London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Ealing 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]
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80
Report on the Eyesight of School Children.
The classification adopted is that used by the Committee of Inquiry into Problems connected with Defective Vision in School Children. No child, however, is included in two groups, cases of astigmatism with anisometropia being included only under the former head.
| New | Re- | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cases | Inspections | Total | |
| Myopia | 57 | 49 | 106 |
| Emmetropia | 30 | 5 | 35 |
| Hypermetropia | 124 | 66 | 190 |
| Myopic astigmatism | 9 | 7 | 16 |
| Hypermetropic astigmatism | 58 | 15 | 73 |
| Mixed astigmatism | 25 | 10 | 35 |
| Anisometropia | 18 | 10 | 28 |
| Other Conditions | 8 | — | 8 |
| 329 | 162 | 491 |
Included in this total of 491 are 58 children who were seen
for the first time towards the end of 1930, but whose
examination was not completed until 1931.
"In all, the examination of the children involved some 1,280
attendances. Spectacles to the number of 426 pairs were prescribed.
"Eight children were referred to hospital because of defects
unsuitable for treatment at the Health Centre.
"Method of detecting Visual Defects.—At present the method
used to detect visual defects in school children is a test of visual
acuity; children who read 6/6 or 6/9 are passed as normal, others
are referred for testing by refraction. In addition a certain number
of children are tested by refraction because of squint (42 during
1931) or because of such symptoms as migraine, blepharitis, conjunctivitis,
headache, etc. (36 during 1931).