The Northwestern standard., 1886-04-10
TIE CARE OF THE EYES.
How They are Injured and what In
Done to Repair tIae Damage to
At Them.

Everybody takes considerable interest
in his eyes, said a prominent oculist TO a
reporter, teand I don't think any other
portion of the human anatomy is worthy
of more attention. Yet it is more abused
than any other organ From early infancy
it is treated shamefuly The babys
knuckles poke it and the lids are frequent
ly made to open to expose it to the view of
admiring relatives and friends. Boy
hoods days bring books to be read and
lessons to be worked into the brain through
its medium. Youth fills it with tobacco
smoke in the one sex and needlework and
novels III the other. In maturity it is
abused of necessity by the use of specta-
cles A poor eye is better than no eye at
all Science has made the deaf to hear by
means of various little instruments. Man
ufactured teeth often serve the purpose
better than the originals, and patent
working arms and legs often replace the
natural members An eye once lost to its
sense of sight can never be replaced by any
thing that will restore that sense. Artifi-
cial eyes have existed as long us there has
been any demand for them. ssStep this
way, said the specialist tsan9l l will show
you a large assortment OF them" The
doctor reached up to 8 shelf in his cabl-
net and took down two small flat boxes.
One OF them was labelled, sLeft Eyes,
Assorted and the other, :sRight Eyes,
Assorted
The doctor opened the boxes, and there.
resting on soft beds Of tissue paper, were
hundreds of left and right eyes. They
were OF every shape, size and color imagi.
nable, and looked perfectly natural in their
upward gaze.
The eye was simply a conco-conyex
shell, and the doctor explained that the
natural working and turning of the arti.
fetal eye was not due to any improved
mechanism, but simply to the modern
method OF operating on the genuine eye.
Instead of removing the injured eye en-
tirely as formerly only a part was removed
and the artificial organ was fitted on the
stump, which would continue to move
with the muscles.
ssDo they ever wear out?"
ooh yes, that's the beauty of them The
acidity of the tear of the human eye will
atup glass, and it makes them rough and
honey-comed like sandstone. They usually
last year and cost SO apiece. Many
wearers buy two or three at time to have
them on hand in case of an accident"
ssCan person cry just as well with the
dIullCldl cyb!
ayes The trouble is they usually cry a
great deal more from the unnatural irri-
tation. The artificial eye is made from
a bulb of glass having q slight ovality
blown, on the end of rod of glass about
the size of a pencil From the sphere thus
blown segment is fattened out for the
iris and pupil. A circular patch of black
pigment in the centre forms the pupil.
The painting of the iris is done with
delicate enamel colors, and then bulb OF
clear crystal glass is placed over it. The
red veins are traced with fine films of red
glass laid on and fused. Probably over
10000 people in the United States wear
artificial eyes"
DR.. William Siemens devised an artif1-
cial eye which is sensitive to light and to
differences in color, gives signs of fatigue
when subjected to prolonged action Of
light, and regains its strength after resting
with closed lid; and, by electromagnetic
attachment may be made to close itself
involuntarily at a vivid flash. Such an
eye would be worth having, 1t is we'll
known, too, that the vibration of musical
tones may by ordinary conducting wires
be transmitted and delivered to the ear,
and it remains to be seen, says DR.. Siemens
whether light vibrations may not be trans
mitted to the brain in the absence of the
natural eye.