The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1889-10-04
WEAK EYES INCREASING,
AN OPTlcIAN IN A HISTORIC BUILD.
ING SAYS THEY ARE.

uN1 ONTO ! T1EI A16s
The Causes to BE Found Largely in Our
Modern sedentary Life-why School
Children Are Amicted-The Kind Of
Glasses to Wear.
On the west side of Nassau street. inst
south OF Fulton street, Is an old building,
the second floor of which was formerly
used by Aaron Burr as a law office after
his return from Europe in 1912. The
floor is now used by an oculist and op-
tician, who is a scientist, philosopher
and merchant combined.
His reception room was formerly
Aaron Burr's consulting room, and it is
somewhat of coincidence that whereas
1t was formerly used for consultation
of the mind, it is now devoted to the
purpose of consultations for the sight.
"lt Is not generally known" remarked
the oculist-optician to News reporter.
Except to, perhaps, few old fashioned
merchants, that this was the office Of the
famous Aaron Burr; but to some of the
older members of the bar this place has
historical interest as well as personal
one, SO far as their eyes are concerned.
81 make no spectacles or eye glasses
for the trade. Every pair of glasses
made here are made after personal ex-
animation of eye, by myself, or upon
the written prescription Of a recognized
oculist. 1t seems to me that defective
vision was never SO great as now.
CAUSES OF DEFECTIVE VISION.
1.-THE peculiarities Of defective vision
are legion, but the prevailing affection
of the eyes is nearsightedness. This
arises from many causes, chief among
which Is the increase among sedentary
occupations. Jewellers, journalists, es-
pecially doctors, analysts, clerks, book
keepers who have to work in dark ware
houses, typewriters, especially women;
milliners, painters upon enamel, and in
fact almost every business that demands
close attention for any length of time,
has its proportion of nearsighted
workers.
"Not one man in q hundred has abso-
lutely perfect vision, and that one man is
usually an illiterate person, whose busi-
ness is an out door one. Yet even sea
captains, particularly In the German
navy, wear eye glasses.
"Another cause for defective vision Is
the present mode of living. We eat too
fast and choose our food at random. The
laborer and the farmer, whose frugal
fare is plain but substantial, are seldom
trou bled with bad sights. Severe mental
troubles most surely affect the eyes
where there isalready predisposition to
sight failure.
'During the past five years there has
been a noticeable increase Of impaired
vision among school children, caused by
three things: First, too much study In
badly lighted school rooms; second, bolt
ing their food instead of masticatlng it;
third, the undue strain upon the nerve
tissues, which is the result Of both. A
good many children Of tender years often
require glasses as strong as those worp
by persons of advanced age.
"Others are born with q malformatton
of the cornea, or front part of the eye,
the curvature of which being unequal,
the rays Of light do not harmonize.
Such people see vertical lines clearly, but
the horizontal lines indistinctly, or vice
versa. The only remedy for this sort Of
thing is to use cylindrical glasses.
again, others are troubled with
weakness in one Of the muscles of the
eye, SO that the eyes do not move alike.
Hence they may have double visual im-
pressions and see two objects instead Of
one.
"There is one popularity, however,
about near sighted people which does
not apply to other visual disorders. Their
sight improves when they get to be about
40 or 42 years Of age, and continues to
improve for few years afterward. This
improvement, however, is only confined
to persons who use glasses of the requi-
site strength. A too strong eye glass Is
worse than none at oil, and while deal
ing with this part of the subject may
say right here that the general tendency
of nearsighted people is at first to wear
glasses that are too strong for them.
Many persons sight has been ruined In
A FEW SIMPLE RULES.
''The knowledge Of few plain, sim
pie rules about eye glasses would save
world of trouble to the uninitiated. Al
ways buy spectacles in preference to eye
glasses. They are not only moro COM
Portable, but their use avoids the often
presence of common frames
upon the muscles of the nose. Never
wear rimless glasses, but use them with
frames, the reason being that the sight
of the eyes is not injured by the refrao-
ton of the rays of light on the edges.
Use pebbles in preference to glass, be-
cause pebbles are ten degrees cooler.
Never buy cheap glasses until your eyes
have first been examined, because very
much depends upon tho condition Of the
body when person comes in to buy.
at requires from twenty minutes to
of an hour to enable the
oculist to properly test n persons eyes
in order to get the right kind Of glass to
suit him. Dozens of persons como TO
NE overheated and laboring under some
iegree of excitement. Their eyes arc
affected by this condition, and
they need to cool Off and become COM
posed before can attend to them. The
graduation in the number of the glass
lnder these circumstances will vary
rom one-half to whole number in the
strength of the glass. Never buy Off
oeddlers, because they have not the fa-
;ilities to suit you.
"Affectation is one of the most prolific