Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-11-29
BLINDNESS OF BABIES.

One half of all the blindness is pre-
Sentable. One-tenth of all the prevent
able blindness is due to babies sor
eyes. Stephenson describes babies sore
eyes as IAN inflamlnatory disease Of the
conJunctiva usually appearing within
the first few days of life and generally
due to micrO-organisimS."
THESE terms ma be too technical.
Let us state it again in simpler lam
guage. Within two days after the birth
OF the baby some matter is noticed in
the corner of the eyes. Within an hour
or two it will be noticed that the eyes
are red and yellow pus is ooZing from
between the lids. A little later the eye
lids are noticed to be puffed. If a little
of this pus he placed under a micro
scope it will be seen that the suppura-
ton is u to puS germs.
II more frequent puS germs causing
babies sore eye are g~onococci, chain
cocci. and pneumonia cocci.
Babies sore eyes is p%reVentahle, is
contagious, is durable ii treatment is
started early. If treatment is delayed
a single day it may be found that the
sight is gone, since the disease runs a
very rapid II violent course.
Some mothers think that babies sore
eyes are due to the light OF to cold.
Some even think that ii is due to the
conlure put on the baby by some evil
person. The first group OF mothers
auSh<at n ignorance and superstition
OF the second group, but without Justice
since their opinion is no nearer the
truth than that of those at whom they
laugh.
Babies sore eyes are an infection and
are due to pus cocci getting into the eye
during birth. at the time of birth. or
soon after. Thirty-siN years ago a Ger
man hospital surgeon, by name Crede,
noted that one-tenth of the babies born
i'm his hospital developed babies sore
eyes. He commenced the policy of drop
ping a 2 per cent solution of nitrate of
silver into the eyes of each baby as
soon as 1t had had it's bath. In six years
the babies sore eyes rate in his hos
pital dropped from one i'm 3 to one in
400.
The result of this experiment was a
new policy i'm caring for the eyes of a
newly born babe. Immediately after
birth the baby is given his oath and
his eyes are treated. Each eye is wiped
with a piece of absorbant cotton dipped
In n saturated solution of boric acid
(bolled water will do as we'll as boric
acid solution). A separate pledget of
cotton is used for each eye. The cot
ton is not put back into the solution
after ouchl the eye. Next the eye
lids are gently separated with the fin
gers and one drop or two drops of 1
per cent solution of nitrate of silver is
dropped into each ye. This is done
only once. 1t Is done not to cure sore
eyes but to prevent eyes from becoming
sore.
III the eyes begin to suppurate the
doctor must be sent for without delay.
h sight cannot be saved unless treat
ment is begun at once.
Essentially the above facts are taken
ffrom an illustrated pamphlet on SAY
ing the Sight of Babies" issued by the
national committee for the prevention
of blindness. This committee, located
at 100 East Twenty-second street, New
York, has issued a series of six pam
phlets on ~preventable blindness. They
sending a stamped addressed envelope
The pamphlets can be bought for a
few cents each.