346 On the Staphjloma, Hydrophtkalmia, 



before any change takes place in the appearance of the eye : 

 aticr this the pupil becomes dilated without any visible opa- 

 city in thC'Trystalline humour. This description designates 

 a gutta Serena; but the disorder does not stop here. After 

 a iitlle time the crystalline humour becomes opake; and 

 soon afterwards shooting pains are experienced, which dart 

 suddenly through the eye indifferent directions, rarely con- 

 tinuing long at one lime. At this period, if the sclerotica 

 be carefully examined, a blueish, or rather a dusky leaden- 

 coloured spot, of greater or smaller extent, will be disco- 

 vered in it, on one side of the cornea, and sometimes on 

 both. These blueish- or leaden-coloured spots eraduallv 

 spread; the eye enlarges either partially or generallv ; and 

 in a short time it' pushes forwards the eyelids, and fills the 

 ■whole of the orbit. In some instances the blueish enlarjxe- 

 ments appear as if they were affections of the outer surface 

 of the sclerotica, and only covered by the tunica conjunc- 

 tiva. In others they are evidently produced by a distention 

 of the whole substance of the sclerotica, which is pushed 

 out and thinned, where the projection appears by the ac- 

 cumulation of a morbid substance within the evo. A few 

 of the blood-vessels of the conjunctiva are usually enlarged, 

 and have a purplish-red appearance, very di'fercnt from that 

 which is produced bv a common inflan)mation. On ex- 

 amining the internal state of these tumours, after their ex- 

 tirpation, the whole of the eye has been found full of tlie 

 leaden-coloured substance I have described ; divided, in an 

 irregular manner, by membranous laminae into separate 

 cells, the contents of which have varied much, even in the 

 same eye, in their degrees of consistence. They are usually 

 firm and solid, but sometimes contain pus in separate cysts, 

 and sometimes also osseous particles that differ n)uch in 

 their shape and size. These tumours are in general pro- 

 duced by an irregular enlarirement of the whole eye, in- 

 volving both its coats and humours ; .but sometimes the 

 humours are very littie altered, the. disease seeming to ori- 

 ginate in an affection of the tunica sclerotica, which spreads 

 outwards rather than inwards. Sometimes the tumour is 

 confined to one side of the eye, its other side being nnaf- 

 lected. At other limes it occupies bolh sides; and, occa- 

 sionally, there have been three tumours annexed fo the eye, 

 one on each sicfe and one above, all as lanje as the eve; 

 this oriian being unaltered in size, though deprived of sight. 

 The proorcss which the disorder makes is very various. 

 Soinciimes a prominence of a leaden coiuur has continued 



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