Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-01-17
The HUMAN EYE.
What Some Wicked SpcotacIo-ScilcrJD Do
to Injure II.


What Some Wicked Spectators ilerJ DO
to InJure 1t.
Having occasion TO drop in at nm
opticians shop this morning, | asked
the proprietor about the sign In the
window, which read: Examination of
tho eye made free Of charge"
"Can 1t be-" l said. '1hat you en-
ploy nm oculist TO prescribe glasses for
your customcrs?"
mot at alt" was tho reply. "Wo
test tho sight ourselves by means of
those cards you SEQ hung up at the
other end of the store with letters OF
different sizes on them"
"But is 1t possible for n person who
has not mado ocular science n study
to apply such test with accuracy"
"Well-ahcm-that Is. no. not quite;
but we can do 1t with certainty enough,
l guess. Any way, we have to. be-
cause all the other opticians advertise
free examinations.
Now, this Is true enough, and an
outrage 1t is that these spectacle
makers who are simply mechanics,
possessing no knowledge beyond tho
grinding OF lenses and such matters
technical, should be permitted to prao-
lice by guoss-work upon the most deli
cato and valuable of human organs
The fitting of glasses is always mat
ter Of great difficulty. even to tho
skilled oculist who has devoted half
his lifetime learning how. The lenses
must be adapted with tho utmost OK
actncss to tho necessities OF tho
patient for tho slightest variation
will cause n strain that will result
sooner or later In damage TO tho sight
Almost invariably ono eye differs from
the other in visual power. and ono
ocular defect is so readily mistaken
for another that often only physician |
can tell the difference. And yet peo-
plo who pretend 10 have common
sense 60 to the optical shopkccpor for
glasses which, in nino cases out of ten,
are all wrong. and which not infre-
quontly ruin tho vision ireparably.
In properly conducting an examine
ton of the eye, 1t Is necessary to In
spect the Interior of the optical camera
This is done by the aid OF the opthalmo-
scope, n circular mirror with hole In
the center. Holding this disk before
the eye, the ooulist looks through tho
hole in its back. while the face OF
glass throws array oflight
from n gas Jet overhead, into
the dark chamber" THO ray, pass
ing through that round hole called the
pupil. eliminates the nerve screen
hat lines tho eye, upon which the
pictures of objects seen are formed by
! process very similar to that which
We call photography. The interior of
he wonderful organ being thus bright
y lighted up, the obsssrresarrs ago. \
xamlPnat dicphthalu,ogy to the status'i
a seicuoe Up 10 that umo nothing n
8 known Of the au stony and pathch II
y Of the eye beyond such informa-
n as was obtainable from post-mor-
N dissection. 90 ular science was In ,
arly as primitive stage ofdevelop-
ont as when the ancient Eg yptians
Gated cataract by pushing the cloud
vitreous lens down into the lower
.rt of the eye, instead Of cutting II
t altogether or as when the ncar-
gifted Emperor Nero watched tho
adiator shows through concave
herald, which he thought, because 1t
lped his vision, was magical gem. =
1t now all ocular complaints are we'll
derstood-which is fortunate. since
" have normal eyesight in these days 9
and tho trouble of those who can not
o rs others do is rcmedied by suit a
10 spectacles. Boston Cor. Denver q
publican. ii