Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-07-25
AneAR-sIe4reD MANS EXPERIENCE



NJ, Franc,rSuuc Sarrrv. the well known
French critic. has written little work which
is well worth perusal by virtue Of its charm
ing stvle and the freshness and force with
which he describes the course and the dangers
of near sightelueSs His book is an auto
biography. - far a relates to his eyes. He
begins: Il was born near sighted. dreadfully
near sighted Many physicians assert that
PERSONS are never horn near sighted, hut only
become So However, science may think
what she plcaS.s. hut was horn my"pic-'
The very day on which his intirmity was
discovered is indclibly stamped on his mem
ory, and his account of 1t is quite worth
transcribing "Onc day, prompted by tn"
snirit Of mischief. got hold Of the big silver
spcctaclcs which my father always wore, and
clapped them on Fifty years have passed
away since then. hut the sensation | eNl"rl
enccd is keen and thrilling to this day.
gave n cry of astoniShmrnt AMI JOY. Up l"
that moment had scen the lofty dome alov"
me only aS thick. green cloth, through which
no raw Of sunlight ever fell. Now, . wonder
and delight, | saw that in this dom" were
many little brilliant chuks; that It was made
of myriad separat" and distinct leaves
through who's. intcrStir,S the sunshine
shifted. imparting TO their Erocnrry thou
sand tones Of light and shaie. but what
amazed me most, what - enchanted me that
| cannot speak Of it 10 this day without emo
ton. was that l saw suddenly between the
leaves, and far away hcNond them, little
ClimIrScs Of the bright. blue sky. | claPp"d
NV hands was mad with aStoniShmcnt and
delight"
Very high mvopia like Sarccy's is rare;
hut moderate degrees Of myopla arr very com
mon; and myopia, as Sarv"y states, Is lnCreaS-
ing and spreading through Europ" like some
epidemic disease Among the anclcntS 1t aI-
pears to have been practically unknown. As
evidence Of this NJ Sarccy refers 10 the an
cient amphitheatrtS, in which %',un Sp"cta-
tors sat and viewed the games without glass.
Perha,r. To hc sure, the myopcS of those days
might have learned to stay ut home How
ever. that mynpla Is increasing there can he
no doubt In fifteen years the proportion oi
undoubted myop,'s in the Polytechnic School
| of France has risen from "a t. ~ per cent,
and 80 per cent Of the students have to wear
glasses.
NJ Sarcov urges his readers with profound
/ emphasis to remember that myoPia has ten
/ denCy to increase unless numhtrleSS precau
tions are taken and that all myopic eyes are
weak ewes to lr looked after carefully 10y thelI
! posSe<Sor In his own case the result of overuS'
and misuse Of his eyes, especially his attempts
to get alorg without glasses, was that he lost
/ the eveSight Of one eye entirely through de
tachment of the rctina, and that a cataract
developed in the other
The loss of the eye he attributes to the ef
/ fects of studying when a boy in badly
| lighted school room, and he invokcS al
| mothers to examine into the school rooms
! If they be not fairly tlnoded with light. TAXI
! YOUR son home again. To leave him bent foi
ten years over diuIy lighted books is, if hi
| has the least tendency To- this trouble, alm"S
certain to lay up myopia for his manhood
if he he already myopic. it is to assure him
! blind old aye.
Sarccy's description of the development o
his cataract and Of its removal Is vivid an'
dramatic. The operation was successful, an'
he now sees distinct objects even better THAI
before The cpilogue To his story Is: Re
member that all extreme myopia ends almns
infalliblv in cataract, and that nearly all my
oria NAV I,ecOme extreme if the eyes an
| abused Medical Record