Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-11-28
FACTS ABOUT GLASS EYES.
SOME GREAT ADVANTAGES WHICH
RESULT FROM THEIR USE.
Cost From $40 to $15 Apiece-The Re-
production Of the Natural organs
Of Sight Much More Artistic
Than 1t Used to BE.

Many Of you have known men for years
who carried glass eyes, and you never sus-
pected hat they had any visual trouble. ex-
cep a slight optical defect, until they have
Voluntarily told you the truth. But nova
days this Is not considered strange. The
duplication of the human eye in form. color,
motion, everything except the sight itself. Is
one of the greatest triumphs of modern art.
From all time men who have lost one OF
their organs of sight seem to nave made
some attempt to remedy the deformity.
p%earance of the human corpse, as is SHOWN
by some of the Egyptian mummies. Among
various peoples use has been made OF gold,
artificial eyes. but until the early portion
of the eighteenth century their wearers
must have found them very unsatisfactory:
About that period the. French found that
by a combination of glass and enamel the
requisite lightness and finish could be Sc
cured. From that discovery the manufac,
ture progressed gradually until It attained
its present state of perfection, Today no
one need be seen with eyelidS sunken IN
and do wearing that nn totally i! t blank Ines efpbess asa
The popular idea is that the artificial eye
fills a cavity after the removalo Of the natur-
al organ. In point of fact the glass eye has
about the same shape as a portion of an
end. The sclerotic part, or the white. Of the
glass eye is one-fortieth of an inch thick,
while the cOrnea, or the Colored portion, Is
one-twentieth of an inch thick. The use OF
the enamel gives q perfectly smooth sur
face. under which are made, in exact repro
duction Of the natural eye, the minute VEINS
has a very slight elevation, and in color can
be made to match any orb. The edge Of the
glass is sometimes ground and used without
any further finish. Ground edges are Liable
to produce irritation.
The best glass eyes are those which have
delicately enameled edges. presenting, even
lndnr the m3CrnSrnnQ No rNlPhnQSC or slit.
face in any part. The most favorable condi-
ton for the use Of a glass eye Is that IN
which the organ still remains In the socket.
although shfunken and destroyed for all
purposes of sight. In the majority Of cases
the oculist tries upon the patient first an
eye smaller than the size required to mate
with the sound one. This is especially neces-
sary when the parts are still tender. In a
short time this may be removed and a lar
arrived at. There is a sufficient portion of
the natural organ remaining It Is impossi-
mate.
the slightest Of the advantages resulting
from mt the Ssf use Of IT. the eg glass e EYE s,,, II t the organ am
the eyelids. It obviates the discomfort and
iashes. It guards against the entrance Of
tion Of tears in the orbit. Great care is re-
It must be reimovedfrequesnti and thorough:
ly cleansed and then dried with lint or soft
cotton. If it is placed in cold water the
change in temperature is very apt to crack
and roughen the enameled surface. After
subject to anything which approaches
careless handling, the fine gloss will disap-
ski of the lids, and either a new one must
be procured or, when possible, the old one
repolished. This latter may be often done
at slight expense, and the eye be put in as
good condition as when first purchased.
The cost Of an artificial eye varies from, 81:
to SIS. This may seem a high price but
extensive stock the oculist is obliged tc
keep on hand. The number of variations
destruction to the eye is so great that
even with thousands of glass eyes in stock
1t Is often necessary to manufacture ont
expressly to suit a patients needs.