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17
One hundred and ninety-nine children were found to have
defective vision being 12.3 per cent, of the total examined during
routine. Forty-nine children were already wearing glasses. Several
cases of suspected defective vision were also examined specially at
the inspection clinic and treatment recommended.
Seventy-five cases were examined by the Committee's
Opthalmic Surgeon, Mr. Blair, while in addition 40 received
treatment at Hospitals or privately.
In all, therefore, 115 children received treatment, for defective
vision, fifteen of this total being re-examinations of children for
whom glasses had been previously prescribed.
Considerable effort has been made to follow up those children
who are supposed to be wearing glasses. Spectacles are unfortunately
very fragile and the excuse that glasses do not fit or are
broken, is too tempting to be neglected as a reason for not wearing
glasses which have been prescribed after considerable trouble, and
the value of which is not apprciated.
Deafness and Otorrhcea.
The best test for defective hearing which can be satisfactorily
carried out in a elementary school has yet to be determined. That
suggested by the Chief Medical Officer for the Board of Education
is the whisper at varying distances up to 20 feet, but with the
noises that usually surround the Medical Inspector at work in
the schools, the results of this test are very very liable to be
erroneous. This appears to be the common experience among
those engaged in the work, and our practice has been to accept the
normal conversational voice at ordinary distances as evidence of
satisfactory hearing, reserving those cases which are unable to hear
the ordinary voice and all cases of otorrhaea for subsequent exainition
at the Clinic.