Evening journal., 1897-03-27
CHII.DREN'S EYES.
A PHYSICIAN ON THE IMPORTANCE
OF CARING FOR THEM.

TWO OF uel SOusi dIcu respectively ana |
IL, tome to have their eyes examined to
see if glasses were needed She had TAX
en- this step partially on my invitation |
and as a matter Of precaution, ms she
was well aware that both herself and |
her husband had defective eyes and some
of her children were already wearing /
glasses for troubles which were without /
doubt hereditary. In answer TO ques-
tiOns about the general health of the |
children, their disposition, complaints |
they made regarding headache, etc, she |
made the following statement:
Il really am puzzled to know what |
TO do with the older boy. He seems so |
irritable and cross after few days at |
school, and he always seems to be spoil
ing for a fight His health seems very
good, with the exception Of he;elache |
after study, but be is not nearly as far
advanced in school for his age as is his
younger brother,
After making q careful examination 1
prescribed glasses for the older one, but
told the mother that the younger one
did not need them at the present time.
Ibid not see anything of the children or
the mother for six months, at which
time, when meeting the mother, she
told me the glasses had worked mar
velous change in her son, and he wore
them constantly and could not bear Co
be without them. He was now picking
up in his school work and was better
natured than she had ever known him
before.
This child is only one Of many thou.
sands in cur schools today who are hav-
ing their dispositions ruined and are
called dull and stupid by their parents
ana teachers through no fault Of their
own. Being perhaps born with de-
feet in sight. they do not know Of any
different world from that which they see
! through defective eyes, consequently
cannot relate their troubles to their par
ents, as they are entirely unconscious
of their defect Therefore l wish to en-
phosize most omphatically that it is the
| duty of all parents and teachers 10 mark
very closely any peculiarity that chill
/ drcn may have in looking at objects at
a long distance or close at hand, such as
squirting their eyes, frowning, looking
sidewiso from partially closed eyes and
/ particularly regarding the distance at
which they hold their reading matter
/ from their eyes, for it is natural for
child, or for a grown person, for that
matter, who has normal sight TO hold
clearly printed reading matter about 10
inches from his eyes. Should this be
varied TO any extent, such as drawing
the reading quite close to the eyes or
holding it at arms length, it is almost
a sure sign that there is something
wrong.
People who have strong eyes usually
have but little sympathy for those who
are less fortunate in this respect.
The necessity Of glasses to assist q
child in school work, which viii Put
it on more oven footing with the
other students, is not appreciated by
mguy parents who are otherwise
thoughtful and considerate of the well
fare Of their children, and who are in
many cases undergoing privations that
their children may secure an education.
Do not be too ready to judge these chill
drcn as having fad for glasses or wish
ing to wear them because some of their
|
cautious in having the child's eyes ex-
amined than TO take too much response
bility in this matter in your own hands,
for no honest optician will advise you
to put glasses ON a child unless they are
suIo to prove an advantage
another point which 1 think should
be proclaimed loud and long TO the diff
ferent parents is the fact that nine Of
every ten cases Of strabismus (cross eyes)
existing among children under the age
Of ~ can be wholly cured by the very
simple and painless method Of wearing
glasses, whereas if this matter is left
until the child has reached maturity it
requires a painful operation, which in
the majority Of cases is not altogether
successful then, for it is not alone the
matter of appearance that the parents
are responsible for But children who
are cross eyed and allowed TO remain in
this condition any length Of time are al
most certain TO lose the use of one eye
wholly q in part, owing Co the length
of time thCy are allowed 10 20 in this
way. Nt~y Jew children are born cross
eyed ana almost every mother Will tell
you that this misfortune was due to
some sickness, a fall on something of
tho kind which happened when they
We're beginning to walk, when in reality
the accident or sickness only marked the
time that the child first began to use It's
eyes to discriminate small objects and
the straining of the eyes TO see caused
thcn 10 cross.
Another reason Why many children
are allowed TO grow up cross eyed is be
cause physicians in general practice
have heretofore been so grossly ignorant
Of these subjects that they have in
fmacd the mother that the child would
probably outgrow this trouble This is
mistake. Cross eyes are produced by
strining the sight and very rarely, if
ever, are outgrown. Babies sometimes
have the appearance of being slightly
cross eyed, ewing TO the formation OF
the lids when they are very small.
This, of course, may be outgrown. But
when parents notice their child's eyes