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 1933

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]

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80
both eyes, they should receive particular consideration and therefore
enquiry is made by the Medical Officer inspecting in such a case
whether there is any history of headaches, conjunctivitis, blepharitis
or styes and whether any member of the family suffers from myopia
or astigmatism. The existence of any of these would justify the
submission of the child for refraction, since it is better that a child
should be tested by refraction and found emmetropic than that it
should be left alone and possibly develop a serious defect later.

Table: " In the absence of such symptoms or history, the parent should be warned that the child's vision is, apparently, slightly defective, that, although this may be of no significance, there is a possibility of its becoming worse, and that, therefore, the parent should watch carefully for the occurrence of symptoms and should seek treatment if they arise."

" In the absence of such symptoms or history, the parent should be warned that the child's vision is, apparently, slightly defective, that, although this may be of no significance, there is a possibility of its becoming worse, and that, therefore, the parent should watch carefully for the occurrence of symptoms and should seek treatment if they arise."

School Children.New CasesOld Cases.
Hypermetropia98126
Hypermetropic Astigmatism6599
Myopia102128
Myopic Astigmatism4568
Mixed Astigmatism2327
Emmetropia ...3430
Total (School children)367478
Referred from Welfare Centres.
Hypermetropia165
Hypermetropic Astigmatism9—
Myopia7—
Myopic Astigmatism3—
Emmetropia2—
Total (all cases)404483