New Britain herald., 1924-09-19
FACTORY WORK IS
 DANGEROUS ID EYE
Many Accidents Of This Nature
 Reported During Year

New York. Sept 19,-The sight of at least 4,456 men. women and children In the United States has been destroyed or seriously impair ed by accidents during the past F months, according to a report issued by the National Committee for the Prevention Of Blindness, of this city.
 A year ago the committee began an investigator 10 discover the nature, causes and relative import ance of the accidents which each year add several thousands to the blind population Of the country, and the report made public today is an analysis of the first years findings in this investigation.
 The outstanding facts Of the re- port are that S5 percent of the vic tims of eye accidents are men and boys, only GOA out of the 4,456 vic- tins being women and girls; that in- dustrial accidents constitute the most serious single group of acci- dents resulting in eye injuries; that almost 25 percent of the victims of eye accidents are children, 1,05S boys and girls having been so in- jured during the last 12 months; that next to children's play accident. automobile accidents are the most serious non-industrial sources of eye injuries, the eyes of 3Sl persons hay ing been injured in motor vehicle accidents, principally through the breaking of windShields, during the past year, and that explosives and firearms were responsible for in- juries to the eyes of POP persons.
 The committee received reports of 100 persons whose eyes were pierced by metal shot from air rifles; 99 eye accidents were due to the use of chemicals outside of industry; 96 occurred during the chopping of fire wood; S9 were hunting accidents, and S4 persons may lose their sight or have already been blinded as the result of brawls during the past year.
 Baseball accidents brought serious injuries to 65 persons; the drinking of wood alcohol destroyed or imp paired the sight of 35 persons; S1 women burned their eyes with hot curling irons while standing before mirrors because of their failure to i1, raj cF the mirror the movements of the hand are reversed.
 Boys with sling shots injured the eyes of 27 persons. Bow and arrow accidents may lead to the blindness of A persons. Golf ball accidents destroyed or endangered the sight of 17 persons.
 New York State reported eos cases; Pennsylvania 47S cases, and Illinois 379 cases. The committee points out, however, that this is not unusual because these states rank first, second and third respectively in point of population. Indiana, though ranking eleventh in popula- ton, is fourth among the states in number of serious eye injuries re- ported; Iowa, which is sixteenth in point of population, ranked seventh; Nebraska, though thirty-frstt in po- pulation, ranked tenth; and Wash ington, thirtieth in point of popnla- tion, ranked fifteenth, On the other hand, Texas, though fifth in popula- tion, stood fourteenth in number of serious eye injuries; Massachusetts, sixth in population, was thirteenth in the severity of its eye accidents; and Michigan, seventh in popula- tion, was sixteenth in the list of eye injuries.
 In most other states the number of eye accidents followed closely the population of the state.