NEAR AND DISTANT SIGHT. 
32 - 4 * 
Changes in the radius of eleven inches on each side. These did not assist her 
organ ot sight, looking at near objects j but by their aid she saw much more 
distinctly those that were distant ; and, on attempting to read, 
nothing more was now necessary than to bring the book a little 
nearer to her than she had been previously accustomed to place 
it. The second case occurred in a patient of the same age, 
who, in the course of the last year, was attacked with an in- 
flammation in both eyes. By the use of leaches and cooling 
medicines, it was speedily removed, and afterwards she was 
much gratified by finding that the necessity for using glasses 
when she read, which had existed many years, was removed ; 
and that she could see both near and distant objects correctly, 
without any extraneous help. The amendment in this lady’s 
sight continued, however, only a few weeks j after which she 
was again obliged to use the same convex glasses in looking 
at small near objects, which she had used before her eyes be- 
came inflamed. In addition to these cases, I beg leave to add 
the information I have received from an eminent mathematical 
instrument maker, about fifty years of age, who has long made 
use of convex glasses to assist his sight in reading. He tells 
me, that when he has been employed many hours together, 
for several successive days, in looking through a double mi- 
croscope that magnifies twenty-eight times, (in order to enable 
him to mark the degrees on a small brass plate,) he has after- 
wards been able, repeatedly, for a few weeks, to read without 
his glasses ; but then the amendment gradually ceases, and he 
is soon obliged to return to the use of the same glasses that he 
had worn before. 
In the instances that have been mentioned, the distant-sight- 
edness affected persons who were considerabty advanced in 
life : but in the three that follow, a similar affection of the 
sight occurred in those that were young j and a like good effect 
was produced by the use of evacuating remedies. One of these 
was a boy, eight years old, who suddenly became presbyopic, 
and had repeatedly been punished at school on account of his 
incorrect and defaced writing : the real cause of it, at that 
time, being unknown to his master. After the presbyopia had 
continued 
