The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-03-15
Defective Eyesight
 Handicaps Students
Three Million in This Country Afected-Farsighted=
 ness Most Common Visual Among Americans

"To the nearsighted child, ob- jects beyond q certain distance ap- pear to be indistinct or hay III outline, and if the child is very nearsighted he may even pass his playmates on the street without recognizing them. If the book is too large or too heavy to hold up to his face, he brings his head nearer to the page. Such po- sition is not only harmful to the eye and fatiguing to it's muscles, but is also fatiguing to the mus cles of the neck and shoulders. The near-sighted child has a ten dency to go off by himself to read, not because he is unSociable, but because he can sec to read, while he cannot see to play ball. He may succeed very well in academi. work and have the reputation of being a good student, but he may be doing this at the expense of his physical and emotional well-be- ing"
 InfcriOrity Developed
 Calling attention to the fact that children with cross-eyes often be- come extremely sensitive and self conscious because of the jibes of playmates and the thoughtless re- marks of adults, the report says: The sense of inferiority so often developed in children with squin: may breed undesirable personality traits and unhealthful mental at- titudes toward life. It cannot be over-stressed that the most satis- factory results are obtained when the child with squint-no matter how young-is placed under the care of an ophthalmo ologist as soon as the defect is recognized"
 In its concluding chapter, the report urges particularly that tho schools provision for eye health should include medical supervision and special educational facilities for children with such serious eye difficulties that after everything possible has been done for then, they either cannot see we'll enough 10 profit by the usual school euuip- ment or may be harmed by so do- ing" The report continues: Prob. ably one in 800 of the school population comes under this cIassi iication. This group has been des ignated as partially seeing Th.v carry on their close eye work in ght-saving classes under the dl-. rection of specially trained teach. CTS, but join their normally seeing companions in those school activ- lties that do not require close eye work.
 Tn addition to having optimum lighting and seating conditions, these children with seriously de- fectiye vision should be freed from the strain entailed by much writ ing In longhand. As early as pos s1ple they should be taught tn. touch system of typewriting, and 1t Is obvious that the typewriter should be equipped with large. type. It is important that the partially seeing child learn to gather Information through h;s sense of hearing, and that he read only books printed in type that will cause no eye fatigue"
 | At the present time, 6,00O chil- | dren are enrolled in the 45S sight. saving classes maintained by 145 communities, where the special educational facilities and teaching methods used are similar to those described in the report. Addition al Classes are needed, however. Cor about 44,000 othter children. ac- cording to the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness.