National Republican., 1883-02-24
A FEW WORDS ABOUT GLASSES.
Interesting Lecture on the Eye by DIR. F.
II, LorlnR.

II. Loring.
The parlors of the Young Mems Christian
association were crowded last night by an in
telligont audience, attracted by the high rep
utation of DIR. +. b. Loring as an oculist, to
listen TO q lecture on the eye. DIR. Loring
designated his talk as A Few Words About
Glasses" but IL was in reality lesson full of
instructive advice as to the use and care of
Of the eye. He gave the audience the benefit
of the SKILL for which he is so famous in an
essay of very great value, att ention TO the
suggestions of which will undoub tedly obviate
many serious difficulties attending vision
which In this era makes the oculist so promi-
nent n factor in the social problem.
Beginning q description of the eye with
illustrative diagrams, showing the manner in
which rays Of light converge and diverge in
passing tho crystalline lens and focusing upon
the retna, he minutely and graphically
| sketched the conditions which make up the
three classes of eyes, the normal, the far
| sighted, and the shortsighted. Diagrams of
these classes were exhibited and freely used
| in illustrating the information conveyed. A
normal eye is one that sees in the distance
| without muscular strain. 1t is savoid in shape
and exercises vision as all healthy organs ex-
ercise their functions, with pleasure and with
out fatigue. AT about 40, sooner or later in
different individuals, 1t begins to grow far
sighted. If the eye has always been healthy
and never troubled, there Is no need to consult
an oculist, when you first feel the necessity
of glasses. II is popular fallacy that far
/ sighted eyes always belong to people of ma
| turo age. Children often have farsighted
| eyes. If the axis of the eye be too short, 10 is
| iarsighted. IL may be known that child is
| presbyopie when he wants to stop reading
every few minutes and rub the eye. 1t is
the eye whose vision is easily blurred. A
headache is very frequently sign of n far
sighted eye. Its muscles are weak, and the
muscular strain causes squirting. 1t is a
popular fallacy that one can put on
glasses too early for this kind of eye. A sim
! gle glass is injurious TO all eyes. Some
people buy their glasses as they do their shoes
by the numbers alone, without regard TO any
other consideration. There is no falser
economy than buying cheap glasses, but 1t is
generally of no advantage to buy pebbles.
The popular idea that pebbles cool the eyes
is popular fallacy. Their only advantage is
they are harder and less apt to be scratched
than good glass. Poor glass of course ought
not be bought A stigmatism was the in
ability of the lens of the eye to carry the
slys of light equally, some being moro re-
fracted than others. Children with far
sighted eyes out to wear glasses at once.
A nearsighted eye docs not produce head
aches, Ncarsightcdness is u passive not an
active trouble. 1t depends on an over dis
tension of the eye. A nearsighted eye is al
ways u diseased eye. Nearsightedness
steadily increases. Such an eye is more apt
to take ON diseases. In the wearing and in
the selecting of glasses the nearsighted per-
son should be very careful. In deciding this
question the skill of the oculist is absolutely
necessary. There is under certain circum-
stances great danger of detaching the retina,
in which total and hopeless blindness is the
result.