The Washington times., 1911-12-31
BOGUS >OCULETS
GREAT MENACE TO
NATIONS EYES|GHT
Millions of Cheap and In
furious Glasses Sold
Annually.

This has become a spectacled gem
GRAFTON. Millions Of persons are visual
cripples. That 10 why the 5000 oculists
and opticians in the United States never
are idle. II they were all competent
the care Of the eyes would be simple
matter. But, unfortunately, q consider
able majority OF the persons who fit
people>with glasses know little about It.
They resort to az many tricks and to as
barefaced swindlingA as the three-card
monte man Of circus sideshow. These
takers. who fool with eyes as carelessly
a. children play with marbles, are the
meanest sort OF swindlers.
Tho lowest class Of the fake eyeglass
dealers works the country fairs In the
autumn. In the winter some Of them
In the poorer quarters Of the big cities.
When there is great national EXPOSE
tlon these are the men who bid the
highest for what they call the .'slim
cent exhibition netted the operator
$4,000. A large sign, dEyes Examined
Free" IL the most striking feature OF
MALTA includes a flash set Of instru-
ments and q steel engraved diploma
The trade in these diplomas is irage
ana the purchasers are not confined to
orally supposed that It takes years Of
study to become an oculist or an opti-
clan. At Columbia University 1t takes
two years hard study to get through the
c9Trse c9,rss. IN oPtomstry. This This is one Of the
study In optics that IL given anywhere.
and the student who passes his examin-
ations and starts in business for him
self Is able to measure eyes and correct
the mechanical defects Of vision with
the utmost accuracy. Other legitimate
schools OF ophthalmology require at
least q two years course, and no regu-
lar optician will employe q man In q re-
oughly qualified himself by both study
and experience.
college of Optics"
On the other hand. there is a ''cellege
Of optics" in Indiana that has no en-
trance examination or requirements. Its
course" can be completed In three
weeks and students are taught by mail
It's circulars make a special point that
the diplomas II issues are works Of art
They are % by 2s in size, printed upon
heavy parchment paper and, with stu
dents name richly engrossed and orna-
mented, form most attractive orna-
ment for the ONCE or store room," they
say.
Another college Of OphthaImology'
announces that every one registering
with 1t receives Immediately q certifi-
cate as a fellow of OPTICS" After a
six-weeks' course the degree Of Doctor
OF Optics" IL conferred and q diploma 10
issued. Another institution offers SINH
larly high-sounding degrees after eight
days study. The degrees" Of all these
institutions range In price from $5 to
frauds and are operated in denance of
State and Federal laws. Yet they
flourish. The evil done to eyesight by
the s, fake ocuiists and OPTICIANS they sell
Five and ten cent stores do thriving
business in eyeglasses. Each customer
Is his own oculist and optician. In
most cases he Ats his eyes with glasses
without any other aid than casual ad-
vice from the girl behind the counter.
The usual method in these 5 and 10
cent stores Is for the prospective Gus
toner to choose from a large rackful Of
ly to fit him. Through these he looks at
a card which is used for testing 1t is
the ordinary card used by an oculist. 1t
contains lines of type, the largest at the
top. gradpaily diminishing in size to-
a number corresponding to the number
pasted on the glasses. The patient"
looks at the card first without glasses
aas. and picks picks , out the The finest type he can
lects the spectacle that corresponds with
the number opposite this line of type.
Those are what he needs. according to
this system"
Cheap Frauds.
And this is not all. Not long ago q
rather near-sighted person visited q
number Of these and 10 cent stores
and bought a pair Of glasses in each
place. According to the test card or
the clerk behind the counter they were
exactly the glasses he required. Not
one Of them bore the same number.
tician It was found each Of Them was
of different strength: Most Of them
we're so poorly ground they represent
ed one thing in one spot of the lens and
something quite different in another.
glasses cause much misery, but per-
haps no more than the takers who pose
as occulists, but who really are sight
The tests these swindIers use are
designed to deceive the unwary. A per-
son goes into one Of their places suf-
fertng from slight eye trouble; After
ordinary sight-testing machine. which is
quite formidable in It's appearance. One
Of the commonest. tricks is TO tell the
patient" that each eye should be test
Sa the coust ana R hold sss
closed. While doing this q slight pres
sure is exerted on the closed lid Of the
eve. The test of the first eye shows
1t to be normal. When the other eye is
tested serious defects in its vision are
discovered. The patient" perceives he
cannot see SO well with this eye as the
other one. He does not realize that
the pressure on the eyeball has dimmed
its vision temporarily. Therefore he Is
ready to pay almost any price within
his means for specially ground lens"
Another trick is to slightly coat one
lens of the test glasses with prepara.
ton of soap and glycerine. 1t Is not
noticeable, but dulls the vision and
makes the person think he is half blind.
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