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tions of glasses decreased by 30. This means that our standard of
routine inspection is very high, and that it is well nigh impossible
for a child with any visual defect to escape detection. Many of
those whom I have passed as not needing glasses have small errors
and may need correction later if symptoms persist, but I try to
avoid giving glasses for these minor errors. Symptoms seldom
survive the first use of atropine and the ritual of the dark-room.
The proportion of myopia to hypermetropia remains more or
less the same (nearly 1 to 3).
The publishing this year of the report of the Committee investigating
the education of partially sighted children is, I think,
going to change our treatment of the "high myope." I personally
hope this change will follow the lines of the Committee's recommendations—chiefly
in allowing much more reading in the curriculum.
The abandonment of the whole idea of the " myope
school " would, I am sure, be deplorable—at least, until a complete
statistical investigation has been made—because one's impression
of the small number of cases one sees is that nearly all do very well
from a visual point of view while they are at the "myope school."
There have been an extraordinary number of interesting and
unusual cases this year, as the following list will suggest:—
1 case of tubercular choroiditis.
2 cases of retinitis with disturbance of colour sense.
1 case of optic neuritis.
1 case of papilledema (unilateral).
1 case of retinitis proliferans.
1 case of retino-choroiditis (very atypical appearance).
2 cases of cataract—anterior capsular with unusual
features.
1 case of " hole in the disc " with optic atrophy.
3 cases of persistent hyaloid artery.
1 case of optic atrophy (bilateral).
1 case of sympathetic nerve paresis.
Most of these cases needed further investigation at the Western
Ophthalmic Hospital, some at Maida Vale Hospital for Nervous
Diseases, and one was shown at the Royal Society of Medicine.
I am indeed glad again to have this opportunity of thanking
the members of the medical and secretarial staff for their unfailing
kindness and most efficient help.
I am, Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
STEWART MACKY,
School Ophthalmic Surgeon.