Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-09-07
EYES ] MUST Be TESTED TED ]
Pupils Of Public Schools Will Be
Examined and Parents Mott.
fled Of Diseased Eyes.

instructions for the examination OF
the eyes of the pupils in the Minnesota
public schools have been prepared by
the state board OF health and have
bean sent to the county superintend.
ents tor distribution among the school
districts in time for the opening of the
fall. term Of school, says the New Ulm
Journal.
The test which will be made by the
teachers 1s . simple one, but will dis
close material defects in the pupils
eyesfght. Each teacher will be pro-
vided with chart on which are printed
letters varying in size from four inches
to halt IN inch. The pupil will be re-
quired to close one eye, and If he can
read the letters at q certain distance
without difficulty his eyesight is good.
It he cannot read the letters or has to
strain his eyes to do so, the teacher
will know that the pupils eyesight is
detective, although he may not know
the nature of the defect.
The chart sent out by the state board
ofhealth requires that the pupil should
Be able to read letters four inches
high at distance of two hundred feet,
letters two and one-han inches high at
distance of one hundred feet, and
one and three-fourth inch letters seven
ty feet away, one and one half inch
letters fifty feet away, one inch letters
forty feet away, letters three-fourths
Of an inch in height at distance of
thirty feet, two-thirds of an inch letters
atsa distance of twenty feet, one-half-
inch letters fifteen feet away, and
three eighths inch letters at distance
Of ten feet.
4 the pupil can not read the letters
| at the required distances the teacher
! will send card to the parents, which
reads as follows:
.s'After an examination it appears
that your child has some eye disease,
for which: your family physician or
some specialist should be consulted
atsonce. The matter should receive
prompt attention."
ss.This is q reasonably effective test
and by It the teacher. will be able to
discover any material defects in the
Isyesight 81 the pupil, = said Dr. II:
NJ. Bracken, secretary of the state
board of health, recently. SIT is pos
sible that there are some forms of d.
seases OF the eye that might not be de-
tected with this test, but If the pupil
can read the letters at the distances
stated on the chart his eyesight is not
| very bad"
In addition to this the teacher will
be asked to watch the pupils closely
to see that they are not suffering from
ip pflamed eyes or other diseases that
can be discovered without the aid of q
test. The teacher will also be re-
quested to question the pupils as to
whether their eyes become weary or
pain after study. The board has pre-
pared blanks for reporting the results
of the test as we'll as the results of the
examination of the occulist or physi.
clan on whom the pupil calls at the
recommendation of the teacher. These
blanks have spaces for the name of the
pupil, the age, sex and grade, answers
to questions, and remarks.
The examination of the younger pu-
pills. eyes will have . very beneficial
effect, as in many cases during the
early stages of eye troubles the
smaller children are not aware that
anything is seriously wrong until the
disease has attained an advanced age.
It will cause some inconvenience to
the teacher but will be doubly com
pensated for by the good 1t will rem
der to the pupils.
The New York Sun says: "The
Bartenders' ISOLATION Of Greater