View report page

78
Spectacles were prescribed for the latter children, in 19
cases being supplied free from a voluntary fund.
Anisometropia is a condition in which the child has a
different defect of vision in either eye. Children with these
"odd-eyes" are difficult to treat, as if each eye is fully
corrected of its defect the spectacles may be discarded as
unsuitable because of the difficulty with which the child
learns to use both eyes for near and distant vision. Frequent
changes of spectacles are often required before the desired
result is obtained.
A number of cases were examined because of eye-strain
with symptoms of headache, watering of and pain in the
eyes with some defect of vision. Children with anisometropia
almost invariably suffer from this. Of the others—
(a) 1 boy and 11 girls with hypermetropia had eyestrain.
This is because the eye can compensate for a slight
hypermetropia by continued contraction of its muscle, and
therefore a "weak" pair of spectacles gives a benefit out
of all proportion to the apparent defect of vision.
(b) 1 child had myopia with eye-strain. This is because
of the nearness with which objects must be held and the
excessive convergence of the eyes required.
(c) In 1 boy and 7 girls there was no defect of vision.
Mental strain and general debility may cause eye-strain if
the eyes are much used for close work. This is fairly frequent
in girls towards puberty, and is treated by attention
to the general hygiene and cessation of all close work.
The importance of the examination of the eyes being
conducted by a medical man is enforced by the above facts,
but others may be added.
One child brought forward by the teacher for suspected
defective vision was found to have diphtheritic paralysis
following a "sore throat." In another a cataract was