The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-02-05
THE CONSERVATION OF VISION.

That a large proportion of the blind,
ness at the present time could have
been easily prevented, is maintained
in recent bulletin issued by the
American Association for the Conser
walton of Vision This bulletin goes
on to state that there is also a very
large amount of defective vision. the
American people being conspicuous
Tor poor eyesight and for the high
proportion of the population who are
slaves to eyeglasses and spectacles,
The same measures, 1t is pointed
out, will tend toward both the pre-.
vention OF blindness and the proven
ton of poor eyesight. which it calls
conservation of vision. Tho general
ignorance regarding the care and
proper use of the eyes is responsible
for most of the harm. While peo-
pie know considerable about caring
for their other faculties, the person
who knows much about his eyes is un-
usual. This ignorance is particularly
disastrous at the present time on ac-
count of the ever growing demands
through the increase of printed mat
ter and the necessity for close eye
work.
Efforts to better the situation were
started first by workers for the blind
and then spread rapidly, the work
being taken up by the Russell Sage
Foundation. Many prominent people
are identified with the work, the list
of officers of the American Associa-
ton for the Conservation of Vision
comprising the following names.
President William H. Taft, Theodore
Roosevelt, Joseph H. Choate, Louisa
Lee Schuyler, Helen Keller, Jane Adj
dams, Winifred Holt, DR.. Abraham
jacob, Ella Flagg Young, David Starr
Jordan, F. Park Lewis, Douglas c..
McMurtrie and T. Commerford Mar
tin. The work will consist largely of
public education and the encourage
ment of legislation for the protection
of eyesight.
AT a recent meeting in New York
city, the secretary, Douglas c. Nc
Murtrie, thus outlined some improve
ments which the Association would
attempt to accomplish:
Zone of the principal efforts will
be to eliminate the possibility OF
babies being born blind. There are
ten thousand persons in the United
States blind from this cause alone,
yet the danger of such blindness can
be entirely prevented by the simple
operation of putting certain drops in
the eyes of the baby at birth. For
the practice is spreading ana
1t should be still further encouraged.
Much harm results from industrial
eye accidents and these can be pre-
vented by various safety devices.
Improper illumination is RESPONSE
bic for much harm, brilliant light
sources which are visible causing eye,
strain and permanent injury. All
lights of any character should be
shaded so that the illumina-
tfon is diffused, In places where the
eyes are used to any great extent.
as in schools and factories, particular
attention should be paid to the con-
dition under which eye-worl1 is done.
In many schools it has been found
that the proportion of pupils with de
fective eyesight increases as the
children advance in the Grades. This
is. of course, matter of grave i'm
portance, Good eyesight is vital to
the best efficiency in any line and it
is poor policy to permit 1t to be in.
jured unnecessarily.
The eye is one of the most in,-
portant ORGANS of the body as most
of our activity is dependent upon it.
Wien people come to realize this and
begin to give attention to the care
of their eyes. conditions viii rapidly
improve"