The Ordway new era., 1910-05-13
EYE STRAIN IS COMMON
Law Being Enforced In Regard To
Examination of the Eyes of
Colorado School Children

Since the enforcement of law by
the General Assembly of Colorado,
enacted In 1909, requiring teachers to
examine each year the eyes OF all pub
lie school children OF the state, much
interest has been aroused on the sub
ject. This article has been written
In the hope OF making clearer to those
interested what are the common de-
fects OF sight, their dangers, as well
as the suffering they cause, and the
method and proper time of correcting
these errors of vision by the use of
suitable glasses.
Imperfect eyesight is usually
caused by change in the shape Of
the eyeball. In a small proportion OF
cases poor sight Is due to disease or
injury of the eye. Much can be done
by medical treatment to improve
sight that has been reduced by disease
or injury, but the only way to relieve
eye-strain, caused by eyes that are
misshaped, is by the use OF glasses.
Far-sightedness, near-sightedness
and astigmatism are the common
names for defects of vision known TO
physicians as errors OF refraction. In
the first condition the eye Is shorter,
from the front to the back part OF the
ball, than the standard eye. In the
second, the eyeball Is unduly long;
while in the third, or astigmatism,
some curve OF the front part OF the
eye Is either too full or tlatter than it
should be.
In far-sightedncss the rays OF light
entering the eye tend to focus behind
the rctina. Hence, all objects looked
at form blurred image on the retina,
unless the eye, by straining, produces
u clear retinal image OF the object
viewed. In near-sightedness, the rays
OF light focus In front OF the retina,
diverging from that point to produce
blurred picture on the retina. To
overcome this annoyance, and to see
clearly in such work as reading and
closer range than in the case OF per-
fectly formed eye. This undply
strains the muscles which move the
eyes inward.
When one Of the curves OF the front
part OF the eye Is fuller than 1t should
be, the condition is known as near
sighted astigmatism. When curve
Is ilattcr than it should be, far-sight-
cd astigmatism results. What has
been said OF far and ncar-sightcdncss,
therefore, applies to astigmatism of
either variety. Only, of all errors OF
sight. astigmatism produces the most
cyc-strain, which Is shown by head
ache, cye-ache, nausea, vomiting and
iniiamcd eyes and cyclids.
When the far or Observation-Disclosures or
the astigmatism are slight 10 amount,
the cyesight may he fully up to
standard vision. But IT. Is Il well
known fact that the smaller the errors
of rcfracti0n are, the greater the eye.
strain. Unless properly fitted glasses
are worn, these defects are apt to in
crease in amount. and the disease OF
the eyes and eyclids become chronic.
and headache and disturbances OF di-
gcstiOn become Il fixed habit.
To sum up the matter, the eye
should be carefully measured for
glasses In all cases OF impaired eye
sight, and aching eyes, and in such
reflex nervous disturbances as head
ache, nausea and vomiting. Glasses
should be worn IL they improve the
sight, relieve cye-ache or IL the family
physician cannot find and remove
some other cause for the headache
and stomach trouble complained Of
by an army Of sufferers.