The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-10
Loss OF VISUAL ACUTENEss
Reasons That Tend to Make Children
Need Glasses.
From the jewelers. Weekly.

4NCSu ILLNESSES.
From the jewelers. Weekly.
1t is interesting to compare the visual
acuteness Of the normal eve before and
arter the effect of some purely physical
cause, that may be within the realm, Of
either nature of civilization. Taking a
few instances of each for illustration I
wall cite from nature first. 1t is well known
that severe illness greatly impairs the
acuteness OF vision Of an otherwise strong
eye. Almost the first thing a GONZALES
cent Will do is to call for a book or news
paper to while away the iedium of the
sick room. Unless warned not to try his
eyes too much he is apt through forget
fulness to overtask his accommodate tive
powers or injure the already weakened Gil
larry muscle. When the rest of his body
RECEIVERS It's normal strength the eve CON
tinues weak After straIning the ewes
more, in the vain hope that his sight will
improve, the person. If he is wise will
consult experienced help; If otherwise. he
Will pick up the first pair of spectacles
available, regardless of whether they
should be too strong or too weak for his
eyes. Should he finally go to optician.
the latter Will often find it difficult to At
glasses satisfactorily.
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 NAV
be due to an error of refraction. and under
most conditions the accommodates power
of the eye is strong enough to overcome
the error But under such atmospheric
or climatic conditions as have mentioned
the accommodation is lessened, and the
eye cannot find relief, except by the 1se Of
glasses. They should generally be con-
Vex.
Having mentioned those losses of visual
acuteness due to natural causes. next in
order are causes produced by civiliza ton.
AT this outset / win 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 got rid of by the average indi-
vidual.
| Take a boy from the country, bring him
/ to town and place him at clerical work
writing perhaps all day and into the night
1 Put him behind counter and let hin
stand all day with one hour free out Of
twelve or more or let him sit at a worl
DSnch, IoiioW1ng trade that keeps his
eyes fixed steadily hour after hour twelve
to eighteen inches in front of him Tax,
this same youth with hitherto. good eyes
and bid him use them day In and day out
reading for a profession. or let him oc
cupy his time in a dimly lighted room, OF
bend over a desk beneath artificial High
all the time. ] might go on, giving in
stance after instance, without particular
izing any calling as more harmful thar
others to the eye.
Is it a wonder that the children of THU
generation are wearing glasses along will
their grand sires? Old age is no longe
the reason for wearing glasses. In min.
cases out of ten the young man needs
convex glass to assist his oyertaxed eye
in fulfilling their duties.
In addition TO these causes of weakened
vision il is hardly necessary to mention
the common evils of tobacco and alcoholi
stimulants Again, if the strong constitu
ton of a boy cannot save his eyes from
their thousand and one uses how can fral
women escape? The ever Increasing arm,
of women workers in shops and offices
and the new avenues Of employment open
ing TO them, swell the number Of, specta
Gle wearers. 1t has been my purpose /,
point out that II Is not The serious an,
very plain errors of refractisn that caus,
the most Of an opticians patronage, anS
he must often attribute the loss Of visua
acuteness to other causes.