The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-04-25

Aniseikonia is a very rare and
peculiar disease of the eyes in
which the patient apparently loses
his ability to maintain normal BIZ
nocular vision. We have very little
knowledge Of how we manage TO
achieve binocular vision.
Conditions in Infancy
It is probable that a baby look
ing at a certain object sees two
objects and sees them upside down.
Somehow or other in the course Of
the first six months of life we are
able TO train our eyes so that we
reverse the image so that it is
right side up, we fuse the two i'm
ages so that we see only one and
we also see perspective. In other
words, we see the object in spatial
relation TO depth.
When these functions get dis
turbed they are often difficult, but
sometimes easy to correct. For in
stance, the external muscles may
become paralyzed which would
throw the eyes off-balance and
cause double vision. This can be
corrected by glasses, but the
trouble in aniseikonia is that the
individual sees two images of un-
equal size. For instance. looking
at a chair, he not only sees two
chairs, but one Of them is larger
than the other.
This obviously cannot be cor
rected with any simple form Of
glasses and oculists have been
studying it for Is or 20 years
without making a great deal Of
progress until recently. The credit
for the successful correction Of
aniseikonia belongs to DR.. Adel-
bert Ames, Jr. at the Dartmouth
Eye Institute in Hanover, New
Hampshire.
The individual with aniseikonia
is subject to a large number Of
other troubles with his eyes, He
is likely TO be sensitive TO light,
to have car and train sickness,
pain in his eyes, and naturally he
has excessive. nervousness and is
either unable TO read at all or un-
able to read over long periods.
A number Of physicians have
felt that large part of this con-
dition is due TO neurasthenia and
can be corrected by psychology.
They have not, however, had a
great deal Of success in treating
cases in this way.
II is unnecessary and it would
be confusing TO attempt to ex-
plain the methods which DR..
Ames and his associates and q
few other clinics in the United
States have used. Suffice it TO say
that he uses lenses Of considerable
completely: some Of them fit over
other lenses and some Of them are
lenses which are known as doublet
lenses-two lenses separated by
an air space. The most successful
lens used today is the so-called
laminated bitoric bifocal lens.
Advances Made
It is not 10 be expected that the
details Of these treatments will be
understood by the average reader
Of this article. My only purpose
in writing it is to tell those who
have been afflicted for some time
and who may have been discour-
aged that at the present time adj
vances have been made in the dag
nostic classification Of the disease
and that there is treatment by
lenses which will render them able
to have normal or nearly normal
vision.
The fact tAststhe lenses are q
good deal Of trouble and require
considerable care and are quite
expensive is Of no consequences to
the patient with aniseikonia be-
cause the disability is such as
practically TO disable him from
performing any Of the functions
Of life.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
H. H.:-"When is the best time
to give cod liver oil, before or
after meals?"
Answer: There is a general rule
that any medicine is absorbed
better on an empty stomach be-
fore meals than after and this ap-
plies TO this question.
A. F. DIN tuberculosis does
calcium calcify tissue? Would a
constant intake Of calcium help to
cause hardening Of the arteries!
Answer: The body gets calcium
In such large quantities under or.
binary circumstances that these
questions have no meaning. Cal
cifcation Of infamed areas is a
good thing for the tuberculosis pa
tent and Qualification Of the ar
teries does little, il any, harm, 80
IT doesn't make a great deal Of
difference.
the chaps disagreement with you
on EVERY subject on which he