32 JUVENILE NEARSIGHTEDNESS. 



from the desk and parallel to their faces, or to prevent too long- and unre- 

 mitting search for unimportant places in an atlas. But what the teachers 

 can do and ought to do is this : Ever}'' scholar known to have defective 

 sight ought to have a seat in the very best light in the room, irrespective of 

 what class each may belong to. I would range the defective-sighted schol- 

 ars along each outer row of desks as near to the windows as possible, where 

 the light comes from the sides ; while in those schools which are so unfor- 

 tunate as to have the light from the front and back both, I would put them 

 on the rows of seats nearest the back windows. 



"In every school there should be a rest every half hour, if even for a 

 minute only, from reading, and especially from writing and drawing, the 

 pursuit of which, for a steady hour, is wearisome enough to a practiced 

 eye, and much more so to all young beginners, who strain, as it were, at 

 each point in a line, so as to make it as nearly like the cojDy as possible. 

 Fine handwriting ought never to have been invented, and especially in the 

 ruled-off way — the measured space way — in which it is taught nowadays. 

 Any child taught a large, round, flowing hand will soon learn enough to 

 make it proportionately smaller, as space and paper demand. 



"In examining a few of the scholars who wore glasses, I was struck 

 with the general and unnecessary strength of their glasses. Too strong 

 glasses require too much exertion of the eye. Glasses for short-sighted per- 

 sons should be the weakest possible with which they can see clearly at a 

 distance, while for reading they should, except in some rare cases, be still 

 weaker. 



''Shall we give glasses for reading in short-sight? For children whose 

 sight can be perfectly corrected by concave glasses, that is, if there be no 

 amblyopia as a result of myopic distension of the eye-ball, with changes in 

 the inner tunics of the eye, and if the eye has good power of accommodat- 

 ing itself for near objects, I see no objection to their wearing glasses ; and 

 with this advantage, that, if worn early in life, tiiey will, in all probability, 

 prevent a further increase in the myopia. After twenty years of age, and 

 with advancing age, they may be diminished in strength, or even convex 

 glasses may be worn. 



"But, after all, the only place to teach children how to use their eyes 

 well — how not to abuse them — ought to be at home. They should be taught 

 that the light should always come from the side, or even over the shoulder; 

 that the book should be kept up, if possible, and never in the laj) ; that 

 they should always have a shade over a lamp standing on a table at a level 

 with their eyes, and especially if they have to face the light, as in writing; 

 and that all bending positions, and reading in the twilight, or with the sun- 

 light pouring over the book, are very harmful to the eyes. 



"In some of the school children I found myopia hereditary, being trace- 

 able to parents and even grand-parents, and the points just mentioned 

 about the use and abuse of the eyes can not be too stronglv urged upon the 

 parents and taught by them to their children, when they know that they 

 themselves have defective vision, and that it is often hereditary, descending 

 to their children in increased degree unless carefully watched. 



"It is useless to create a panic about short-sight, or to say that, with 

 advancing education, we are growing a race of short-sighted persons. It is 

 wrong to accuse the schools as the sole cause of all cases of short-sight. 

 That would be carrying a few facts, a few statistics, to an unwarranted ex- 

 treme. Hereditary influence I bcliave to be a great effect in causing short- 

 sight, while bad light at night, at home, poor light in the school-rooms, 

 want of care in selecting well-printed books, urging girls too much to learn 

 fine sewing and embroidery, too long-continued and unrested work at 



