The Glenwood post., 1910-07-30
WHY THE EYES OF SCHOOL
CHILDREN SHOULD BE EXAMINED

is arranged on the supposition that the
scholar has good sight But to suppose
good sight for all children is not cor
rect and may work great injustice.
One of the best health officers Den
yer ever had was very near-sighted.
He knew it when a boy, but was not
allowed to wear glasses. One day his
teacher told him to read something
from the blackboard across the room.
He could not do it. The teacher told
another boy to read it, who did Then,
turning to the boy who was so near
sighted he could not have read it at
quarter the distance, the teacher
again told him to read it. Again the
boy said he coud not. So his ears
were boxed, and he got ten demerits
az for obstinacy."
| The new law about the examination
of school children 5 eyes is to put an
end to everything like that in Colorado.
The scholar cannot be abused by
teacher who does not know that his
SiPhI Is uclcctlNo. NciIhSI Gan u"'
scholar impose on the teacher by claim
ing defect he has not got.
A child who is to be promoted, or
who wishes to enter school above the
lowest grade, is examined to find out
if he knows enough to go on with his
work profitahly in a certain class. Why
should he not be examined to find out
| if he can see enough to 90 on with his
work in any class?
IT might be thought that if a child's
eyes were defective he would know it,
| or his parents would know it. But
often they do not. Parents often do
not notice defects in their children IS
eyes that strangers see at once. They
are so used to their children and their
ways that they think of these as only
a little peculiar. Very often children
have defective eyes and do not know it.
Grown people sometimes complain of
poor sight but when tested it is found
quite as good as the standard for per
| feet eyes: and often they think they
see as well as anybody when their Wis
| ion is quite defective. Sometimes a
peraon of thirty or forty years sud
denly finds out that one eye is quite
blind; an examination shows that the
defect has been there from childhood,
or from birth. Children are generally
DISPOSED to take things as they come,
and think evcrybody's eyes are like
theirs. They are less likely to reeog-
nize their own defects than grown peo-
| pie.
The tests of sight which the teachers
can make in the schools will not tell
everything about the scholars eyes,
But they will show if the sight is good
blackboard, and to enable the pupils
to study their lessons with reasonable
| effort, or if one eve has to do more
| than its share of the work
If the eyes are much -nearsig sighted
they will be unable to read the test
letters at the proper distance. Near-
sighted eyes, unless they wear the
proper glasses, are likely to become
more nearsighted doing school work
The scholar holds things too close. ard
the eyes become strained. When they
get very nearsighted they get weak.
and are liable to cataract. and other
diseases, for which little can be done.
If the defect is discovered early, the
proper lenses worn, and care taken
not to hold things too close to the
eyes, these troubles can be avoide l.;
and as the person grows older the
near-sightedness may pass away.
Eyes which seem to see perfectly
may be far-sighted. Such eyes may
find reading, writing, sewing, drawing
and other near-looking very hard. Very
far-sighted eyes tend to turn in. got
"crossed.' Eyes which are less far
sighted cause headache and strain on
the nerves. A boy with such ewes is
very apt to dislike books. and get
blamed for lack of interest in his stud
les, or inattention. But really the
close looking requires an effort for him
that no grown person would be willing
to keep mp. The glasses will make a
good student out of a poor opie, if the
cause of trouble is recognized and cor,
rected soon enough.
Astigmatism is defect of focus in
the eyes which causes indistinct Wis
ION; if of high degree, and strain of
the eyes, even when moder If, Ia
amount. Its effects are felt w hen the
eyes are used much either for looking
at distance, or for reading and Other
near work. 1t may cause lines that
run one direction to be seen iudis
| tinctly. althoupb 1ines runn;n in ~,