The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-11-10
GLASS ORGANS OF VISION
THE MAKERS AND WEARERs Oh
ARTIFICIAL EYES.
Some Beautiful Specimens OF Thc,,
Translucent Optics-Tnc Ooer,
ton of Enuclcation

IfanSiUCent oIbi Opera
ton OF Enuclcation
Upward of 5000 New Workers xe,.
artificial eyes, and of this goodly mum.
Der the majority are ladies, whose sol.
ambition is conferred in the hope of no
coming attractive. Artificial eyes nav
be classified into two distinct classc,
viz, glass and composition Until re-
Gently those who had the misfortune n
lose an eye have provided themselye,
with artificial ones of glass to hide tina
defOrmity.
Oculists and opticians say tina, thOu.
sands who make use of this valuable and
important artitce show no evidence er.
cept to an expert of any impaired sight
The glass eyes which are manufactured
in this country are really made of gla~
They have many defects, among which
may be mentioned their liability TO he
broken and the hard pressure OF thei,
edges upon the fleshy parts. A fail 0,
blow will often break them, or they will
sometimes crack spontaneously, and, in
addition to the loss of the artificial eve
the patients eyelids are frequent,
wounded. This accounts for the fact Of
children being rarely provided with
glass eyes on account of them not being
able to handle them without danger.
The composition eye, which is made
of substance resembling celluloid, is
now in universal demand 1t is much
worn by ladies and children, as it pre-.
vents distortion of the face After the
human eve is once impaired and total
,,, no l.. 1.
tortcd if no artificial eye is worn, By the
falling in Of the eyelids. The composl.
ton eyes are imported from Germany,
and have destroyed the market of the
glass specimens which are exclusively
manufactured in this country.
Some of these are remarkable for close
imitation, while others are beautiful
specimens of art. They are generally
worn by those who have an injured eve
extracted, but the ma ority of artificial
eye wearers are recruited from the ranks
of the fair sex, who perchauce are
squinted or possessed of some other
trtling ocular defOrmity.
In certain diseases of the eve il be.
comes necessary to extract the orb so
affected, as the eyes are 20 intimately con.
nected through their nervous structures
that one diseased eye will ultimately
ruin the other by sympathetic ophthsl.
mia. The operation of removal is known
as "enucleation," by which the muscles
are left behind to assist in moving the
artificial eyes.
These are not round, rs is pOpularly
supposed. but shared like a shell, and
| l,.tla ,ra,,l,ia IN ,t,,,, .ntr
duced. They are generally removed at
night and the parts washed with water
or Yotion. They generally last three
years, after which they lose their polish
! and become unit for wear. New ones
are then introduced after the same
fashion, and when once accustomed to
this routine the wearer experiences very
little inconvenience in their ad ustment
The composition eyes possess the ad-
vantage of lightness, and the compost.
ton may be trimmed with penknife or
file to adjust it accurately and comfort
ably to the parts. No artificial eye is Of
perpetual duration, because by its in
cessant movement it loses its smooth
surface.
1t is surprising to think of the vas!
number of persons who wear glass eyes.
The largest percentage, of course, are
ladies. who annually expend large sums
in the purchase of those translucent
optics, and unless person thoroughly
experienced in handling those eyes no
other could discover that they are
limitations. Glass eyes cost all the way
from s. to $25 each, but composition
eyes which are imported cost extravagsni
sums, though some may be purchased a!
comparatively low prices, depending, Of
course, on the quality of the material.
You know cattle also wear glass eyes,
and thousands of men find themselves
the possessors of horses and other animal;
ornamented with those eyes which thel
purchased on the supposition that theI
were free from defects.
A sleeps eye resembles the human
eye. Young opticians often use the cyl
of sheep in learning many of the mos
. critical points connected with their pro
,, fession. The insertion of artificial eye
requires great skill on the part OF Id
operator, as the comfort and stability o
the artificial orb to the patient are de
pendent on the process of transforms
ton.
The eve is taken between the fore
finger and thumb of the right hand
, while the other hand is placed on ID
, forehead and its extremities used U
! raise the upper eyelid. 1t is then intro
, duced under the upper eyelid, the lowe
q one is drawn down by the disengage
). fingers, and behind this the piece
once pla es itself.
q Glass eye making requires judgmen
; in the selection of proper glass. This
r composed of sand, soda, saltpeter, POI
O ash, lime and chloride Of lead. All tines
J, ingredients are put into melting Pc
a for period of at least twenty hours an
/. subject to heat of 800 degrees. III
j IL Il L. Il. al..lf