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77
SPECIAL CLINICS
Ophthalmic Clinic.
During the year 1946, the School Oculist held 196 sessions for the
refraction of children suffering from defective vision (117 at Valentines and
79 at Mayesbrook). Full details of the work are given in Table II, Group II,
on page 90.
2,206 attendances (1,363 at Valentines Clinic, 843 at Mayesbrook
Clinic) were made by 1,416 schoolchildren (873 at Valentines Clinic, 543
at Mayesbrook Clinic), as compared with 916 schoolchildren in 1945.
Of the 1,416 cases, 408 were referred from medical inspections, 257
were referred from the School Clinic, 643 were "under observation" cases
re-examined, 83 were re-examined at parents' requests, and 25 were referred
from other sources.
The 1,416 children were not all suffering from grave defects of vision.
The following table shows the vision in the worst eye, as tested by Snellen's
Type:—
6/6 6/9 6/12 6/18 6/24 6/36 4/60 less than 6/60
380 275 210 197 134 110 101 9
The children who saw 6/6 (praotically normal vision) were suffering from
symptoms such as headaches, inflamed eyelids, etc., whioh rendered further
examination necessary.
Of the 1,416 children examined, 734 were found to require spectacles,
438 being children who had previously had spectacles and 296 (new cases)
by reason of the following defects:—
Myopia 49
Myopic Astigmatism 46
Hypermetropia 36
Hypermetropic Astigmatism 62
Mixed Astigmatism 30
Hypermetropia with Squint 28
Squint 45
Total 296
Of the remaining 682 children,
(i) 24 were suffering from the following other diseases, and spectacles
were not prescribed:—
Blepharitis 15
Chalazion 4
Congenital Cataract 1
Congenital Coloboma 2
Corneal Nebulae 1
Retinal Detachment 1
Total 24
(ii) 241 children were found not to require spectacles, having no refractive
error requiring correction.
(iii) 360 children were wearing spectacles already and the lenses in use
did not require changing.
(iv) 57 children were also seen but treatment was not completed owing
to the following causes:—
Moved out of District 3
Parents objected to treatment or received treatment
elsewhere 5
Atropine given for examination early 1947 10
Waiting Appointment 39
Total 57