The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-11-07
THE BABYS EYES.
Point often Overlooked in Caring for
the HelnIess Little Mites.

A Point Often Overlooked in Caring for
the Helpless Little Mites.
1t is very common thing to see ar
infant gaze unblinkingly at a bright
light without any attempt being made
on the part of the parent or nurse to
prevent it. A still more harmful prac-
tice is to allow baby to take its daily
ride with its little face upturned to the
bright open skies without the carriage
sunshade to protect its eyes. If there
is no bright sunlight the nurse takes it
for granted that the shade is unneces-
sary, forgetting that gazing up into
the sky is really painful after the eyes
become tired of the bright light.
1t seems to be the general supposition
that infants eyes have remarkable
powers of endurance in this respect and
that no harm will result from the eX-
posture. This is great mistake, for an
infants eyes are in reality more sus-
ceptible to injury than an adults. A
child is totally unable to protect itself
during the first weeks of life by moving
its head or shading its eyes, therefore
its nurse or attendant should protect it
light or strong artificial light of any
kind.
The eyelids of an infant are thin and
almost transparent, and the eyelashes
but little developed, 50 that even when
the baby is asleep strong light should
not be allowed to fall on its closed eyes.
1t is not wise to fall into the opposite
extreme, however, and keep the child
in dark room, or shroud its face when
out of doors with heavy wells, since
these practices render the eyes I'M
naturally sensitive. but the endeavor
should be made to allow only diffused
| light to reach the sensitive little orbs.
When children have passed the age
of infancy and begin to use their eyes
intelligently, parents should make it
| point to study and ascertain the cOndi-
ton of their vision. Says well known
authority: "A slight defect in the
shape of the eye, constituting short
! sightedness or far-sightedness, may
practically disappear, so as to cause the
| individual no trouble if the eyes are
properly managed, while on the other
hand it may be aggravated into seri-
Gus impairment of vision if the child is
improperly trained in the use of the
eyes"
The power of sight in later years is
much influenced by the time of life at
which children are required to under
take close and continuous efforts with
the eyes. For most children this con-
tinued effort begins when they COM
mence school, and it is often aggravated
by poorly lighted apartments. A child
with weak or sensitive eyes should not
be called upon to practice music from
notes for any great length Of time
while the child is young. If the prac-
tice is supposed to be absolutely neces-
sary, divide the time into three, four, or
even five periods, so that the eyes may
rest, as constant gazing at the small
black dots will weaken the strongest
eyes.
Where squirting is noticeable in
children one may be sure there is de-
fective formation of the eyes. In the
majority of cases this results in toe
great tiatneSS OF Jne eye. This should
be attended to as soon as it is noticed
as the longer it continues the worse are
the results. The remedy for squirting
in its earlier stages lies in the use OF
glasses, but if the squirting has beer
allowed to go on for several years a
slight operation will be needed, and
there should be no hesitation in sub
hitting to it. A good oculist should be
consulted if there is the least sign OF
imperfect vision while the child is
young; this may save trouble in later
years. Boston Herald.