Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-11-02
THAT EYESTRAIN
By H. Addington Bruce

xvOU tell me that, some little time ago, an
I ocu1iSt prescribed SpectacleS for you as a
means of relieving an eyeStrain supposed
to be responsible for headaches and other dis
comforts from which you suffered. These
SpectacleS, you say, did seem to give you re-
lief for while. But your head is aching
again.
Consequently, you fear that the diagnosis of
eyeStrain as a cause of your symptoms was
entirely wrong. Or else that the eye strain was
merely contrbutory factor in the develop
ment of ills chiefly brought about by some
other cause.
Both of these possibilities should no doubt
be taken into account. If you have not al
ready done so, it would be we'll to have ar
X-ray examination made of your teeth and
sinuseS. Also have your tonSS carefully ex-
amined Focal infection in teeth. SinuseS, OF
| tonSilS is known to produce symptoms such as
yours.
1t may be, however, that the eyStrain dag
noSs was correct enough, but that either the
oculist made a mistake in prescribing the par
ticular SpectacleS he did, or the optican made
mistake when filling the oculiSt'S' prescription
The best oculiSt in the world and the best
optican are liable to err once in while. Give
the oculiSt another chance to examine your eyes,
and ask the optician to make sure the Specta-
Giles are what was called for.
Further-and not the least unlikely of all pos
Sbities-the continuance of your ailments
NV "
wrong prescription, not to faulty workman
ship BY the optcian, but to your own neg-
gence in the use and care of your SpectacleS.
Perhaps, in fact, though the oculiSt prescribed
spectacles for you, you ordered eyeglasses from
the optician. In many cases eyeglasses, owing
to the difficulty of wearing them properly, have
been known to increase rather than lessen eye
strain.
Or it may be that you are not wearing the
spectacleS as regularly as you should. Nurer-
Gus people, from vanity or some other motive,
try to dispense with spectacles as much as pos
sible even though told to wear them all day
and in the evenings.
If you are one of these people, you need
hardly be surprised at the return and persistence
of eyeStranS symptoms. The same applies II
you are among the many who neglect to keep
the lenses of their Spectacles clean.
Second only to uncorrected or incorrectly
corrected metropia dirty lenses are the great
est cause of eyeStrain," warns that eminent Spe-
cialist, Dr. George M. Gould at is a good plan
to give the patient label or tag to paste on
his mirror with the Injunction, Clean my spec
tacle lenses now, and six times every day"
And lastly, it may be that your eyes have
changed so markedly since the spectacles were
first prescribed that you now need different
Spectacles. Some people, having long suffered
from eyestrain, have to change spectacles fre-
quently before lasting relief is obtained.
So you see it will not do to jump to the
conclusion that your symptoms are not due to
eyestran at all. To be the safe side, let
both your physician and your oculist see you
again But take also the little personal precau-
lions | have indicated, in order to give your
spectacles a really fair chance to help YOU
copyright, 1920 by the Associated Newspapers