The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-09-17

DR.. Clcndening will answer
questions Of general interest
only, and then only through
his column.
birth certain eye conditions can be
prevented by treatment, as point
ed out by DR.. Lawrence I. Post,
of St. Louis. Others he thinks
should be prevented by restricting
marriages.
One Of these is high myopia. or
near-sightedness, an hereditary
defect due to the shape of the eye
ball. At least the marriage Of two
people Of extreme myopia should
be prevented. But when we re-
member that failure to do this is
responsible for the high incidence
OF this defect among the Germans
today and that the Germans are
supposed to be the most scientific
people on earth such a cause seems
quite hopeless.
Preventive Measures
Many eve diseases have become
practically nonresident on ac-
count of the enforcement Of pre-
ventive measures and public
health education. Thus 20 carry
the age period 10 Just after birth,
medical science has practically
eliminated "opthalmia neanato-
rum" the blindness of the new
born, in civilized countries. Where
as not so long ago there were blind
asylums crowded with these VIC
TINS, now the installation of a
weak solution Of silver nitrate into
the eyes of the child Immediately
after birth, to kill germs that
might have got in during the pas
sage down the birth canal, pre-
vents this condition 100 per cent.
In the young adult period of life
also prevention of industrial acct
dents to the eyes has been a great
sight saver-how great we hardly
can guess. Poor illumination too
has been shown to be responsible
for much eye fatigue and this has
been largely corrected.
Presby0pis
Coming to middle age there are
'ery few people who escape a visit
to the eye specialist, for "presby-
op'd,' the blurred vision that re-
suits from a hardening and lack
of elasticity Of the crystalline lens.
Perhaps the patient is depressed
by this event. This is the begin
ming of old age" he says. He Jokes
about it, but he isn't very happy.
DR.. Post thinks people at about
the age of 30 should be prepared
for the spectacle epoch, to soften
the jar when it comes. There are
plenty of good things about the
eyes after 80 and this epochal
even. Is relatively unimportant.
The modern man or woman
should think also about the bless
Ings that modern optics has given
them. Not so long ago the science
IF spectacle-making was still in its
journeyman stage and people from
so on put up With glasses that
gave them any old kind Of vision.
Bifocal Spectaeles
Benjamin Franklin among his
other practical blessings to hu-
manly invented bifocal spectacles
and that was not so long ago.
Samuel Pepys closed his diary
because he thought he was going
blind, when it was only that he
was nearing the age of 40; but in
ms day spectacies were few and
FAR between, and eye-glass fitting
1sd never been considered by
scientific men.
To summarize-for the health
Of the eyes everyone needs a doc
tors attention at the time of his
birth, and again between the ages
Of six and 10 when the demands
Of school bring out small ocular
defects, and then not again as a
routine measure unless some bad
luck comes along until the age
of 20.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
d. S.; Would it be harmful for
an expectant mother to have her
teeth extracted?
Answer: The expectant mother
should have her teeth examined
regularly. Perhaps it may be nee
essary to extract one or two. I
can't tell from your question
whether you mean all the teeth
extracted. | do not believe any
dentist would advise that