You Can Have Only One Pair of Eyes

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 59, Issue 3, 15 September 1939, Page 274

You Can Have Only One Pair of Eyes

THEREFORE—

Guard Them Well

THE mind would remain a blank J, except for the sensory experience, which is built from the impulses which come through the 1 five special senses sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Of the five senses the average person places the highest value on sight, and loss of sight strikes him as the worst physical- misfortune which can befall him. It is a great loss to be denied the sight of “shades ,of beauty, the sun, the moon, trees old and young.” Scientists, artists, and craftsmen have become eminent by the use of the eye, and by the training; of the faculty of observation. ■ ’ The education' of the individual is largely accomplished through visual imagery, that is, through the everchanging pictures of the world about us upon the retina, that sensitive screen at the back of the eyeball. Indeed, the effectiveness , of spoken language rests largely upon its appeal to the visual memory. One need only observe the handicap of blindness upon the activities and education of the blind to appreciate the importance of sight. Like a Camera Space does not permit of a detailed description 'of the anatomy of the eye or of the complicated process of vision and the. fundamental principles in-

volved other . than' to contrast the eye to a photographic camera. The way in which the image of, say, an object, is focussed through the lens situated in .the blue, or brown part of the eye is somewhat similar to the way in which'the image is focussed by the lens of a camera. . Instead of the film which is placed in the . camera, Nature has supplied a film called the retina at the back of . the. eyeball which receives impressions of objects. We do not need to go into a dark room to develop these impressions into pictures, because they are now really a part of us. Although the eye and the camera closely correspond in general structure, yet there is, of course, a material distinction between them. The eye sees, but the camera merely receives and records one definite impression. The eye not only receives a series of impressions of all that goes on in the field of vision,'but it telegraphs them to the brain in the form of a continuous stream of visual information by means of the optic nerve which is connected with the brain. The. eye is not a lifeless optical organ, but a delicate organ in intimate. . contact with the brain and nervous ' system. .. We will now consider some common defects and troubles ■ of the. eye, . particularly in children..' \ : ‘ ;

In Infants Among diseases to which newly-born infants are exposed and which may lead to blindness is the dreaded ophthalmic neonatorum. It is estimated that 20 per cent, of all cases of blindness are due to the results ’ of this disease. : However, thanks to preventive measures now in , use by . all physicians and midwives, cases of . blindness from this cause are being greatly reduced. Any discharge, redness of the eyes or lids of a babe should be immediately reported to the physician ,in charge. . ; The eyes of babies and young children' should not be exposed to glare. In fact, close, brilliant, and direct light should be avoided by everyone. When infants are put to sleep out of doors some protection should be afforded by a shade of non-reflecting material or hood to the perambulator. . Brilliant linings to perambulators should be avoided. One of the best colours for inside a pram-shade is green.