CHILDREN'S EYESIGHT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21935, 19 October 1934, Page 16

CHILDREN'S EYESIGHT

PREVALENCE OF WEAKNESS : n USE OF WHITE PAPER Permission hag been granted by the Taranaki Education Board for the architect, Mr. C. H. Moore, to brine before the executive of the New Zealand Teachers' Institute a suggestion that the use of white paper is largely responsible for the prevalence of eye weakness among the children of New Zealand schools. "This is a matter that I am very much concerned about," stated Mr. Moore in a report. "I have tu say that, notwithstanding the health authorities' i reluctance to admit that the cause of 1 the serious defect in the eyesight of so many children in caused by the reflection from the white paper in front- of their eyes so much t-o-day. I still contend it is the chief cause of the trouble. "I was in a classroom the other day—an ordinary departmental standard type of classroom—and the teacher informed me that there was a number of children with defective eyesight. Looking over the room I notified white paper on every desk, and each child concentrating on it. "This is what is happening more or less throughout all the schools. The defective eyesight is increasing as the children reach the secondary schools, . and yet nothing concrete is done about it. As the board is aware. I brought this matter up several years ago, and to-day I am more convinced than ever that inv contention ji right."