SECTION VI. 
DISEASES OF THE EYE. 
CHAPTER I. 
OPHTHALMIA. 
AN inflammation that is general and affects more or less the whole eye is 
termed ophthalmia. Although mild forms may occur and recovery take place 
speedily and completely, in the majority of cases the disease runs a violent 
course, restoration is always slow, and the sight is often permanently impaired if 
not entirely destroyed. 
Conjunctivitis is present, and in the worst infectious forms it is of purulent 
type. The nose is hot, the eyelids are much swollen, pain is intense, and greatly 
increased on exposure to strong light. There is more or less fever. Lassitude, 
prostration and other signs of constitutional disturbance are also noticeable. 
As a rule the cornea is affected and loses much of its transparency; while if 
deeper parts are involved, the cornea also appears reddened, and the pupil cannot 
be made out. 
The common cause is a direct injury, as a blow, or from a tooth in fighting. 
In the absence of professional aid, the first requisite for treatment is cleanli- 
ness, which should be effected hourly by means of tepid water and a soft sponge, 
cut in the shape of a wedge, the thin edge of which should be used to enter 
between the lids. 
After the eye has been well washed and all trace of the discharge removed, 
a solution of borax and camphor water, ten grains to the ounce, should be 
dropped into it; and'at night the lids should be lubricated with vaselin or sweet- 
oil, to prevent their sticking together. 
As a tule, it is well to give the patient a brisk cathartic, and restrict his diet 
to liquids until the inflammation is on the rapid decline. 
In severe cases, which may be considered to be infectious, great care should 
be exercised to prevent the discharge from entering the uninjured eye, and the 
sponges be always burned after use. Boric acid, fifteen grains to one ounce of 
distilled water, may be used if the milder borax solution is not thought sufficient. 
The degree in which the various parts of the eye are affected varies much, 
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