PRESERVING CHILD’S SIGHT

Evening Star, Issue 22451, 23 September 1936, Page 12

PRESERVING CHILD’S SIGHT

FAULTS A HITHER CAN RECTIFY • Quite often artificial aid to sight has to be sought in early maturity because the eyes have been neglected in childhood. The eyes are accommodating, and can carry on for quite a while under disabilities before any great trouble becomes manifest. Then, perhaps, it is too late to remedy the defect. The eyes should always be protected from glaring lights. A baby lying in his pram with the sunshine streaming on to his eyes; the child playing roundin very bright sunny weather without a shady hat; the school child sitting to read or play with a tery bright light shining directly _ into _ his eyes must suffer from impaired sight later on. ■ The lighting system of most home* often needs rearranging. The centr* light suspended 3ft or so from the ceiling is very often the only light pro. vided. When preparing home lesson* special provision should be made id help the child. Eyeshades to prevent or divert bright glare in the eye* should be given to him to wear. A standard lamp or wall bracket should be fixed "to shine on his work over hi* left shoulder, and should be placed so that no shadows will fall across hi* book. Faults to be noted and cor* rented are:—

Reading in bed with the light shin* ing directly in a eyes and th# book in the wrong position; reading with the book on tne lap and the body all hunched! up to bring the eyes close enough to focus on the print; reading in dark corners or in strong sunlight: lying face downwards jn an unnatural position, with the back at an awkward angle and the book usually too near the face; reading in buses or trains te and from school with the book neve* still.

It is said) that writing and reading should be done with the writing material or book at a distance of about 14ia from the eyes. If the book or writing material be also at an angle so that the top of the page will be the corresponding distance from the eyee as the bottom, so much the better. A handy father could easily make a suitable book support by sloping a flat piece of wood slightly, with the top'end raised about Sin. This could be placed on a table of the right height for the child to work at. If the child is a girl her hair should always be banded by a ribbon to prevent stray locks from hanging across her eyes.