The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-19
Loss OF VISUAL ACUTENEss
Reasons That Tend to Make Chill
dren Need Glasses.

uren Need Glasses.
DIR. w. Ruth, in the jewelers. Weekly.
1t is interesting TO compare the visual
acuteness of the normal eye before and
after the effect of some purely physical
cause. that may be within the realm of
either nature or civilization. Taking few
Instances of each for illustration, / will
cite from nature first 1t is well known
that severe illness greatly impairs the
acuteness of vision of an otherwise strong
eve. Almost the first thing a convalescent
will do is to call for book or newspaper
10 while away the tedium of the sick
room Unless warned not to try his eyes
100 much, he is apt, through forgetfulness,
to overtask his accommodative powers or
iniure the already weakened ciliary mus
Gle When the rest of his body RECEIVERS
its normal strength the eye continues
weak After straining the eyes more in
the vain hope that his sight will improve,
the person, if he Is wise, will consult ex-
perienced help if otherwise, he will pick
no the first pair of spectaces available
regardless of whether they be too strong
or too weak for his eyes. Should he
finally go to an optician, the latter will
often find it difficult to fit glasses salts
factOTily.
Other natural causes that affect eyes are
wind dust. light and heat, when excessive.
Eyes otherwise good enough become weak
under such conditions. The weakness may
lie due to an error of refraction, and I'M
der most conditions the accommodative
power of the eye is strong enough TO over
come the error. But under such atmos-
pheric or climatic conditions as / have
mentioned the accommodation is lessened,
and the eye cannot find relief, except by
the use of glasses. They should generally
be convex.
Having mentioned those losses of visual
acuteness due to natural causes, next in
order are causes produced by civilization.
At the outset l will say that If the pa
tient were to change his occupation and
take plenty Of fresh air and exercise the
opticians services might never be needed,
but these ifs" are in the way, and are
not to be gotten rid of by the average
individual.
Take boy from the country bring him
to town and place him at clerical work,
writing perhaps all day and into the
night. Put him behind counter and lei
him stand all day with one hour free out
Of twelve or more, or let him sit at
work bench, following a trade that keeps
his eyes fixed steadily hour after hour
twelve to eighteen inches in front of him.
Take this same youth with hitherto good
eyes and bid him use them day in day
out reading for a profession, or let him
occupy his time in dimly lighted room.
or bend over a desk beneath artificial light
all the time ! might go on giving instance
after instance, without particularizing,
any calling as more harmful than others
to the eyes.
Is it a wonder that the children of this
generation are wearing glasses along with
their grandsires2 Old age is no longer the
reason for wearing glasses. In nine cases
out of ten the young man needs a convex
glass to assist his overtaXed eyes in full
filling their duties.
In addition to these causes of weakened
vision 1t Is hardly necessary to mention
the common evils Of tobacco and alco-
holic stimulants Again If the strong con-
stitution Of a boy cannot save his eyes
from their thousand and one uses, how
can frail women escape? The ever-in-
creasing army of women workers in shops
and Offices, and the new avenues Of en-
ployment opening to them, swell the num-
Der of spectacle Wearers. It has been my
purpose to point out that 1t is not the seri-
Gus and very plain errors Of refraction that
cause the most of an opticians patron
age ard ne must often attribute the loss
of visual acuteness TO other causes.
-o-e-s
Dyspepsia and general debility are cured
by z. L. r.. LiDpmans great remedy, the
superior of all sarsaparillas.
p. p. 2. is the greatest tonic for the
stomach that was ever known.
Indigestion, bad dreams and biliousneas
give way rapidly to the powerful tonic
and blood cleansing properties Of Z. L. T.
A prominent railroad superintendent
says he feels better than he ever did, and
he had the worst case of dyspepsia on
record. He had no appetite, and the little
ne ate disagreed with him, causing him
TO vomit often; he had pains in the mead
| breast and stomach; but after using three
bottles of p. z. p. he felt like a new man.