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OPHTHALMOLOGY.
Dr. Helena Bridget Casey, M.B., B.Ch., D.O.M.S., Ophthalmologist, reports on
the work of the ophthalmic clinics:—
The ophthalmic school clinics of the Borough have been running very satisfactorily.
They have been well attended and I think the service has been appreciated.
The telebinocular is functioning very well for the examination of the children
especially in the first years of school. Not alone does it ascertain the visual defects,
but it can be operated by ancillary staff.
Visual defects in these children are mostly refractive errors, with a bias towards
anisometropic refractive errors. It is this unequal refraction which causes the amblyopic
ex anopsia or "lazy eye". With the co-operation of parents, most of these errors
can be corrected either with glasses, or glasses plus orthoptics, thus enabling the child
to function better with his (or her) education and general progress.
Once these children are diagnosed they are followed up and supervised satisfactorily
for the rest of their school lives.
Other children, however, face the problem of axial myopia between the ages of
eleven and sixteen years. Frequently parents and teachers are unaware of these visual
changes which are occurring.
There is now a general awareness in the Borough of the necessity of early treatment
for strabismus. The response of the medical officers and the health visitors is
excellent. The early treatment of squint, cannot be over-emphasized. Even the
suspicion that a squint might be present should be considered an adequate reason for
referring the child for advice. Some parents now offer their other children for
examination once one member has been diagnosed to have a squint.
Lastly, some senior pupils have been planning careers without the necessary visual
requirements. If in doubt of the standard requirements for certain occupations they
should be advised to consult at the clinics.