Year: 1878

An Art that IS Invaluable to the Unfortunate Man


Wao Has Lost an Eye


When q surgeon Is forced to the last
alternative Of taking out an eye, IL is
desirable that he should leave as much
of the ball "a possible. Makers of arti.
hcial eyes call this the stump; and II il
is large it moves the artificial eye back
and forth so naturally that the change Is
not perceptibls except TO a very close
observer whose attention has previously
been called to the misfortune of the
weareT.


When the patient frat goes TO the
maker Of artificial eyes, the latter care,
fully studies the cavity, the size and
shape OF the stump, and the size Of the
syelids measured on the inner surface.
These measurements differ greatly in
different persons, and are very irregular
in tho same person; 80 that in no case
can the porcelain be made symmetricslly
perfect. 4 sphere Of porcelain is never
used. The new eve il always hollow on
the inner side. The extent OF this con
cavity depends up.n the iEe OF the
stump, which the porcelain must hJ
accurately, but without hugging. There
Are no rules of measurement for making
a good TT, and for this reason s maker
of artificial eyes should be 81 artiat.


After the eyemaker has given attention
to the essentials spoken of above be next
studies the good eye of his patient. he
estimates the diameter OF the pupil in
ordinary light, and closely examines the
colors of the iris. These colors are never
"laid on by nature in precisely the
same way. Even in the case of two
persons whose eyes have precisely the
same shade Of color, the effect is pro
duced by diferent arrangements OF
natures greens. grays and blues. The
eyemaker closely examines these pecu>
liarities, and then ne is ready to 90 into
his workshop. His material is kind Of
porcelain.


Some eYemakers claim peculiar ex-
csllences for the material they use. #
clear annesled glass oould be used, sn
artificial eye might last for many years;
but il order to produce what they desire,
certain oxides must be used Tbese
oxides are attacked by the saline humors
Of the eye, and the surface becomes
rough. This makes It necessary to re-
place an artificial eye after it has been
worn about eighteen months The best
eyes under the most favorable circum-
stances cannot be worn mere than three
yesrs. The material of the eyemaker is
drawn for him at a glass manufacturer
into tubes about one inch and
half IN circumference. He re-
draws a tube uutii Is is al
little smaller than lead pencil. Next
he blows bulb at one end OF the aize OF
the sound eyeball in his patron, contriv-
ing 20 make it slightly oval to initiate
the natural curvature of the eye AT
the place where the iris and pupil are 20
be he dattens the little sphere and in the
centre of the fat surface be applies q
circular patch Of black pigment. This is
the pupil. Next follows q work OF grest
nioety. With indeEble celors taken from
g palette ne initiates on the Aattened
part of She sphere around the pupils the
iris which he has previously studied in
thS sound eye. This having been done,
a circular piece OF crystal glass, Sat on
one side and convex on the other, is laid
upon the pigments with its fat side
down. 1t Is firmly fastened In place by
fusing It's edge with the porcelain with
the aid of a blow-pipe. After this deli
cate operation the front OF the sphere
should exactly resemble the sound eye
which it Is TO match with the exception
of the small red veins in the eyeball.
These are initiated by drawing oHt red
glass 10 the necessary hneness, and
applying bits OF this glass thread. while
yet hot in vein-like shapes TO the cornes.
They are fused into it under the kame
of the blow-pipe. The work of initiating
the natural eye is complete.


Next the operator draws with a lead
pencil an irregular line on the porcelain
sphere enclosing the iris This marks OF
that part OF the front of the sphere
which is to constitute the artificial eye.
He afterward follows this line with the
hot point of piece of glass or iron, and
thus cracks off the part he wants. The
edges are then filed or Clipped off until
the eye viii accurately fit in the spaces
beneath the eyelids, according to the
measurements he has taken. After this
has been done the artificial eye is an
nealed by heating and allowing it to
ceol very slowly in q little box. Il an
alteration js to be made on fitting the
artificial eye into its place beneath the
lids, it is necessary, after using the file
and the blow-pipe, to anneal the por-
celain again. 1t is not necessary that
the artificial eye bs attached to the
stump further than to fit over it like q
cap with very slight pressure. This
has been found to be sufficient
TO give it free movement to
ard fro. If the porcelain is allowed
to become rough it causes what the eye
MAKER calls fungus growth. This is