The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-10-16
The Growing Child
Ia series OF articles prepared es
pecia1ly for The Palladium. by the
United States Public Health
Service, Washington, D. CT
EYES AND LIGHTING.

needs TO be more carefully protected
than that Of sight. Throughout prac-
tcally all of our waking hours, the
eyes are on duty; contributing to our
enjoyment, acquiring knowledge, and
protecting us from pitfalls and danger
No wonder, with the constantly chang
ing focus for near and distant objects,
that he eye is subjected to consider
able strain. This is true under ideal
conditions OF lighting and visual
hygiene and is aggravated under the
conditions that only too frequently
exist.
1t has been estimated that at least
one-fourth of the population is more
or less handicapped by some defect of
the eyes. Among the school ppulation
from 10 to 500 need glasses. The
defects requiring this correction are
near sightedness (myopia), farsighted-
ness (hyperopia, astigmatism, and
sQuint.
Cause Of Nearsight.
The shape of the orbit, or bony
socket of the eye, is probably the chief
factor in the production of nearsight,
and an excessive amount of near work
in schools increases the tendency.
Therefore, though the schools cannot
be said to be the underlying cause OF
child's nearsightedness, bad school
hygiene will undoubtedly aggregate the
trouble already existing Anything
which causes a pupil to hold his book
too near the eyes, or to assume
STOPPING position while at work III
school, as too fine print, insufficient
light, or unsuitable desk or chair, may
result in the development of more
serious degree of nearsightedness. An
cause strain in even normal eye.
slight degree of far sight is norm
al in young children. and need cause
no special concern other than to avoid
overmuch near work Marked far
sightedness, however, is one Of the
most serious causes Of eye strain, and
if not corrected, may lead to very
harmful results.
Astigmatism is the effect Of irregu-
larity in the shape of the cornea (the
clear part of the eye ball) This pro-
duceS blurred vision because the child
can see better in one meridian than
the other. If the astigmatism is slight
the eye corrects the fault by using its
power Of accommodation, but this entails
strain. Hence, astigmatism ranks with
far sight as cause of eye strain
It is also one of the causes Of faulty
his head and twists his body till he
gets into the position where he can
see best.
Serious Defect.
Sauint, or cross-eye. is one of the
very serious defects Of the eye, the
importance Of which many parents fail
70 realize. Though they, Of course,
are troubled at its effect on the appear
ance Of their children. They do not
understand that unless the defect is
corrected early in life (by the sixth or
seventh Year, there is great danger
that the vision in the affected eye will
be greatly impaired if not lost al
together.
If treatment is begun early, even in
infancy if observed then. the eyes may
usually be Strengthened by glasses,
without an operation.
Any evidence of eye strain or defec-
tive vision should call for an examin-
alton by an occulist. Painful, Watering
or congested eyes, twitching or sore
lids SenSitiveness to light, frowning
pcciliar position of the head. difficulty
in seeing work on the board, holding
the book near the eyes, poor spelling
or reading blurred or double vision,
headache (common), fatigue, nervous
ness. dizziness, sleeplessness, irritibil-
ity and lack Of control are among the
symptoms of eye strain.
Conserve Vision.
Every effort should be made in both
home and school to conserve the
vision Of the child. The light should
come from the left and the rear. In
school rooms the windows should be
massed on the left side, towards the
rear, with none in the back of the
room because the teachers eyes
should not be subjected to the strain
Of looking towards. the light.
The window glass space of a school
room should be about one-fourth o.
the floor space, and all windows should
reach almost to the ceiling. Opaque
shades should be used only to exclude
direct sunlight. In addition to these,
light colored translucent shades should
be used The combination up-and-
down shade or the new style adjust
able roller should be substituted for
the old-fashioned shade.
The coloring of the room should be
such as to reflect the light without
oil eli, hn al