The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-19
Fifty Thousand Wear CrOckery Eyes

the appearance of the conjunctiva Of the
natural eye. The eye is now ready to be
shaped, after which 1t undergoes extensive
and repeated annealing.
The coloring of the eye is produced by
blending different colors of glass in much
the same way a painter blends his colors
to get Certain effects. However, the artist
who makes glass eyes Is under greater
difficulties than the painter who mixes his
colors and sees the result at once. Inc
eye artist must take various colorS and
melt them in while the whole mass IS red
hot, and his knowledge Of the blending OF
coors must tell him what the result Will
be when the mass has cooled. for 1t Is only
after the eye is thoroughly cooled that he
can be certain that the desired colorins
has been attained
In shaping the eye according to any CIV
en- sample the artist must work with
sure hand. The eye must be absolutely
right the first time or all the work Is
wasted. An eye once cooled can never be
put in the fire again; it would crack into
pieces if it were
AS regards size, human eyes are made
anywhere from e-half inch to two
inches in diameter. The average size is
trolled entirely by the natural size of
the eye. but to some extent by the state
in which the operation of enucleating OF
cutting out the eye has left the socket.
take much larger eye than II the
growth has formed after the operation.
Up to within year or two ago artf-
fetal eyes were for the most part hollow
shells. Recently the new full RE
form" eve has largely supplanted the old
style. The advantage or the new shape Is
that the full back catches the muscles
and gives a surprising increase of motion.
producing life-like expression. Having no
Irritating edges 1t feels more comfortable
and has no hollow back to gather secre-
tions. Moreover as 1t completely fills the
orbit it overeomes the sunken appear
ance peculiar to the old-fashioned glass
eyes. and so well matches the natural
eye in lustre and color that the decep-
ton is hard to detect
In cases where the eyeball has not been
removed the old style shell must be used
to cover the eyeball. An artificial. eye
made to fit right should cause no pain or
irritation to the wearer.
More men wear artificial eyes than
women, inasmuch as they are more fire.
gerous places. like iron foundries and
mines. In Pittsburg and vicinity more
glass eyes are needed In proportion 10
population than In any, other one spot
in the country. A good many children
are nowadays supplied with false eyes.
They not tnfrequently injure an eye so
badly in play that 1t must be taken out.and
quite as often an eye. Is destroyed
through the insidious workings Of juvenile
diseases, such as scarlet fever.
Not a few horses. especially In western
parts Of the country. wear glass eyes.
of their size and the careful anneaiing
required There have been cases Where
pet dogs and cats have also been fur
nished with false eyes.
Isaac Mayer. an expert optician Of this
city has made glass eyes for dogs and
horses His latest achievement. the plac-
ing of the first glass eye In the head OF
wild beast--a lion by the way-was &C
complished last Tuesday and Is stin In
the lions head-a feat which speaks for
itself. Speaking Of the operation, Mr..
Mayer said:
Although Hons eye doesn't seem
larger than one inch across when you
look at IL. the eye made was about one
and three quarters inches in diameter
since the socket was found TO be very
much larger than the orifice, The aver
age horses eye measures from two 10
two and half inches