The morning call., 1894-05-04
EYES AND EYE DOCTORS.

In no branch of surgical science has
more progress been made of late years
than in the branch which concerns itself
with the eye. Within the memory of men
now living persons with defective vision
we're divided into myops. or short-sighted
people. and hyper-metrops, or long-sighted
people, and for the former concave spec
tacles were devised which threw the focus
If vision back, while for the latter convex
spectacles brought the focus in front of
the .retina. 1t was assumed that the only
differences in these wo forms OF visual
disturbance were differences of degree,
and when the half-blnd person could by a
violent effort read through the spectaces
which the optician rendered him he was
supposed to have got all the relief which
science could furnish him.
Science has now done for the eye what
specialists are trying to do for the nerves.
1t has diagnosed a variety of ailments
which were unknown to our fathers and
for these il is busily engaged in devising
remedies. The human eye, when studied
under the microscope aud in accordance
with the laws of optics, Is found to be one
of the most imperfect organs In the body.
There are few perfect eyes in the world.
The reiractiDg surfaces are constantly
curved SO as to blur the image and to pro-
duce what doctors call astigmatism. There
are frequently opacites in the transparent
media, which cast a shadow on the retina
and dstort the vision. Sometimes the
retina acts like a lens and disperses the
various pencils which constitute white
light. These and other defects can be de-
tected by the modern oculist and treated
by the knife or counteracted by suitable
glasses. But it is plain that this is work
for which the skill of the oculist is re-
quired and which cannot be entrusted to
an optlcian, however we'll trained he
may be.
A learned German named Heimholz
some sears ago invented an instrument
called the ophthalmoscope. With this in
strumeDt the structure of the eye can be
determined at leisure and its departures
from the normal detected. The oculist
then goes 10 work and devises a pair of
glasses with just the curves required to
correct the defects Of the eye; these glasses,
described in mathematical symbols, are
handed to the patient as prescription to
be filled by competent optician. There
are in European and Eastern cities opt-
clans who do nothing but fill such pre-
scriptions. They work over glasses as
Alvan Clark works over telescope lenses;
the curves must be mathematically true
or the glasses will not fulfill their purpose.
But when the mechanic knows his busl-
ness, and the work is done according to
the prescription, The defects of the eye are
cured. In the latest works on ophthal-
mology a dozen different troubles of the
eye are enumerated. the very names of
which are unknown 10 most doctors.
There are doctors for the eye in every
city. Many Of them have very exact
knowledge, but those who know every
thing about the organ Of sight are few,
even If there are any who have yet mas
tered the ultimate fact. We had in San
Francisco a DR.. Ferrer, who was
genius in his branch. whose recent death
was great loss to science. A few max
inns should be borne in mind by those who
are troubled with their eyes. Remember
that the eye is valuable and a delicate
organ. and is fairly entitled to care and
consideration. The utmost care should
be taken in the choice of an ocuIist.
After middle age it is not fair to the eyes
to read small print by gasight. I ou rest
the muscles of the body; why not the in
genious mechanism of the eye? 1t is not
just to the eye to write or read with the
light staring you in front; light should
come over the shoulder, and should be
bright enough to require no stranlng of
the sight. Where the lines on page are
blurred the tendency is to wink the eye
lids rapidly in order to recover clearness
of vision; it is far better to stop reading
for an hour. 1t is not best to humor the
eye or to wear spectacles constantly.
Short-sighted people only need glasses for
a short period at a time; aud old people
who claim that they cannot read at all
without glasses had better read less.
There are many blind people throughout
the world who would have retained their
eyesght if they had treated their eyes
fairly,