Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-11-23
CARE OF THE EYES
INTERESTING talk
BY DR.. S. J. BEACH
Wednesday Evening at the Y. M.
C. A. Building Before Mem
bers of the Association-The
Speaker Is Given Closest. At
tention by His Audience-The
Talk Proves Most Instructive

DR.. S. J. Beach Wednesday evening ad-
dressed about q members Of the Y. M. c.
A. on the subject THE Care Of the Eyes.
The address was a very able and inter-
esting one and is partly given herewith:
This opportunity to talk with you comes
host happily just now, because the Amer
lean Medical Association Is at present
making determined effort to acquaint
people with their eyes.
| If you stop to think it over think you
will admit that you know very little about
yours. either what'is In them. how they
work. or what hurts them. There are In
this country according to the last census.
| 10O, 900 blind people. Far the larger part
| could now see except for ignorance or
| carelessness, sometimes their own. but
| often another's. 1t is with the hope Of
saving the next crop of eyes-the ones
| that are coming along for you to destroy
that am trying to get you on speaking
terms with yours.
| And after all, the eye is an interesting
acquaintance. If this little talk bores you
it will be my fault and not because the
subject is dull. And as nearly every cur
| rent notion about the eyes Is wrong part
at least ought to be new to you. You
know. because you have studied physiol-
ogy, that what is called the sight Of the
eye-the pupil-does not see at all. but Is
simply a hole black because it is a hole
into an unlighted cavity.
1t is a sight, in the sense that the sight
of a gun Is a sight-it Is thing to look
through. 1t is about the size of the sight
on an old-style rife. and being so small
the eye stops seeing. You have all been
| told that the eve is a camera. that back
, of the pupil is the lens and back Of that
is the retina which is the film. To pro-
tect this machine is the cover like a
watch crystal. Now, the commonest
place for an eye to be injured is on this
crystal where the lids open. and this Is,
of course, the spot before the pupil where
any blurring spoils clear vision. The first
rule, therefore. in care Of the eyes is
what? Why, to protect this watch crys-
tai from injury. This means wearing gog-
giles in an automobile. or when sharpen-
ing or working with wood. or metal tools.
or in any occupations where cinder.
splinter or bit of mineral Is likely to
strike the eye.
The causes of eye injuries are so nu-
merous and SO obvious that they would
hardly be worth mentioning II 1t were
not to caution you against the most care
less of them. AS a matter of fact. II II
were not for the danger of infection, or
which ] shall speak. getting into the eye
through an injury, most injured eyes
would recover fairly well, but in even so
simple a matter as removing a cinder
eyes are not infrequently infected and
the sight lost. l cannot explain here
how to roll up an eyelid and remove a
cinder which is underneath it, but it is "A
very simple trick and one that every
one should learn.
If the cinder does not appear under
the lid and cannot be found in the low
er lid. 1t is probably cbscured by being
in front of the very dark colored part
of the eye This is dangerous place
and a cinGer here should be removed
with the utmost pre- CAUTIONS and never
picked out as it often is by a dirty
penknife or a tooth Pick. This Is the
part of the eye that you look through
and an injury here is serious. 1t seems
almost superfuous to add that children
should never be given pointed scissors,
pencils or pens. No year passes when
we do not have to treat eyes that are
ruined from these causes. 1t also seems
as If people ought to value their chill
dren's eyes more than the temporary
pleasure of allowing them to celebrate
their independence July 4. by blow
hot ~
rifles and even bean blowers are fire.
auent causes of injury to the eyes. Fish
hooks are frequently found in eyes.
The great enemy Of eyes is infection,
by which I mean Inflammation caused
by bacteria. The eye is a very small
organ. The only part through which we
see is that minute hole, the pupil, so
that a very small injury is sufficient
to cause blindness. Now the sources Of
infection are innumerable. Bacteria
are everywhere around US and can be
rubbed in with the dust of the streets,
where very often some one carrying
germs in his throat or lungs has spit
and the spit is dried and blown in with
dust I am particularly emphatic about
this point because the bacteria caus-
ing pneumonia and tuberculosis cause
especially resistent aye diseases. An
attempt has been made in many places
to protect us against infection by for
bidding splitting in public places and
in the streets and by abolishing COM
mon towels. Another type of infection
OF which you have probably heard much
recently is that occurring in the eyes
OF newborn children. This though not
very common. is exceedingly serious
and is almost inexcusabIe because prop.
er treatment of the eyes at birth is an
almost perfect preventive. In spite of
all that has been said on the subject
and in spite of State laws concerning
the matter. some doctors are not as
careful about this matter as they ought
t. be. 1t is the duty Of parents to in
sist on proper treatment of their babies
at birth. Where this disease occurs. It
usually comes on in three or four DAVIS
and any reddening or secretion in the
eyes of a baby three or four days old
Should be examined to see whether this
dread disease is developing.
The three warning symptoms OF &C.
rious eye diseases are pain. by which
l mean a genuine ache. redness and
dread of light. They are characteristic
OF large number of eye troubles. When
they occur take care.
One of the chief dangers ~ ,c@,,,,