OUR SCHOOL CHILDREN.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 573, 30 July 1909, Page 4

OUR SCHOOL CHILDREN.

THEIR+PHYSICAL: CONDITION. ,-'''•. -DEFECTIVE VISION. In Tiie Dominion of .yesterday's date thcro appeared a report, of nn examination mado In two /Wellington" medical : j hion (Doctors Pollen ahd ; ;Wobster) of 3io childron'attending the To Aro State. School, wit.li the'purposes! ascertaining tho extent of tho'physieal .disabilities under .which tho , children's school work' was carried on. Tho examination was instituted at tho ' instnnco of tho Wellington,, Education Board, and tho reports of tho medical men wero tabled at yostorday's meeting. Dr.■'■-'Wobstorls report on the condition of I tho children's vision, which was not available for publication with tho main l ! report supplied by Dr. Pollen (already published), stated that' l 3l: per cent, of t'ho-100 children examined gave ovidonco of having some degree of. trouble-.with their eyes; of these 20 per cent, at least needed attention to bring them to;.a „norrnal, standard—much './, higher t li.in ,tho percentage usually found, for instance, in Tasmania; where, out of. 11,287 children exaniincd 20.88 per cent, had defective vision ; ; and 9>59 per cent.' defective usiori.j, sufficient to. interfere with their educational 'progress arid health. - Probably tho examination of a much larger number would have brought tho figures more into line with other places. An analysis of tho results showed that ,so far as. external conditions (lids, etc.) were tho'pupils .Were particularly, free .'from trouble. There- were only threo cases of inflamed eyelids.'Fifteen r.vcs wero noted where vision ; was ..sufficiently 'defective to interfere, with their lioalth and educational progress. Thero wero sixteen * cases':; where vision". was ■- normal;'and gc.ve ..no trouble.; Oqmplaijiift, wero made of .varying degrees of eye-strain on reading or; closo work, such, as headache;: blurring, watering of the eyes, etc. In about half this number tlic'troublo was sufficient to intcrfero materially with', their 'school work.'-.', There was one case of ,;internal ''■':'■■ h : : The'reports were not discussed. 'On tho motionibf,Mr/ J. G. W. Aitken, board decided', to refer therii to the Finance Coninutteo'ifor consideration and report: to tho full board. ■'-, ■~ , ■■■ ■~■■■'■ '•'■;•.,;>-■