New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-29
RARE OPERATIONS
EBOY'S SIGHT
Little Buttons Cut fro,,
Eyeball to Drain
Interior

tai, at Twenty-third Stree. and ny,
Avenue, was the scene Of a ,.r..
operations on the eye of a sev.r.y.,.
old boy which is still the subi.., :,
envious comment in the profession
The boy is George cacOps,s, =,
62l East Fifteenth Street. wbo -.
born blind in one eye as the re,ul, -,
congenital glaucoma, and in VII.
Other eye this same disease had :,
vanced to a stage where he ceased ;,
De able to count fingers at a di,.,,,.
of three feet.
Glaucoma is the absence in N. A.
of avenues for the escape Of Ii. sr,a.
which are continually forming thai.
These fluids accumulate and p,.,.
more and more on the retina until -,
latter is destroyed. This is what Ia.
happened before birth in the bov.
blind eye. 1t was rapidly taking ul,,,
in his other eye, so rapidly ths. \.
had lost the ability TO read or 70 ,.n
time on watch in a few months. ana
his eye had become hard with Ii.
pressure greatly enlarged
Pent-up Fluids Released
He was taken to the hospital in
March of this year, and the frt
operation was performed soon Alter
This consisted of trianguls,
trephine or incision Of the con.
junctiva, or membrane which covers
the white of the eye. The flap Of the
conjunctlva was turned back, and then
a button two millimetres in diams,.,
was taken out of the white OF "a,
eye and the coniunctiva was sprs,;
back over the cavity. Through Il,
latter the pent-up fluids pressing /.
the child's retina began TO drain.
The original tension Of these fuia
on the retina had been ffty-egs
millimetres of mercury, as measure
in a capillary tube. The normal Ia.
sion is between fifteen and twens
five millimetres. This first open
ton brought the tension TO thirtyu
millimetres, a decided improveng,
but still not enough to satisfy 4,
surgeons. On May 2, therefor.
second operation was performed pr
ciscly similar 10 the first, except tir
in this instance the little button 4
white removed was further round IN
cOrnea. This second operatn
through providing greater drairse
reduced the tension TO thirty nlG
metres.
Inc third little button was hse
out on June 10, with a resultant "
duction of tension 70 sixteen mlS.
metres, which spelled success. lie
child by September Is had so far ~
covered the sight of this eye that ke
was able to read large type at twenty
feet and had recovered his ability to
tell time on a watch. further
gradual improvement is expected per.
hitting him a comparatively normi,
and useful life in the community.
Operation Regarded as Triumph
The unusual feature of the open.
ton is its success in the case Of
child, it was explained yesterday, b.
ing almost without parallel in tki
regard in the annals of surgery. CO:
genital glaucoma is rare disess
More frequently glaucoma deyeloa
among adults, whose eyes respoa
much more readily than do those 4
children to this particular kind 4
surgery. 1t is, therefore, that ..
friends and authorities Of the Ng
York Ophthalmic Hospital look upa
the restoration of Cacopardps slri
as a triumph on a par almost vi
that of the 10l operations performs
there in two days last June wi.h's
a sirgle resultant affection, hens'
rhage or fatality.
This record breaking clinic was hsl
in conjunction with the sessions z
the American Homeopathic 0ph,si'
biological, Geological and Layrss
logical Society then in progress hss
and included operations on the a.
and throat, as well as the eye.
stretched to the utmost the fscilita
afforded by the rather ancient sceor.
modations of the hospital and stlr.
into being a demand that the insu@'
tion be afforded roomier and STREET,
modern quarters in less noisy lof
JiOn.