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14
(d) Visual Defects and External Eye Disease.— Treatment
for the latter is given at the School Clinics (see Table IV, Group
I at end of Report).
The medical treatment facilities provided by your Authority
for defects of vision, etc., consist of (1) a Myope School staffed
on the medical side by your part-time consultant Ophthalmic
Surgeon, Mr. H. J. Taggart, F.R.C.S., and Dr. Sheppard; and
(2) three weekly Refraction Clinics under the care of Dr.
Sheppard, who refers special or difficult cases to Mr. Taggart's
Consultant Clinics, and which she attends, so maintaining a close
liaison. Mr. Taggart's report will be found under Section 17 of
the Report.
All defects of vision are referred to the Eye Clinics by other
medical officers and are, if necessary, followed up for the
remainder of the child's school life. Dr. Sheppard has kindly
contributed the following account of the work done during 1933:—
"The work of the Eye Clinic has shown no variation during the
past year. The number of new cases of defective vision found at
Routine Medical Inspection is slightly below that of last year.
"There were 2,858 children seen at the Clinic for routine
examinations. We try to see each child wearing glasses at six
monthly intervals as we find that fairly frequent inspection sustains
the parents' interest. There is a certain type of parent
which allows itself to be persuaded by a child reluctant to wear
glasses, that he or she can see better without, and these frequent
inspections enable us to keep a watch on these children.
"The new cases seen do not represent all the children
examined under Atropine, as in addition 197 were thus examined,
making in all 554 retinoscopies.