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82
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL OCULIST.
During the year, 352 children were referred to the Ophthulmic
Clinic for examination, 235 were provided with glasses, 6 obtained
treatment privately, 41 refused treatment, and 70 did not required
glasses. 16 children attended for treatment of external eye conditions.
The Welfare Centres referred 22 children and 2 mothers
Of these, 10 children and 1 mother were supplied with glasses at
refused treatment or left the district, 8 children and 1 mother did
_ not require glasses, and 1 child attended for an external eye
complaint.
Out of 17 boys referred from the County and Junior
Technical Schools, 12 obtained glasses, 1 was treated privately, I
refused treatment, and 3 did not require glasses. One boy, refined
for defective colour vision, was sent up to the Royal Westminster
Ophthalmic Hospital for a full investigation.
Work in the Clinic has proceeded smoothly during the past
twelve months, and there is no event of special interest to report
The clinic is not equipped for the full investigation of colour defects
and it is not considered that the outlay for the necessary apparators
would be justified. Cases requiring such an investigation are very
rare.
The general standard of ocular health remains high, and in
refreshing contrast to the conditions met with in, for example, a
large children's hospital. This comparison is not, perhaps, strictly
fair, since the graver conditions naturally gravitate to the hospitals.
nevertheless the number of cases which cannot be adequately treated
at the clinic are few and far between.
A regular following-up of children for whom glasses have
been prescribed is carried out, with the twofold object of keeping
a check on the visual acuity and enabling the optician to maingon
the frames in proper adjustment, a point of great importance.
children constantly grow and the wear and tear imposed in the
frames is of a very high order.