New-York tribune., 1922-02-15
Abatiing Blindness
Decrease in Proportion to Popula-
tion--Ccnsus Figures Low

tion--Ccnsus Figures Low
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR Great interest is being shown
all over the world in the figures of
the United States Bureau Of the Cen
sus of the Blind for 192O-52,617 blind
persons, as against 57,272 in 1910.
The National Committee for the Pre-
vention of Blindness is naturally keen
Il appreciative Of the comment of
the report which suggests that de-
crease in preventable blindness is in
dicated as a result of improvement in
medical knowledge and of the educa-
tion Of the public.
The committee is confident from its
experience and investigations that
blindness from preventable causes,
especially blindness from babies sore
eyes, has decreased perceptibly in
proportion to the increase in popula-
tion during the last decade. Indeed,
IT this were not SO the committee
would be deeply conscious that its
energies and the funds placed at it's
command had been misdirected.
1t cannot, however, accept the
figures Of the census as even approx
mating the actual number of the
blind. 1t has always contended that
the census figures Of 1910 were alto
gethcr too conservative
In the United States census of 1920
New York State is reported as hav-
ing blind population of 1905 per-
sons. The New York State Commits
sion for the Blind has nearly COM
pleted registration Of all tho blind
persons in the state. To date 1o,962
have been registered, with one county
still to be heard from. The commits
sion does not consider this figure
final, since vcrifcation Of every name
on the list by the field agent has not
yet been made. The commission has,
however, verified the lists for the
counties Of New York, Bronx, Kings,
Queens and Richmond Composing
greater New York;, and finds total
of $3.50 blind persons.
Thus in New York City alone there
are 1851 moro blind than shown by
the United States census for the en-
tire state. Judging from the verifi-
cations already made and allowing
for all possible discrepancies, such as
duplication Of names, erroneous list
ing Of one-eycd persons as blind, etc.,
the commission is confident that the
final lists will total we'll over 5000
blind persons in tho state-that is,
more than double the United States
censue figures. Should tho same pro-
portion hold in other states tho list
of the blind will more nearly approx
mate 10000 than 52,817.
In considering these figures sew
eral items must be taken into &C.
count; First, that the figures Of the
1910 census were evidently quite as
conservative as those Of 1920; hence,
though the actual number of blind
in the United States at the present
time does reach the lamentable total
Of 10000, this doubtless represents
not only an actual decrease in num-
Der, but an even greater decrease in
proportion to the increase in popula-
ton; second, that there was a great
increase in the number Of industrial
workers employed in hazardous oc.
cupstions in the decade. especially
during the war; third, that tho war
blind constitute = group the cause of
whose blindness is. we trust, confined
to the decade.
The united efforts Of national, state
and local safety organizations and Of
the National Committee for the Pro-
vention of Blindness, together with
the improved conditions under which
accident compensation is admins
tered, are tending to reduce eye acci-
dents In the industries. heretofore one