The Cordele dispatch., 1919-10-12


OF Education did the rest. Tc Rn-
reau OF Education made the survey.
1t was done by specialists. There was
Il specialist in rural education, and
a specialist in higher education, and
one in administration, and one in
nome economics, and one in agricul-
ture, and one in child health, and
so on-some twenty or more all to-
gether. Their report is published by
the Bureau of Education, Washington,
and can be had for the asking.
In that survey Chambers county was
selected for health studies. Ii you
were to take the states of Georgia and
Alabama and put them together,
Chambers county would be almost in
the middle. So that for all practical
purposes it represents Georgia about
as well as does Alabama. The find
ings in Chambers county ought to in
terest Georgians.
Studies were made in the schools
OF Chambers county of eyes, lids,
teeth, height, weight, nutrition, ad-
vancement and retardation. This is
Just to tell you about the eyes. The
rest will be saved for another story
for several other stories.
The best general eye test at our
disposal is known as the "Snellen"
test.
Ihe Snellen test consists Of chart
OF letters. The top row is of very
large letters. The next row is not
quite so large. The third row still
less large and then they get smaller
and smaller to the bottom.
And each row of letters is labelled,
showing how far away it can be read
by the normal eye The top row can
he read at distance of two hundred
leet, the next row one hundred then
eighty feet, fifty feet, twenty feet, and
ten feet.
To use the chart it is hung up ON
the wall, and the child placed back
twenty feet from it. One eye is test
ed at time, the other being covered
/ but not closed II he can read the let
tiers that should be read at twenty
feet, he has 20/20 vision in that eve.
or normal vision. But if he can only
read those that should be read at
forty feet, he has 20/40 or half Wis
ion, and so on.
! NOW here is what was found:
| One child in every four had 2O120
| vision in both eyes. Three out of
four children had less than 2U/20 Wis
ion in at least one eye!
But vision that is just a little
subnormal in one or both eyes may
not be serious. Say a vision of 1920
With no other signs Of eye-strain, would
not be taken seriously, but should be
kept under surveillance. About so out
of hundred children were just a
little below 20/20. In these cases
the teachers were advised to keep
on the lookout for evidences of eye
strain, and that was all. If eye strain
should develop in one of these chill
dren, he should see an oculist at once.
Then comes the serious group
those in which one or both eyes had
4 vision of 1920 or less. There were
| SlDOuI INClly OuL VI d HuuuIGu lldl
showed vision that defective.
In many cases it was only one eye
defective, while the other checked up
to 20/20. When one eye is all right
and the other little off this is what
happens: The good eye does most of
the work, while the other loiters on
the job. Now the eye that is not
working suffers from disuse, and ac-
tually gets worse and worse. Chill
dren even go blind in one eye with
out the parents ever discovering it.
Once in group of 100 children, the
writer found six that had practically
the vision in one eye through disuse.
sometimes when one eye falls into
disuse, it goes crossed. This will very
readily happen if the muscles that
hold it straight are little out of
balance. Did you ever hear of a doc
tor putting glasses on child to cor
rect cross-eyes? All he does is to
correct the error or refraetion and put
the eye to work, and it straightens it.
self out.)
In Chambers county, Alabama, it
was found that some three out of a
hundred children had almost lost the
vision of one eye through disuse. And
there is no reason to assume that
Chambers county, Alabama, is essen
TALLY different from Troup county,
Georgia. or any other county in Geor-
gia or Alabama, for that matter. The
essential difference is that Cham
bers county has found out about it,
and has taken steps to have it cor
rected. That is the difference note.
When you read this if it makes you
want to start something in your coun-
ty. just see your County Health Of
ficer and Superintendent of Schools
and the president of your Woman's
Club, and then one of you write to
the State Board of Health, Division
of Child Welfare, Atlanta, for infor-
nation and help in getting started.
If you really mean business speak up,
and you will get all the help you
are looking for, And not just for
ayes either, but for whatever ails
| =.