Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1924-07-10
EYE EXAMINATION

Last week we gave you letter
describing some of the facts con-
corning the Importance of the retin-
oscope as an instrument for exam
lining eyes.
You probably will be told that it
is of very little value. We have
heard this said by many who claim
to examine eyes. To each one who
tells us this, we reply that If you do
not use the retinoscope fully and are
efficient with it, you do not examine
eyes. If we did not have retino-
scope we would be doing something
else than selling spex, for the retin-
/ oscope or full paralysis of atropine
/ (Which requires couple of days to
/ give) must be used or you only get
just spectacles. Not one pair in a
! dozen can be sure to be at all cor
rect without the use of one or the
other of these, in people under mid
die age.
A year ago we gave you some find
ings on some of our patients who
had previously been given glasses by
medical doctor with twenty years
experience in glass fitting, and was
as good as any one, except that he
failed to use atropine and could not
| use the retinoscope with any eff
! cheney. Yes, you said we were Just
knocking a competitor. Well we
care little about what people say of
us. We will repeat one Of the half
dozen cases we gave you at that
time, just to show you what the re-
tinoscope will tell that no other
thing will except atropine. A ten
year old child, then living near
Neelyville, came with her parents
for eye examination. She was
| wearing plus one-half diopter
glasses. The parents told us that
the doctor gave them a year before,
telling them that not much could be
done for her eyes. Yes, she had
very poor vision and glasses would
not improve it. We began with the
ophthalmoscope to examine for
pathological conditions and found
nothing serious. Then we grabbed
for the dear old retinoscope and in
! less than ten minutes with dynamic
| rpfInACnnnU
! five diopters of the contrary kind of
muscle cramp in each eye. There
was shown also some astigmatism,
but as the ophthalmometer showed
no corneal astigmatism, we knew it
was lenticular, caused by ciliary
| cramp. We gave the child these ex-
tremely strong glasses. She could
scarcely see to get around at first.
We asked them to call again in a
month. They did not come. We
wrote them to please call. They did
not reply. We supposed the child
had not tried to wear them and had
gone back to the old glasses. Nearly
year had passed when this family
came in again, this time at Beverly,
stating they had moved there. They
said they had received our letter to
call but were afraid we would spoil
the glasses if we changed them; that
they were good enough. We made
small change stronger. She now
has practically normal vision. We
could give hundreds of cases similar
to the above. except not quite SO ex-
tremely serious, where only the re-
tinoscope revealed the positive con-
dltlon. This doctor can fit glasses
by the ordinary method as good as
anyone but unless one uses atropine
or is highly efficient with the retin-
oscope, there is left a GREAT BIG
GUESS in every case under middle
age. The practice is growing in
some localities of just fitting for
vision, which seldom fits eyes. Just
throwing~light in an eye and placing
lenses until shadow is neutral,
amounts to little in retinoscopy. He
must study the eye actions in every
different degree of tension, then
know the meaning of what he sees,
which requires as much practice and
study as the study of faces to be o
good railroad conductor or de-
! tective, for each eye will be as diff
ferent as faces are different.
If we do not know wool from cot
ton we may some time pay too
much for cotton. If you do not have
fair understanding of what con-
stitutes a thorough eye examination
routine, you some time may fall
hard for just meaningless gestures.
1t was by educating their patients,
that put dentistry at the top of the
professions, for clean, honest SER
vice.
The opical profession needs much
time spent at the laundry.
G.. F. STEBBINS. Optometrist.