Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-03-08
NIyOpia.
MY UIJItI.
Net0 Orleans Times Democrat.

-fcD OFtedHtS LthteS- DeHlOcTut.
1t has been said with terrible truth. that
the degree of civilization to which a ma
tiOn has arrived may be measured bv the
number of its myopes. -Short-sightedness.
color blindness, and total loss of vision
increase with progress of knowledge to
such degree that, should the present
state of things continue, it must ulti-
mately come to pass that none save the
Ignorant will share with animals the
natural blessing of good eyes.
professor Raoux;s of Lausanne-a
famous myopathist-has in enunciat-
ing this very opinion, compared
the increase of eve diseases
among the cultivated classes to the ad-
vance of ''riyer of darkness, flowing
side by side with the river of science and
OF light" Those who seem most to need
keen eyes are least favored-the chemist.
the microscopic, the astronomer, the
philologist, are frequently stricken with
blindness during the course of their la
bors, while the sight of the farm labOrer
remains bright and pierciag like that of
the savage.
1t is in Germany and Switzerland-es
pecially the fOrmer-that most attention
is being given to this alarming problem.
Three-quarters of the officers in the Ger
man army are said to have imperfect
sight. In the Swiss schools the increase
OF myop1a has excited much anxiety also.
Latterly French scientists have been eX-
aiming the question of nearsightedness
among children, with equally startling re-
suits. A certain DR.. MOtais. of Angers.
has just published work summarizing
his own Investigations; and it issrather
terrible reading. For example we are
told that out of 499 children and students
at Anglers alone-0nIg siEty-si1 e1j0yed
perfect sight. There were many forms of
detective vision; but myopia appeared in
most cases to have been an artificialIy
produced disorder. Myopes under eleven
years of age are seldom seen. according
to DIR. MOtais; the malady is deyeloped
during school life. Then the pupil be-
comes abnormally convex. the humors
unnaturally cOpiOus.
Of causes there are MANY indeed.
One is bad type in school books-type
the face of which lacks breadth while
possessing height-what our printers call
ndrrOac-fdced type. Another cause is that
the school desks are SO made as to compel
many children to stoOp unnaturaily.
which might readily be remedied by
the invention of strong desks to be
elevated or lowered in conformity
with the scholars requirements, by
means OF screw or other me-
chanical contrivance. A third cause
is found in imperfect light, or light i'm
properly distributed-a trouble to which
mu ch attention has already been given in
the United States. Whatever occasions a
rush of blood to the head-clothing too
tight about the neck, thin clothing or foot
gear which allow the extremities to be-
come colds also cause of myopia.
Now comes highly important cause of
myopia, concerning not only children. but
all people who read and write-the same
cause which produces snow blindness
the glare of ochite. The paper upon which
most people write is white; the paper of
books is white and often glossy into the
bargain, which makes matters worse \:
walls ofrOoms and ceilings are white. All
this will have to be changed if the cult
waited classes of the next generation are
to enjoy the pleasures of unclouded sight.
Neutral tints must supplement white, in
our interiors, in our writing paper, in our
books; and these matters deserve serious
attention in the United States.
The human eye is still, however. far
from perfect-there are many animals
and notably many birds, with much
keener organs Of vision. There have been
in past ages, and are also extant. some
species OF creatures possessing thesextra-
faculty of making the cornea
either convex or almost concaye at will.
so as to change the whole character and
range. Of vision according to circumstan-
ces, and in the remote future such a mower
may be acquired by the human race.