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23
External Eye Disease.—The work with reference to external
eye disease has gone on satisfactorily during the year under review.
Looking after the children's eyes is one of the very well-worth
schemes you have in operation. Not only by your efficient service
do you reduce to a minimum the period the children are off school
but you do specially increase the general efficiency of their school
life.
Vision.—The treatment of defective vision is carried out
at the East Street Clinic. The pupils of the children's eyes are dilated,
and refraction is carried out. It is only when children's eyes are so
dilated that refraction can be carried out properly, and although
this does mean that for a few days the children themselves cannot
see so well as usual, and this interferes with their school work, it is
an interference no one yet has found a means of mitigating.
Ear Disease.—The most common ear disease with which we
have to deal is the ordinary discharge from the external ear. The
suitable medical treatment is carried out, but the time has come for
you to entertain the possibility of appointing a special aural
surgeon, who would attend in the first instance, say once a month.
He would inspect the ears of the children referred to him by
the medical officers and would himself carry out any necessary
emergency treatment and also indicate the line of treatment to be
adopted between his visits.
There is no doubt that a large amount of minor defects pass
unnoticed, which defects often represent all the difference between
what would be a bright boy and a boy rather below the average.
There are now special instruments for testing the acuity of
hearing, by which the acuity of hearing can be tested well-nigh as
accurately as the acuity of vision.
Dental Defects.—Dental defects are very adequately dealt with
at the Dental Clinic. The work at this Clinic is set forth in detail
in a report by Mr. Foy.