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76
(b) Defective Vision.—The report of the Ophthalmic
Surgeon, Dr. L. G. Scoular, is as follows:—
" Report on the Eyesight of School Children.
"During the past year 721 new cases were examined, 332
at Mattock Lane Centre, and 389 at Ravenor Park Centre. This
is an increase of 95 as compared with the number of new cases seen
in the previous year.
"There were 884 re-inspections, of which 433 were at Mattock
Lane and 451 at Ravenor Park Centre. Forty children had to be
seen a second time before making the final correction, so when
these are included it makes a total of 924, which is practically the
same as the corresponding number of re-inspections made the
year before.
"Whereas in 1936 more new cases were seen at Mattock Lane,
in 1937 the greater number were examined at Ravenor Park.
Correspondingly, there were more re-inspections at Ravenor Park
than at Mattock Lane. The explanation of this is no doubt the
increasing number of families who have gone to live in the Ravenor
Park district, and also the fact that children from this locality who
were formerly seen at Mattock Lane are now examined at the new
Centre.
"In all, 786 pairs of glasses were prescribed, which shows
an increase of 40 as compared with the number ordered in 1936.
"In the whole year only one child was found whose myopia
was sufficiently bad to warrant the diagnosis of progressive myopia,
and he was sent to a special school. The year before, 9 such cases
were found, but most of them had quite good vision and it was
only because their short-sight was developing too fast that they
were included in the list. This reduction in the number of progressive
myopes bears out the opinion which was expressed in last
year's report, namely, that there is not a sufficient number of highly
myopic children in the Borough to justify the provision of a special
sight saving class."