WONDERFUL CURE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2585, 4 July 1881, Page 2

WONDERFUL CURE.

At a recent meeting o£ the Christchurch Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, the following report was read from Dr Wilkins, oculist to the institution relative to the patient, William Henderson who was sent from Patea, to be treated at the Hospital To the Chairman and Members of the Hospital Board.

In accordance with the wish of the Christchurch Hospital Boqrd I beg to forward a report on the case of the patient Wm. Hudson who was treated for blindness. Wm. Hudson, from Patea, arrived in Christchurch Hospital, February 18th, 1881, where he was placed under my care for treatment. Upon examination, his age is twentythree years, and he was suffering from great debility and general ill-health as well as loss of sight. He was stone blind in his right eye, the eye itself having collapsed, its anterior portion being still in a very inflamed and irritable state. In his left eye be bad very little useful sight. He could only see shadows and fingers when held towards the light. The obstruction to vision in this eye was a dense white opacity of the central part of the cornea

in front of the pupil as well as deeper misr chief caused by inflammation and deep ulceration, tlpon an ophthalraascopic examination it was found that an artificial pupil carefully made behind the inner portion of the cornea, the only part of it which was moderately transparent, might give him a chance of useful sight. Before doing this operation, it was most essential to improve his health by tonic treatment for a few weeks* as in bis state of health there would have been a very poor chanee of its being a success. Therefore the operation was delayed until March 26, on which date it was done, and very successfully, the patient, in the course of a fortnight, being able to tell the time accurately by looking at my watch, and could see distant objects well also. The inflammation in the shrunken part of the right eye not subsisting, and keeping very irritable, it was deemed advisible to abscind the front of it (the diseased portion), to prevent sympathetic injury to his now good eye. This admits too of the easy apph cation of an artificial eye. This second operation was performed on May 22nd. Hudson is now quite well, and ready to return home, having good general health and good useful visions in his left eye, which is likely to improve still, unless a recurrence of his old attack sets in. As Hudson possesses no means to pay for artificial eye for the right side, one has been presented to him, which acts admirably, and altogether his- appearance is much improved, and his sight now sufficiently restored to enable him to work for his own living.