St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-07-12
Near-sightedness in Schools.

In pamphlet of eighteen pages, the
contents of which is also included in
his report as secretary of the Connecti-
cut Board of Education, Hon. B. G..
NOrthrop gives some interesting facts
as to myopia, or near sightedness, both
in Germany and in this country. The
subject is an exceedingly important one,
and parents are largely responsible for
this infrmity in their children. 1t is
quite clear that the disease may be
avoided in most cases by proper care:
The latest Investigations of Oculists
clearly prove that myopia is not only a
disease, but one that predispOses to
more serious oculary troubles disease
almost always originated during school
life, or at least under twenty-one years
of age, and yet preventable by the early
use of proper precautions. This disease
is more prevalent in Germany than in
any other country in the world, and the
subject has lately commanded the at
tention of her Reichstag, as well as of
her most distinguished physicians. In
her schools 62 per cent. are myOpic,
while in America, so far as the eXamina-
tions extend, the rate is about 81 per
cent.
Among the causes of visual weakness
among American youth, may be named
STOPPING posture, which cramps the
chest and brings the eye too near the
book or paper; reading at twilight and
late at night, and studying by lamp
light in the morning; reading in the
cars using kerosene lamps without
shade reading while facing window,
or any light, natural or artificial, and
still more while facing the bright sun
shine reading dime novels or other
books printed in too fine type (all books
printed in diamond, pearl, agate or non
pareil, are unfit for children's eyes j
wearing a veil and neglecting to cul-
tivate far-sightedness by examining
carefully distant objects.
The fact that myOpia is an incurable
disease, cannot be emphasized too
strongly. When the organic change in
the form of the eye has become estab-
lished, glasses do not cure it. They
correct the vision, but the eye never
resumes its original form. The disease
as it occurs in children is usually pro-
greSSiUe, and therein lies the danger,
and it is this peculiar fact that makes it
an important study IN connection with
education. The more time people spend
in intellectual pursuits, the more my
opia do we find. In writing and study
it is easiear to sit bending over a desk
in STOPPING position than in an erect
posture. This position prevents by
compression the free return of blood
from the head. The posture of the
head favOrs its detention in the eyes,
while the working of the~ brain itself
demands more blood, and hence we
easily have a congestion of the eye ball,
and especially of those parts that are
most active, viz, the retina and optic
nerve.
From the statistics which have been
carefully collected in this country and
in Europe, we find that myopia exists
in school children under six in a very
small degree, viz, from l to per cent.
In older students who have passed
through the primary and grammar
schools there is gradual increase which
is more rapid from 8 to 16 than at any
other period. AT the age of 20 we find
the per cent. increasing to from so to
90 per cent. in some German Univer-
sites SO per cent. are near sighted,
while the disease exists in much higher
degrees. Hygienic habits of the people
have something to do with this result,
but the great cause of this increase is
without doubt long continued and close
application to study. The most i'm
pOrtant facts these statistics show are
that in healthy eyes this disease is pro-
duced by study under unfavOrable cir-
cumstances, and that it is progressive.