The Detroit times., 1914-11-26
CHILDREN ARE
INJURINC EYES
t BY OVERSTRAIN
Properly Fitted Glasses During
Growing Period, Will Correct
Evil, Declare Experts
|EYEBALLS STRETCHED
BY OVERSTUDY
No Babies Born Nearsighted,
Disease Always the Result of
Overtaxing Organ

NEW YORK, Nov 26.--lt Is appar-
nt mat more children are wearing
lasses than used TO be the case, say
peal physicians, and the question
children having too heavy demands
lade on them, or are glasses being
rdered when there Is no necessity
DR. them? Ii is undoubtedly the fact
hat the average child has more
choolwork than formerly, and among
II classes the eyes OF the child are
eing used for near work 10 q greater
xtent than was the case a generation
|go.
During the growing period of the
Xhild, the outer envelope, or support
hg tissue OF the eyeball. does not at
ain its full degree OF irmness and
ardness, and any strain on the focus
hg muscles has tendency to make
he eyeball stretch. This stretching
( the eyeball is really the condition
;hich is commonly known as near
ightedness, and is caused in most in
tances by strain in reading, Many
eople believe that a child may be
yin Dul NlllS 10 llOA. rAiN
ase Nearsightedness always occurs
rom strain, and in the great majority
I cases can be prevented. or at least
ept down TO low degrees. II re-
hires no special knowledge To APP
reciate the fact that a tissue when
tretched is weaker than before and
likely to go on stretching, and this
the danger In near-sighted eyes.
fucn eyes are apt 10 stretch and grow
'orse until the child attains its full
rowth. and the tissues have "a chance
b become hard and firm, hence, IL Is
uring the period OF growth that dam
ge-to the eyes Is most apt TO occur.
the stretching of the eyeball goes
eyond a certain point, the delicate
erve tissues inside the eye are apt
o become stretched TO an extent
which they cannot stand, and tears
nd breaks occur in them with dam
ge TO the sight These breaks can
| OF be remedied nor for that matter
an the eye when il is once stretched
ONE back TO its normal size. In
terry high degrees of stretching. even
blindness may result.
Many people suppose that astigma-
ism means a difference in the two
yes, which is entirely wrong. II is
n irregularity of the front part of
|he eye where the curves should be
numerical but are not This irregu-
|hrity or inequality of the curves
nakes objects appear blurred. Ger
ain lines in the objects looked at
eem fairly distinct while certain
others are blurred and this causes
! he eye to make strong muscular eff
Iorts to overcome the blur and get
perfectly clear image. The strain
brought about TO correct the astig-
hattie image leads TO stiffness and
cramps OF the muscles with headache,
Ind in severe cases 10 an actual
Stretching OF the eyeball. The surest
hay to stop the ever-increasing dan
kers of near-sightedness Is TO correct
kstigmatism by means of properly
Fitting glasses during the growing
period. Recently statistics show that
in accordance with this method of
treatment, nearsightedness is becom-
Ing less. Many children are obliged
TO wear glasses when reading or dur
ing the period OF greatest strain, and
II the astigmatism Is OF small amount,
they can frequently lay aside the
Elasses when they have attained their
FULL growth. The greatest amount. IT
btrain is during reading or sewing, or
bny use OF the eyes for close work.
II is, therefore, much better to allow
The child to use glasses during the
growing period at least, and avoid
strain, than 1t Is to run the danger of
developing a near-sightedness. which
is a permanent condition. and which
ls apt to progress to a point OF dam
aging the vision.
Wall paper originated in China IN
The fourth century