Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-08-03
Conservation of Eyesiqht
BY CAROLINE c. VAN sLARcoM
OF tho New York Association for the Blind.

ohe quarter of the blind children i'm
the blind schools of this country are
unnecessarily sightless. They are
aoo'ncd TO lifelong darkness because
'helf eyes were not properly washed
and treated at the time OF their hirtb
mere is no excuse for such n%nylipencc
rms blight OF unnecessary blindness
may DE prevented through supplantin-
ignorance of causes by knowledse. neg
lect Oh eye diseases by treatment OF
them. and by needing the wisdom ~
the old saying that IAN ounce Of nre-
'em.loh is worth a pound or cure"
Ihese measures may seem Utopian.
but the proof that they are practicab Bile
Is that since the public has realized
that much blindness may be prevented,
the interest In this appealing work has
SWEEP. waVe-nke, over practically all
clNlIlZcu countries, the approach to re-
form being made through publicity
which paNes the way for desired lepis-
lation.
since more unnecessary blindness is
nue 10 ophthalmia neonatorum, or
oaples sore eyes" than TO any other
cause, since the prophylaxis for
this disease Is so simple and inexpen-
siVe as to make the occurrence OF "a
single ease a disgrace to an enlightened
people. the efforts thus far to prevent
blindness have been directed almost en-
tirely toward the elimination Of this
disease alone. THE first step was to
learn just what was the exact nature
OF the problem.
1t was discovered that ophthalmia
reonatorum. OF inflammation of the
eyes o: the newborn cold in the
eyes. ETC.. 10 a definite infection, due
to amy one of several organisms. but
Ing the infants eyes during or soon after
birth: and that this disease will not
get we'll of ITSELF but develops with
all he rapidity of any other virulent
Infection. causing liberation of the
rornea and subsequent blindness. un-
less skillful medical treatment be in
stituted early, since the disease works
its destruction in a very few days.
Professor Crede. Of Leipsic, found
that o 10 per cent of the infants
born under his observation suffered
from opthallnia neonatorum, and Sid
ney Stephenson claims that one-third
ut the indne of the world Is due to
this disease. Figures from the schools
for the blind in this and other coun-
tries today still ~substantiate this claim.
1t is impossible. therefore. to estimate
the value of Professor Crede's discov-
cry in 1881. that the installation of a
drop of "A = per cent solution of silver
nitrate into the eyes OF the newborn
GOULD prevent opthalmia neonatorum.
Although Professor Creole made this
invaluable contribution to human
knowledge nearly 30 years ago.. the
public is but just beginning to apply
1t effectively. Since children are con-
stantly going Hin from o%phthalmia
n%eonatorum in every country. it is evil
dent that this simple ~prophylactic
treatment is not universally employed.
Human beings are being deprived of Il
precious birthright because of ignor-
ance or neglect or both
The task then ia to eEliehten more
and more people as to the seriousness
and preventability OF this disease. so
that doctors and midwives will n
themselves in disrepute IL blindness or