View report page

During the first half of the year the work in the Orthoptic clinic was subject to
changes as Miss Bowen left her full-time post to get married, but carried on part-time and
later the services of a second part-time person were also obtained, but in July 1953, Miss
Pinson was appointed and commenced duties as full-time orthoptist.
The total attendances in the orthoptic department for the year were 2,694. The figure
for the actual number of children attending is not able to be given but is approximately 430.
The number of new cases seen during the year was 171 and number of discharges 94.
Children attending the orthoptic clinic are also seen periodically in the main eye
clinic and 2,102 of the attendances in this clinic were for reinspection of cases of strabismus.
89 children were operated on at Whipps Cross Hospital, 86 were for squints and 16 of
these were under school age. Some of these children required more than one operation, or
else it was advisable to carry out the operative treatment in two stages, so 99 squint operations
were performed on these children during the year.
DEFECTIVE COLOUR VISION. The Ishihara Test, which is widely used for the detection
of the various forms of colour defect, has been used In the School Health Service for many
years, but only in the case of children attending grammar and other higher schools, for boys
who have entered for Sea Training Scholarships, and for those children who propose entering
services where correct colour discrimination is necessary. Defective colour vision is of
fairly frequent occurrence in males - about one in every 20 being affected, but is much less
common among girls. It is such a severe handicap in certain occupations that it is clearly
in the child's interests that it should be discovered before his career is decided.
At the examinations held at the grammar and technical schools the following results
were obtained:-
Number Examined Defective Percentage
Defective
Boys 642 28 4.36
Girls 644 2 0.31