The Washington times., 1914-06-10

I light can strike its book over the left
| shouloer. In writing. II the light comes
from the right the hand casts a
snaaow. and this causes a peculiarly
severe strain upon the eyes. Until the
child Is ten years old 1t should read
nothing but large type. and no more
Ihan dozen pages a day.
Common Eye Maladies.
Stray germs and flying dust cause
most OF the minor eye maladies from
which children suffer. A typical dis
ease OF this sort is conjunctivitis, or
pink eye" 1t is caused by the lody-
ment OF germs In the inner lining Of
the eyelid. and its symptoms ara
familiar to every one. Inasmuch as
there are many varieties of germs cana
BILE OF producing II, it is very common,
and frequently appears In epidemic
form; for,Io AT Its us mildest. It Is a simple in
days. At its worst. when it is caused,
for example, by the lodgment of dlph-
theria germs In the eye, 1t may become
extremely serious.
to irrigation with mildly antiseptic
washes. administered with a dropper.
sometimes II is necessary to apply ice
compresses. or to combat the tenacious
germs with strong drugs. In such
sane %. snss physician p mus. be
=
Tor inexperienced persons to deal with
the human eye. In ordinary cases the
boracic acid wash / have described will
anord relief. The patient should be
Kept In darkened room until the pain
ceases.
The so-called "sty' is nothing more or
less than a small pimple upon the edge
of the eyelid- 1t usually comes to a
read and discharges its pus In a few
days, and after that it quickly heals
70,
large or painful It may be necessary to
nave a physician lance It, but ordinarily
mild mercury ointment will afford all
the aid that nature needs. When stys
Sppts sSppear frequently the child's general
A very painful eye malady Is Caused
by the stopping up Of the tiny Cucts
winch carry the tears from the ewes To
the nose. When the bodily machine is
working normally. just enough tears
The eyelid. in the act of NInking
spreads them over the eye. and the
waste runs down the nasal ducts 10 the
hose. ~ ~
What Shifting" Is.
When dust irritates the eve. or son,.
powerful mental impression stimulates
the tear-making glands, tears flow in
extraordinary quantity and the eyeball
Is suffused. They come SO fast, in fact,
that the nasal ducts can't carry them
all on. and they run down the cheeks
But, all the same. the ducts do their
ecst, and SO, when 4 child weeps, a part
Of its tears escape by way Of its nose,
and IL "sniffes.'
If these tucts. by accident or disease,
are clogged up. the tears needed for the
ordinary fabrication of the eyebaII nun
over the lower Lid and the patient has
Tatery eyes" To remedy this a sur
geon must be consulted. IIe will pass a
series OF probes through the ducts, be-
ginning with one rs fine as a needle,
and ending with one as large as a small
leadpcncil. This will clear and stretch
the ducts and restore them to their old
ussfulness as drains of the eyes.
The surgeon Is needed. too. to correct
crossed or squint eyes. This disfigure-
insnt Is due to faulty balancing Of the
eye In It's socket The muscles ON one
side pull harder than those on the other,
and as a result the eye turns. The
remedy consists in splitting the more
powerful muscle. This weakcns II and
thus equalizes the pull OIL both sides.
copy't 1914. Newspaper Feature Service. Inc