Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-09
SCHOOL WORK AND EYEsIGHT.
The Result Of Recent Investigations Re.
ported by the Bureau Of Education.


Appended to the annual report of the Com
missioner Of Education, Mr.. Dawson, which
will shortly be issued, is a chapter on "City
School Systems" in which, by means of ex-
tracts chiefly from the reports of city school
superintendent, the effect of school work on
eyesight is discussed. Geo. Rowland, superin-
tendent of the Chicago schools, says that in
old school-rooms the light was so insufficient
that much harm undoubtedly resulted to the
eyes Of the children. In the new buildings the
evil no longer exists. Pupils have, however,
he thinks, been allowed to study with too little
regard to position and with the object too near
the eve. He criticises the dictum Of the oculist
that the book or paper should always be 'fif-
teen inches from the eye." OF over O,0OO
school children, he adds, he has never seen
one voluntarily taking that distance. and he
says that eminent professional opinion is that
such an enforced rule would do more harm
than good.
ExAMrNIsa THE PUPILS
The result Of an examination of the eyes of
pupils in two Of the leading public schools of
Memphis Tenn, is given. The eyes of 6s1 pupils
were examined; of these 5ss had perfect sight,
go had imperfect sight from general causes and
80 had impaired vision from eye strain. It is
stated that this latter shows an increase of Is
per cent for the primary classes to the higher
grade. The report Of the result Of q similar
examination made in the public schools of
Columbus, Ohio, gives the following summary:
First, The large number Of percentage of
pupils among the A, 700 with one or two defec-
tive eyes-1,175 cases, or rs per cent of all the
children examined
Second, Those with two defective ewes
1885, or 20 per cent of all the children examined.
Third, The increase in prevalence of near
sightedness as we 20 up the scale from per
IN nripo oh 10 I IN,
the senior class Of the high school, and II per
cent among the females Of the senior class
from Oper cent at the age of years to Ills per
cent at the age OF II years, showing the relation
OF this trouble to increasing age and increasing
demands upon the eyes.
Fourth, the above equal percentage of each
OF the other defects in the low, intermediate,
and high grades showing their independence
OF increasing years, and increasing demands
upon the ewes,
good eyes as we ascend the scale, from 80 per
cent IN the primary to 66.6 per cent in the
senior class of the high school,"
A similar examination was made during the
year Of the eyes of pupils in the public schools
of Kansas City and Nevada, Mo-, and of the
students of the state normal schools at War.
rensburg and Kirksville, No., and the state
universities of Missouri and Kansas by Flavel
b. Tiffany, NJ. D., of Kansas City, Mo.
EYEsIaHr AND NATIONALITY.
DR.. Tiffany says that '.of the whole number
examined, 2,040, in the different grades and
schools, SO, or As per cent, had spssm of
accommodation. Now, spasm of accommo-
dation, or simple hypermetropia even if not
corrected by glasses or relieved by rest from
near and small objects, is likely to develop
into myopia. or possibly intra-ocular disease;
hence the Importance of these examinations.
The Irish, Swedish, and Germans have the
highest percentage Of Affections the English,
French, Scotch, and Americans, the lowest per-
centage. Out Of the whole number examined,
1,l62 were girls and S78 boys; 45S had some
ametropia (sorne anomaly of refractory. OF
the 1,162 girls, $50, or 24.9 per cent, were
ametropic; of the 878 boys, 1913, or 1871 per cent,
were ametropic; being a larger per cent Of
affection among the girls than among the boys.
''Out of the 2,040 pupils, 10, or 0.6 per cent,
had strabismus; "a, or 46 per cent. were my
opic; 2O3, or 9.9 per cent, were hypermetropic;
AZ, or 2O6 per cent, were astigmatic; 80, or 4.S
per cent, had spasm Of accommodation, and 63,
or 81 per cent, had latent hypermetropia.
school life, however, so far as can gather
by the examinations, has little or nothing to do
in these development of these anomalies. That
they exist, however. in a much greater degree
than is generally supposed is very evident, and
that continuous use of the eyes having these
errors of refraction, whether in the school
room or out of it, if not corrected, is sure to
have it's evil consequences. The Importance of a
recognition OF the existence Of these anomalies,
OF their extreme frequency and Of detecting
and correcting them is obvious enough