The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-01-10
FOR PREVENTION
OF BLINDNESS
Wonderful Progress Made by the
National Committee in That
Direction.
WORK IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Conservation of Vision Glasses Crow
ing in Number as Educators Dis
cover 1t Is Practicable to Open
Glasses in Small Cities.

Glasses in Small Cities.
New York.-More than 1000 sup
porters of the work of the National
Committee for the Prevention of
Blindness were reported at the sixth
annual meeting in this city. This re-
port shows remarkable increase
from the 65 charter members in 1915.
The work for the last year showed
much progress for the conservation
of vision in the public schools and col
leges
The report continues:
Conservation of vision classes In
the public schools are growing In
number as educators have discovered,
through the efforts of our committee,
that 1t is practicable to open such
classes even in cities smaller than
the largest. The present census of
such classes is 81, of which IL have
been established within the last year.
So far as known, the classes which
now support such classes include Illi-
nois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mime
sofa, New York Ohio, Pennsylvania
and Washington. There Is no more
hopeful part Of our work than this
and we are proud to have contributed
a considerable part to the establish
ment of these classes.
Blindness In Children.
"The chief cause of blindness
among children is due to ophthalmia
noeonatorum. The percentage this
year is 22.5 per cent as compared
with 15.7 per cent for last year of
those who have newly entered the
residential schools. This disease is
an inflammation Of the eye usually |
contracted by newly born children. |
The percentage is even higher in the
greet this unfortunate relapse This is
the first year but one that has not
shown a considerable decrease, but we
are quite sure that our figures are
more accurate than in the years gone
by, and possibly some of this increase
is due to the greater accuracy Of our
reports. We must faithfully and rer-
sistently pursue our fight against
babies sore eyes and continue to re-
luce the number of children who need
lot have been blind
"Trachomas victims Cone of the
most dreaded of contagious eye dis
,ases) have been discovered in sew
raj states where it was not suspect
ID this scOurge could be prevalent.
Sot less than nine states have during
his year initiated or renewed their
ght against the spread Of trachoma
n Illinois, particularly, there has
cen marshaling of the forces for
operation in the stamp
az out of this disease. In all cases
has been the function Of this COM
littee to serve as a helpful agency in F
lis work. II
Caused by Wood Alcohol. '
Wood alcohol poisoning still causes 9
uch blindness through drinking this n
distance masquerading as familiar S
This condition was not I
lrprise to us, and we had issued a T
arning which was used throughout Il
e United States. Much activity re- Y
llted because of the newspaper ac- L
'unts of the dreadful situation, and |
work has been done by
EN- toward eliminating this cause OF
,edless blindness n
H. r. j. Porter Of the Society for
ectrical Development delivered the
nual address. The subject of Mr..
'rter's address was Through Life's
1ndOws." He showed the great de- or
ndence of man on healthy and we'll III
red for eyes, which he compared to III
pair of motion picture cameras "In- Il
ed, the motion picture camera is E.
lde in imitation of the eye," he con- ~
ued. 'The better the condition of ha
: lens and the better the illumina- so
n of the object the better the re- re-
t Of the photographers effort. Just
with the more perfect instrument, DIR
} eye, and 1t behooves every one to tu
that his eyes are kept In good con- ~
ion and free from eyestrain due to e. e.
proper lighting. AS 1t takes a long J DO
time to take good picture in poor sv,
1t than in good light, SO 1t takes it
ger to obtain good conception Of en-
at is before us with poor eyesight on,
in poor light. Employers are wise me
0 provide against accidents from bu
II lighting"