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205
During 1913 there were 4,037 births in Willesden, and thus
the estimated number of cases of Ophthalmia Neonatorum
which will fall to be dealt with per annum should approximate
48.
Inspection and Treatment.
Upon notification of a case it will be necessary to make
enquiries among other matters as to the facilities for treatment.
The importance of early treatment cannot be overrated,
and every effort should be made to secure it. The
earlier treatment is begun the less is the probability of total
or partial permanent blindness.
Treatment may be either (1) Domiciliary, (2) Institutional.
Domiciliary Treatment.
Domiciliary treatment will be sufficient for the majority
of cases of Ophthalmia Neonatorum, and consists in the
efficient cleansing of the eyes at frequent intervals.
This should be carried out by a trained nurse, under medical
supervision. As these cases are recovering, and as the
mother becomes able to take her child out, it would be possible
to deal with them at established clinics.
Institutional Treatment.
In some cases a virulent inflammation of the eyes occurs
soon after birth, and as the condition in these cases is
extremely acute, and the eyes require cleansing very frequently,
it is necessary to remove the child to hospital. In
such cases it is inadvisable to separate the mother from the
child, and provision requires to be made for the mother to
stay in hospital while the baby's eyes are under continuous
treatment.
It is probably correct to estimate that of the 48 cases
above it will be possible to deal with forty by domiciliary
measures and eight by institutional means.