The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-05-10
ERRORS in OUR EYES.
WHY THE USE OF SPECTAcLES IS
FAST BECOMING UNIVERSAL.


hoitz's Discovery Of Retroactive Errors
In the Mechanism of the Eye.
Eyeglasses or spectacles properly adjust
ed afford in many instances positive relief
from a long list of nervous disorders The
human eye is intimately connected with
the nerve center of the brain, over which
1t exerts IA strong sympathetic influence.
If there is anything radically wrong with
the delicate mechanism of the organ OF VI
sion, its effect is soon apparent In the nerv-
Gus system. There may be no signs of
trouble in the eye itself, so far as the un-
initiated observer il able to detect but to
the expert opbthalmologist the symptoms
are unerring and infallible This is the as
sertion of leading specialists in diseases OF
the eye, and it has the unqualified indorse-
ment of reputable opticians. In il may be
found the cause for the fast spreading use
of spectacles in all parts of the civilized
world where the modern theories of med
ical practice and physiological conditions
obtain. The almost universal use of glass
es does not indicate an extension of i'm
paired vision in the human race or the ex
| istence of any new optical troubles; 1t
means simply that experts are trying by
| artificial means to remedy the defects of
| nature.
1t is only within the last so years that
| the mechanism of the human eye has been
| really understood. Previous to 1856, when
| Helmholtz mastered the details of the work
| ings of this important part of the body
| and astonished even the medical profession
| with his wonderful discovery, it was the
custom to treat the eye on the same basis
as other organs. If man was clubfooted,
/ ha
| and the only remedy was in the use of the
| surgeons knife. So long as both legs and
| feet were truly formed and evenly mated
| there was no call for medical or surgical
| aid unless the patient could locate some
well defined interior trouble. And so it
| was with the eyes If a man was afflicted
with strabismus or cataract, it could be
easily seen and relief afforded by the prop
er operation. Not even the most advanced
thinkers had any idea that there might be
radical malformation In the mechanism
of vision of which there was no outward
evidence Thus it was the wearing of
glasses was confined to those old people
whose sight was confirmedly bad and to "a
comparatively few of young on middle aged
who by chance found the use of spectacles
help Sufferers from visual defects were
almost as numerous in proportion to popu-
|
not understood and consequently no gen
eral attempt was made TO correct them.
Helmholtz discovered that il was posi-
BILE for nature TO err in regulating man 5
vision in much the same way as it might
send him into the world uniformed in 9th
| er parts of the body He found that the
eye is subject TO what are called retroactive
errors which seriously affect the powers OF
accommodation and induce an abnormal
strain, which, if long continued, has an in
furious effect upon the nervous system anc
finally upon the vision itself. The range o.
the visual field depends upon the form OF
the eye.
If both eyes are perfect in construction
and identically alike, the vision will b'
: normal, but Helmholtz demonstrated u
the satisfaction of the profession that ma
. ture does not always do its work truly, ant
: that many individuals are afflicted witt
misformcd visual organs. To make thes
% misformed organs perform their work nc
:. ceptaby to the owner requires an uncon
!, J scious forcing or strain on the power of &C
= commodation. which results in disorders
!, condition, called asthenopia. People thu
' afflicted will struggle along, ignorant o
the real cause of trouble, until compelle
; to consult physician for relief from nerv
:. Gus affections, when they will be sur
prised to learn that it is spectacles, no
: medicines, they need.
Asthenopia includes pains in the eyelid
and in the forehead over the eyes, in tn
top and back of the head and in the side
of the head just back of the eyes and is fire
uuently accompanied by extreme nause
and general debility. When failure TO OF
tain relief by the Use of ordinary remedie
j. demonstrates the fact that the trouble doe
not lie in ordinary causes, the careful ply
stefan will at once suggest the consultatio
Of an eye specialist. This usually result
- in the discovery of retroactive error {
some kind which is readily remedied b
. the use of properly fitted glasses, and in
= short time all symptoms of asthenopia dis
e appear Explanation of this lies in the fac
that the glasses restore the vision TO tf
= normal stage and by doing this stop I'll
% forced strain on the powers of accomm'
dation, and this in turn relieves the ner'
3 Gus system.
u Man is endowed with only a certai
, amount of what may be termed visual CT
y ergy. At the early age of ! 0 years II Is cas-
II to note n beginning of the exhaustion
y this energy; at 30 two-fifths of the visu'
y power is usually gone, and at 90 yea
fully eight-tenths of the sight energy
the average individual is exhausted. Won
- en- and children are in the main the gfea
~ est sufferers from defective vision, bccau
u they are, as IA rule, the most careless in Il
- treatment of their eyes. The use of glass;
is ahhorrent to them us indicating the a.
10 proach Of old age and are only put on III
u der compulsion. DR.. James A Lydstol
~ an authority ON the subject, says there a
two extremes to be avoided if the vision
'r to be retained unimpaired. One Is owe
Examinations the other is underllumin
ie ton. Too much light is in the end almo
~ as bad as IA scarcity of light. -Chicas
', Tribune.
10 A Widows wit.