flying seed, quick lime, dust, or any other minute object, gets into the eye G. G., under the eye lid), ''do not adopt the common habit of rubbing, or even of washing with water, but gently raise, or get gentle hand to raise for you, the eyeiid, and bend the head forward. In keeping thus the eyelid elevated, and the eye quiescent for few moments, one feels flow of tears starting from the organ
 which seldom fails to bring along with it the cause of the pain, or at least to carry it toward the corner of the eye next to the nose, from whence it may
 be removed by fine handkerchief folded to appoint, If this operation is not sufficient then finger ought to be passed frequently, yet gently, over the eye toward the great canthus Cor in-
 terior corner), by which means the sub
 stance is made to descend toward the lachrymaI glands, from whence it may
 be drawn by fine hair pencil" If the
 irritating substance still remains, then
 we are instructed that "the upper eye-
 lid must be taken as before, and kept elevated as much as possible, and the
 eye being turned toward the nose, 8 a very fine camers hair pencil, dipped
 in cream, oil, or very fresh butter
 (without an atom of salt in 1t, remem- ber), must be introduced between the
 eyelid and the body of the eye, begin
 ming at the exterior corner and ending
 at the interior corner" If the very
 fine hair pencil is not successful, you
 one rather larger. Should all these eff
 forts fail, which is extremely unlikely
 if they are properly performed, do not set to work rubbing or washing the eye,
 as you must obtain professional assist
 ance. Be sure to bathe the eye fre-