THE EYE.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19719, 9 September 1929, Page 14

THE EYE.

♦ j CAUSE AND CORRECTION ; ' OF SQUINT. DK. O'BRIEN'S LECTURE. j i I UU:r and '.orrr 0 ' j fcquint" * was ti:e sobjett of an t { eating address given by t»r. A. B. j ! O'Brien o:i nigh*: under the j • | a-j-t :••••» of thf V/.F..A. ; j Mr G. Manuicg was i.i '.-.e tfta.ii. j 1 T"n!-ss t•• bad good eyesight. • ! ?!,e spt--:ik«-r. it *vas ex-; tr era fly rtfti.-ult to ootain employ- ; raent to <!a' - . T1 <■ '■ )le secret lay iu • observing a fluid's eyes from birth. It J ai.v •..»ft l.eeani. well established by j j six or sevt.-a \ fi ars it was practically j ( impossible to >■ jrv. In many cases | j reparable was done during Bcliut.Mav's. It was important to realise, however, that the*e eouditions easily rom'jdied if taken t-arly enough. '["].• e*;. •• itS'-'f consisted of two »et-i cf musch.-s ti.e intriusi-; and the cxtrimic. Of tlf latter, there were six to ea<"h eve. Three nerves moved these > ii-wlesi, but so complex was the process thftt it lotild readi'y be compared ■v-iith a pic.;>_' e.f the nifjst intricate ma - ; i hmery of modern invention. It re- j i(iiired only the lea«t disturbance to put j the whole mechanism out of order. _A i j srj'iint w.-.f brought aoo'it by the disi e.rder of the muscles whicli, in turn, was j brought about by the nerves. Stereoscopic vision, continued I»r. O'Brien, which was not present at birth, was very important. Here again the pro ess Mas complex. After about six weeks, however, a baby should be able to follow an object with both eyesFrom the nr.-* two months, it shoui_d ba*e true vision, as it took approximately that length of time for a baby really to establish itself. If, after six months it was not looking straight, it should receive immediate attention. A cataract might be the trouble which, if seen to early, would restore to the child the light of that eye. If, on the other hand, attention was delayed, good sight might be permanently lost. Another type of squint, the speaker went on, might bp caused by a cancerous growth, in which case it was sometimes necessary to remove the whole eye. If a child was affected in this way in both eyes, it would usually die. It wm really * malignant, nervous tumonr which, if not removed, would a painful death. Another type of squint was brought about, by tuberculosis in the eye. There were many cases, however, in which a sejuint was not absolutely truo, but only apparent. In the event of that, an operation was not aeeMsarily required. Binocular vision, added the speaker, was important. That was what our eyes were given to us for. Fish some animals, however, did not posses® it. By it, size, bulk, and distance were determined. To illustrate this, the doetor demonstrated a few simple teats. The reason why eyes crossed was because of an excessive amount of near vision. With a child, the doctor said, it was very noticeable how it got ita eyes right into a book to read. Nearly all babies were born with long sight. The eye was either normal or longsighted. If an eye became crossed ita vision became obscured and, as time went on it would get blinder and blinder. After seven years that blindness was permanent. The ordinary squint was usually because of defective vision, which could be treated. If an operation was necessary the profession, said Dr. O'Brien, liked to operate when a child was about 34 or 15, without chloroform; if younger it was more or less guesswork. Children, recommended the speaker, should be prevented from looking at ' objects too closely. For a baby, books with type from i to ■} inch high, were advisable, if one eye was weak it should be exercised. This could be done by putting a pad over the good eye for a few hours each day. If that did not act, it was sometimes necessary to put drops into the eye, which paralysed the muscles. The wearing of glasses, the speaker continued, made a good improvement In the sight. In the last 50 years, the demand on the eyes had increased enormously. To-day was essentially an eye age. Motor-cars, books, papers, pictures, und complicated machinery had all added to the call on people's eyes. It was useless for parents to say that they did not like glasses, said the doctor. If a child required glasses it should have them. Moreover, they often improved squints. Pot adults, an operation was recommended. By adjusting the muscles, it was able to obtain a nice straight eye which, in some cases, would make all the difference in getting employment or not. An ey« straight though blind was in this respect better than a erooked one. Nearly everyone, concluded the speaker, was born with good eyesight, and yet a great number lost it. Dr. O'Brien, after answering several ! questions, was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.