Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-07-18
rsEsEavArisx OF rnE SIGHT.

The editor OF the Huntsville Demo-
Graf, who has passed his three score
years without the use of eye glasses, and
csn still, with his natural eyes. read
fine print, wishes 10 give Sther pc pie
nearing the sere and yellow leaf the
benefit of his ocular experience. There
fore, he tells them that in 1865 he found
his eyesight failing, indicated by dark
specks fitting over the page, and a
hazy appearance Of the letters when he
was reading. Remembering to have
heard his mother say that ex-President
John Quincy Adams (who lived to about
eighty years. had preserved his eyesight
and read without glasses by pressing
the outer and inner corners of his eyes
together, the editor tried the expert
ment. After retiring TO his bed at
night, he has, ever since the fall of 1865,
before going to sleep, pressed together
the outer and inner corner Of each eye
between the thumb and forefn9ers
If the hand correspond
ing to the right and left eve. applying
equal simultaneous pressure to both
eyes. Or, using but one hand, he has
put the middle finger on his forehead
above bis nose, and pressed together
the corners of one between the thumb
and forefinger, and the corners of the
other eye between the third and fourth
singers, striving TO give equal pressure
to both eyes. The philosophy of the ex-
pertinent il explained in this way. As
people pass the middle age, there Is
saN to De land we believe il n tenden-
cy of the balls of tbs eye to lose their
convexity--in common parlsnce, to fiat
ten. The habit Ial pressure Of the outer
and inner corners Of the eyes together
prevents fiattening, and thereby pre-
serves the original normal convexity
OF tho eyes, and thereby the orig
inal power Of seeing. Near-sighted
persons are the exceptions to the rule.
Their near-sightedness las we under
stand) Is caused by too great conyexity
Of the eye. Oftentimes. a. they advance
in years, their eyes hatten; that 10, lose
their original convcxity aud become
more nearly like the good eyes of young
people, and they can see better without
glasses and lay them aside.
WHISTLER our philosophical explana-
ton II right or wrong, this one thing w
know, that whereas we, over seventeen
years ago, were losing our original pow
or of seeing. now, by the manipulation
| Of our eyes a. above explained, We car
see clearly without the use Of glasses
and can read small print almost, II moi
quite, a. we'll ~ in our youth. while mer
and women many years our juniors
some Of them our near blood relatives
Who have not resortec to our mode o
preserving the eyesight, are compelie<
20 uss glasses. Believing II our duty
| 20 mankind 10 do them all the good W
can, - overcome our native modest,
about writing Of ourself BY the consid
Grafton that we may bepeft cthers b,
relating our own experience.
The reason Why both eyes should b
subject 70 the equal simultaneous press
urs ID that, TO see clearly. both eye
shoOld behold objects at the same focs
| distances. and this cannot be II the txs
eyes have not the same couvexity. Il
the too eyes should see objects al differ
ens distances, the objects would presen
different images ON the two retins o
the eyes, and produce q confusion O
images, and, Of course. impair distinc
vision. Instances occur Of persons VII.
have . natural infirmity Of the eyes viii
different foci-one eye seeing ~ on
| focal distance, the other eye at anothe
/ focal distance. In such cases oculists
provide Eyeglasses OF different foci, q
accommodated Is 10 correct the nasura
defect, and make both ey e. see alike.