Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-10
FEWER CROSSED EYES
BENEFIT ACCRUING FROM THE
USE OF PROPER GLASSES.

1T will not be many years before a cross
eyed person. especially among children. will
be rarity, particularly in cities, and those
of who still fall back upon that good.
old standby superstition that contact with
or meeting a cross-eyed person will bring
bad luck, more especially if encountered In
the morning, will have to take up some
other superstition upon which to blame their
own faults" said eye specialist to a
Star reporter.
THE disappearance of the cross-eyed per-
son has been gradual, and his extinction
will work out along the same lines. Very
often both eyes are weak: sometimes 1t is
only one; but in the former case it will
be found that one eye Is usually weaker
than the other. So curious are the opera
tons Of the human eye that W.. most
persons the vision will be concentrated in
reading, for instance, by the stronger eye.
and the weaker brother will not be used at
all.
LAS the muscles and the nerves of both
eyes adjust themselves to this strange re-
lationship. the muscles of the unused eye
will relax: the eyebaIl will roam around.
as it were. in the socket. and then adjust
itself to one position. either to the right
or the left, or up or down, and q bad, or
cross. eye results Cross-eyes in children,
and even in adults, but more particularly
the former. are now corrected and set
straight by the mere use Of proper lensed
glasses, whereas years ago an operation
was necessary, and thus do the modern
scientific methods of treating the eye ad-
vance.
'Of course. among certain classes of peo-
pie IN cites, and more particularly In the
country districts where opportunities for
treatment cannot be afforded or obtained.
the cross-eyed person will be found. but
even In these fields of life, thanks to the
free d1SpenSarieS devoted to treat the eye
alone, these disfiguring instances will in
time be greatly lessened. and In century
or two from now cross-eyed person may
be so rare that he will excite curiosity.
1T is the same with. instances of stone
blindness. and this is also worthy of note.
1t Is estimated that within a comparative
~ recent date instances of stone blindness
have decreased in our homes for the blind
about 50 per cent. This is remarka BILE
showing, and it is a triumph of medical
science. 1t is now possible for persons who
otherwise would go stone blind to be so
treated and to wear glasses so that they
may go about with reasonable facility.
ION the other hand. the wearing of glass
es has increased about 10 per cent. t'his
great Increase is due 10 many well-known
causes. including the working in badly nat
urally lighted or artiticially lighted Offices
and business places in the crowded cities.
In the downtown sections of New ork
where the streets are merely lanes for tcaf-
NC neaVy percentage or the entire once
superficial space is poorls lighted or light
ed artifically. In Washington the percent
age OF the clerks who glasses in the
departments is very large. While these
buildings are we'll lighted as a rule, the
fixed interior arrangement of the desks
is such that the clerks get the light al an
unfavorabc angle or there is "A glare from
surrounding buildings, and the result is the
same as in g other instance.
AS to children? Yes, | am willing TO adj
nit that it does seem too bad to place spec
tacles upon such very small children we
frequently see on the streets and in the
surface cars. Very often this unfortunate
near Sightedness is the result of heretity,
for if one or both of the parents are near
sighted otherwise affected in their
sight, one or more of several children Will
have the identical complaint. Tie placing
of glasses on children early and when need
ed saves them from croSs-eyes, and Oft
times corrects -sighte2ness. though it
is to be regretted that mere children are
thus afflicted