The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-09-18
Eye Sanitation.

If one organ more than another in the
human body should have all the benefit of
prevention, it is the eye, and yet to what
abuses do we not see it daily and hourly
subjected, says the Independent. People
will read while riding on jolting cars, they
will read by poor light, not rejecting
how much wiser and pleasanter it is to pay
money to the gas man than to the oculist.
There are many expedients that will help
to preserve the sight of workers who can
have but little time to rest; by closing the
eyes for few moments, or by looking off
at distant object so as to change the
focus completely, and thus resting those
parts of the retina that have been in use
continuously for long time, much may
be gained Then when one feels that the
sight is failing, do not delay going to an
oculist, and having him furnish you with
formula for the glasses that your eyes
need, and at the same time secure the
services of good optician. The ''mathe
MATES of the eye are very well under
stood now, and the law that will make the
light enter the eye at just the angle to
correct the alteration that age has made
will give you great comfort, and do much
to prolong the usefulness Of your eyes.
The skillful way in which astigmatism and
near-sightedness are now corrected is Il
matter to rejoice over. One person asks :
lis it not dreadful to see such numbers
of young children going about the streets
with glasses on? Are everybodys eyes
degenerating ?" Not at all. The child
who, fifty years ago, would have been
unable to learn to read from sheer inabili
ty to see the letters, is now able to keep
up with his fellows, and escapes the inc
vitable headache that comes from eye
strain, simply because well-adjusted pair
of glasses has been supplied to him. As
to the carelessness of employers, in failing
to provide good light for men who write
all day, and whose eyes must pay the
penalty-there is no greater field for the
application of the Christian rule DO unto
others, ETC., than here. This is seen
more often in the city than in the country;
but even here we should like to see the
census Of the men who have made it a
matter of conscience to supply perfect
light for their clerks and other employees.
Then, when you learn that cataract is
forming, do not despair; in these days of
advanced surgery they are removed with
but little injury to the vision. Tight
shoes, tight collars and tight waists are
detrimental to eyesight, by causing undue
pressure on the brain; but of all the de-
stroyers of this precious possession Of per-
feet vision, wells are the worst. One
wealthy oculist, owning fine city man
sion, in talking with friend, saw a lady
with finely dotted veil pass. Said he ::
'sThose are the things that have built my
house. Very lately the following ex-
pertinent was tried
CDR Casey A. Waod, Of Chicago, Sc
lected dozen typical specimens of wells
and applied the ordinary tests of ability to
read while wearing them. These tests
showed that every description of veil affects
more or less the ability to see distinctly,
both in the distance and near at hand.
The most Objectionable kind is the dotted
veil. Other things being equal, vision is
interfered with in direct proportion to the
number of meshes per square inch. The
texture of the veil plays an important part
in the matter When the sides of the
mesh are single, compact threads, the eye
is much less embarrassed than when dou
bic threads are employed. The least OBJ
iectionahle wells is without dots, sprays or
other figures, but with large, regular
meshes made with single, compact threads
Eye troubles do not necessarily result from
wearing wells, for the healthy eyes is as
able as any other part of the body to re-
STAT the strain they impose upon it. But
weak eyes are hurt By them aud prudence
should teach not to strain healthy eyes too
much