Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1901-01-17
DEFECTS OF VISION.
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS HAVE
WEAK EYES.
SIGHT of People of United States Grows
Poorer Year by Year-Desks should
He Placed So that Light May Fall
Upon Them from Left and ABOVE

Are we to become Il nation Of specta-
clewearers? 1t has been observed by
competent medical authority that there
is Il progressive tendency to myopla Ill
office employees and school-teachers due
to the nature of Their work and uetect-
i've light. The direction in which IL
Illumination enters the office and school,
room is of supreme Importance. 1t IS
asserted by experts that hight admitted
full in the face is fatal to eyeslyht,
while light from behind throws the
shadow of the body upon the desk ana
the book. Light from both SIDES throws
u double set of shadows, due to the III
reference of light waves. but coming
from the left and from overhead win
doWs falls directly upon the desk. n
French commission some time since
stated that from each desk there should
be visible strip of sky at least thirty
centimcters wide, measured from the
top of the window. The curtailinent or
the strip of sky is at the expense OF the
eycsght of school children.
Professor COIN, of Bresau. eXam-
ined the eyes Of 10000 school children,
and found that nearsightedness i'll
creased from the lower to the upper
grades. The lower classes in the
Latin schools showed 1915 per cent, and
the higher class ;h'.S per cent OF near
sightedness. DR.. Loring, In examining
the pupils III the public schools in New
III. , #
of German parentage nearslghted; OF
American descent. ID per cent, and OF
Irish parentage only ii per cent. Ut
500 colOred children DR.. Callan found
20 per cent Myopic in one school ana
l 10 per cent in another. The infer
Pennsylvania. from these observations
is that the children of these national
tiles, most commonly engaged in study
and eye work. have the greater proper
tionate amount of myopic change.
while those accustomed more to out
door life and resting their eyes largely
upon remote objects are generally free
from the affection. Further observa-
tions made by Professor COIN revealed
the fact that the percentage OF myopla
varied from Is to GO in the better
lighted buildings, while the schools on
narrow streets. where the light was
more or less obstructed. showed Il pro
portion of ~ to 1o.1 per cent.
From observations made in the public
schools of Philadelphia it was found
that the ratio of spectaclewearing chill
dren is progressive, showing per cent.
in the primary grades, 1-3 per cent
in the intermediate grades and rising
in the high schools to II 20 per cent.
There are no statistics bearing on my
opia as superinduced by faulty light In
office buildings, but the percentage
must be larger, judging by the number
of adult spectaclewearers who have
not yet reached the age when vision
naturally has to be assisted by glasses.
The observations as to school children
indicate overstraining of the eyes to
insufficient or excessive light, glaring
and conflicting lights, light coming
from the wrong direction, too prolonged
use of the eye in study without fire.
quent change of focus to distant OBJ
jects, the use of too small type in the
printed page. reading from the black
board at too great a distance, the bad
position Of the body assumed in the ex-
ecution Of the slant system Of penman-
ship. causing spinal curvature as we'll
as myopia and other defects of vision.
The statistics quoted showing an In
crease of the affection in America, fur
nish abundant ground for reflection to
members of school boards and to build
ers of office buildings. and should
prompt timely halt lest the people Of
this country be reduced to the myopic
condition of other nations thus sadly
afflicted.-Dallas News.
GAMBLER WAS EXPOSED.