EYESIGHT AND BALLOONING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8189, 24 July 1906, Page 3

EYESIGHT AND BALLOONING.

EXPERIMENTS BY A PARIS DOCTOR. Telegraphing on May 20tb, the Paris correspondent of the "Daily Mail" said :--l had a conversation this morning with Dr. Robert Daul noy, the Paris <»ye opecialist, on the sutjeots of his recent experiments on the human eye while iri a balloon •at an altitude of 6000 feet. "My first observation," be Baid, '"was the increased acuteness of '-vision at a high altitude. At a height of 6000 feet I flung a bottle •overboard Into the lake below. Not only were the two other per&ons .in the balloon able to follow the descent of the bottle towards the earth, but were even able to see rthe noek of the bottle as it disappeared beneath the water. Another 'Observation made was that at a high ■altitude there was a considerable •diminution of tne pressure on the organs of vision. The pupils seemed to . distend and the sensibility of the optio nerve was considerably increased. "My impression is that there may be a wide field for the treatment of certain diseases of the eye if the treatment be carried out at .a very high altitude. At present ttbere are three distinct diseases against whioh medioal science is practically powerless. These are 'known as glaucoma and choroiditis, and this unfastening or loosening of the retina. In the treatment of .choroiditis we apply certain drops on the eye, and I oannot help thinking that if we applied these -drops at a great altitude while the patients eyes were subject to the conditions that I observed the affects would be astonishing. I forsee, therefore, a wide field for experiments whioh may lead to remarkable results.