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9
External Eye Disease.
Out of 2,467 children examined at the routine inspections,
19 were found to have minor eye diseases including blepharitis and
conjunctivitis, whilst 6 had a squint.
In addition, 104 were found at the special clinics to suffer from
the minor eye diseases, whilst 4 had squint.
Vision.
Out of 2,467 children examined at the routine inspections,
181 were found to have defective vision. Of these 157 were referred
for treatment, 24 being kept under observation.
At the special clinics 74 children were referred for treatment
for defective vision.
It will be seen therefore that Routine Medical Inspection still
remains the way in which most of the visual defects are discovered.
Below are tables shewing an analysis of the findings at the
Routine Medical Inspection for this year as regards vision.
The total number examined for vision is not precisely the same
as the total number of children medically examined. In many
cases infants are unable to have their vision tested at their first
inspection—this is done at a subsequent re-inspection, but the
findings have not been included, as all the re-inspections have not
yet been made. The numbers in the accompanying tables therefore
refer to all children of 6, 8, 9, 12 and 13 years of age examined
at Medical Inspection in 1929, and in addition those of 11, 14,
15. and 16, who are at the Central School. The omission of the
5 year old children accounts for the smallness of the numbers in
the Infant Schools.
All testing is done with the standard Snellens Test type—
infants being tested with my modification of Snellens test type
using only the five vowels in the lower case type so that
the child is tested on the first letters it is familiar with exhibited
in the first type with which it is familiar. The conditions for
testing in the different schools are not strictly comparable—light
and distance varying, but the method is sufficient to detect errors
of vision requiring treatment or observation—and in actual fact
there is usually no important difference in the result of a test in