The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1886-09-10
A NEAR-sIeHTED MANS EXPERIENCE
A Thrilling Discovery in Boyhood-aIy-
opia Leads to Cataract,

A Thrilling Discovery in Boyhood-aIy-
opia Leads to Cataract.
M. Francesque Sarcey, the well-known
French critic, has written little work which
Is well worth perusal by virtue of its charm
ing style and the freshness and force with
which he describes the course and the dangers
Of near-sightedness. His book is an aato.
biography, SO far as relates to his eyes, He
begins: II was born near-sighted, dreadfully
near-sighted. Many physicians assert that
persons are never born near-sighted, but only
become so. However, science may think
what she pleases, but was born myopic"
The very day on which his infrmity was
discovered is indelibly stamped ON his men,
Dry, and his account of it is quite worth
Tanscribing. "One day, prompted by the
spirit of mischief, got hold of the big silver
pectacles which my father always wore, and
clapped them on. Fifty years have passed
away since then, bat the sensation expert
snced is keen and thrilling to this day. I
gave cry of astonishment and joy. Up to
that moment l had seen the lofty dome above
me only as thick, green cloth, through which
no ray Of sunlight ever fell. Now, o wonder
and delight, saw that in this dome were
many little brilliant chinks; that it was made
of myriad separate and distinct leaves,
through whose interstices the sunshine
shifted, imparting to their greenery thou
sand tones of light and shade. But what
amazed me most, what so enchanted me that
cannot speak of it TO this day without emo
ion, was that I saw suddenly between the
caves, and far away beyond them, little
yiimpses of the bright, blue sky. I clapped
NY hands; was mad with astonishment and
leHght."
Very high myopia like Sarcey's is rare;
out moderate degrees Of myopia are very COM
non; and myopia, as Sarcey states is increas-
ng and spreading through Europe like some
,pidemic disease. Among the ancients it ap-
,earsto have been practically unknown. As
evidence of this NJ Sarcey refers to the an
.ient amphitheatres. in which 10000 specta-
;ors sat and viewed the games without glass.
Perhaps, to be sure, the myopes of those days
night have learned to stay at home. How
sver that myopia is increasing there can be
10 doubt. In fifteen years the proportion of
ndoubted myopes in the Polytechnic School
If France has risen from 80 to so per cent,
md so per cent. of the students have to wear
glasses.
M. Sarcey urges his readers with profound
emphasis to remember that myopia has a ten
iency to increase unless numberless precau-
ions are taken, and that all nyOptc eyes are
weak eyes, to be looked after carefully by their
,ossessor. In his own case the result of overuse
md misuse of his eyes, especially his attempts
% get along without glasses, was that he lost
he eyesight of one eye entirely, through de-
achment OF the retina, and that cataract
developed in the other.
The loss of the eye he attributes to the ef-
ects of studying when a boy in badly
lighted school room, and he invokes all
mothers to examine into the school rooms
If they be not fairly flooded with light, take
your son home again. To leave him bent for
en years over dimly lighted books is, if he
,as the least tendency to this trouble, almost
certain to lay up myopia for his manhood;
he be already myopic, it is to assure him q
blind old age"
Sarcey's description of the development of
lis cataract and of its removal is vivid and
dramatic. The operation was successful, and
ne now sees distinct objects even better than
before. The epilogue to his story is: Ere
member that all extreme myopia ends almost
in cataract. and that nearly all my
opia may become extreme if the eyes are
abused, Medical Record