ABOUT GLASS EYES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2292, 3 February 1898, Page 50

ABOUT GLASS EYES.

The duplication of the human eye in form, colour, motion, in everything except the sight itself, is, remarks the Philadelphia Times, one of the great triumphs of modern art. From all time men who have lost one of their organs of sight seem to have made some attempt to remedy the deformify. Efforts were even made to improve the appearance of the human C3rpse, as is shown by some of the Egyptian mummies. Among various peoples use has been made of gold, Lras3, and porcelain in the construction of artificial eyes, but until the early portion of the eighteenth century their wearers must have found them very unsatisfactory. About that period the French found that by a combination of glas3 and enamel the requisite lightness and finish could be secured. From that discovery the manufacture progressed gradually until it attained its present state of peifection. To day no one need be seen with eyelids sunken in and wearing that totally blank expression of countenance ■which is the inevitable accompaniment of an absent eje. The popular idea is that the artificial eye is in the fjrm of a sphere, and completely fills a cavity after the removal of the natural organ. In point of fact, the glass eye has about the same shape as a portion of an eggshell cat off very close to the smaller end. The sclerotic part, or the white of the glass eye, is one-fortieth of an inch thick, while the cornea, or the coloured portion, is one-twentieth of an inch thick. The USE OF TEE ENAMEL gives a perfectly smooth surface, under which are made, in exact reproduction of tha natural eye, the minnte veins Been covering the white portion. The cornea has a very slight elevation, and in colour can be made to match any orb. The edge of the glass is sometimes ground and used without any further finish. Ground edges are liable to' produce irritation. The best glass eyes are those which have delicately-enamelled eOges, presenting even under the microscope no roughness o£ surface in any part. The raoat favourable condition for the use of a glass eye is that In which the organ still remains in the socket, although tsbrunken and destroyed for all purposes of eight. In the majority of cases the oculist tries upon the patient first an eye smaller than the size required to mate with the sound eye. This is ,

especially necessary when tha parts are still tender. In a short time this may be removed and a larger substituted until the raqnirad sizs is arrived at. If there be a sufficient portion of the natural organ remaining, ifc is impossible to distinguish che glass eye from its mate. The remedying of a deformity is among the slightest of the advantages resulting from the use of the glass eye. If the organ be lost before tha patient is fully grown, an artificial one will prevent contraction of the eyelids. It obviates the discomfort and irritation producsd by the turning in of the lashes. It; guards against the entrancs of foreign bodies and prevents the accumulation ol tears in tha orbit. Great care is required by any one wearing

AN ARIIITICIAX 5.YJ3. It mu3t be removed frequently and cleansed thoroughly, and then dried with lint or soft cotton. If it is placed ia cald watßr ths change in temperature is very apt to crack and roughen the enamelled surface. After bsiDg worn some time, particularly if it be subjected to anything which approaches careless handling, ths fine gloss will dis.appcar. The eye is liable to injure the inner skin of the lids, and eifchsr a new one must be procured or, when possible, the old one repolished. Ths number of variations produced by colour, formation, and cause ot destruction to the eye ia co great that, even with thousands of glass eyes in stock, it is often necessary to manufacture one expressly to suit, a patient's needs. — Glasgow Weekly Htrald.