HYGIENE OF THE SENSE ORGANS 239 



serious danger to the eyes of workers. Wherever possible, work- 

 ers in such occupations should wear goggles. In any case we 

 must be careful not to rub the eye when something does get 

 under the lid, and whoever tries to remove a particle from under 

 the eyelid must approach the task with perfectly clean hands. 



One of the dangers of getting dust into the eyes lies in the ease 

 w^ith which the Hning of the lids becomes infected by various 

 kinds of germs. Children suffering from trachoma and other 

 infectious eye diseases should be excluded from school, w^here 

 they are likely to transmit the disease to others. There is dan- 

 ger, too, in rubbing the eyes with the hands or with soiled towels 

 or handkerchiefs. On the first appearance of an irritation or 

 redness in the eyes it is well to wash with a solution of boric 

 acid or argyrol ; these act as safe antiseptics. 



A considerable proportion of all blindness could be prevented 

 by the exercise of greater care in dealing with injuries to the 

 eyes, as well as by care in avoiding injuries. The largest single 

 source of blindness is probably ophthalmia neonatorum, "baby 

 sore-eyes," or the sore eyes of the newborn. This is caused by 

 bacteria, and can be prevented by placing a drop of a i per 

 cent solution of silver nitrate in each eye immediately after 

 the birth of the child. In several states this treatment is now- 

 required of all physicians and midwives attending a birth, 

 and in a few years thousands of persons have been saved from 

 permanent blindness. 



HYGIENE OF THE SENSE ORGANS 



1. Relation to general health 



Nutrition ; circulation ; respiration ; excretion ; exercise 



2. Special precautions 



Skin; taste; nose; ear; eye 



3. The eye 



Eyestrain Errors of refraction 

 Causes Near-sightedness 



Effects Far-sightedness 



Prevention Astigmatism 



Remedies (Strabismus) 



