Keep Your Eyes Healthy

Eyestrainthe right kind of glasses and keeps himself in
Eyestrain is one of the common conditions thatgood physical condition the spots will disappear.
everyone talks about. Unsuspected eyestrain maySparks And Flashes
be associated with twitching of the eyelids andMany persons complain also of sparks or flashes
face. It may be responsible for nausea andof light. These are sometimes due to disturbances
vomiting, for headache, bad nutrition, loss ofof the circulation of the blood of the eye. In cases
appetite, and many other similar conditions. Yetin which one of the lining membranes of the eye
the only way to determine whether or notmay be inflamed the sensation of dazzling flashes
eyestrain actually exists is to make a suitableof light of various colors may be very
examination of the ability of the eyes to see, andpronounced.
then to overcome the condition by rest and theSome people complain particularly of constant
provision of eyeglasses.showers of golden dust or of large numbers of
Motion pictures have been incriminated as a causeblack specks floating in front of the eyes or of
of eyestrain and tiredness. Under normalstationary spots of large sizes. In many instances
conditions moving pictures do not cause seriousthese are due to difficulties of color vision or of
fatigue of the eye. However, the wrong type ofvision generally. Sometimes the wearing of
lighting in a motion picture house, films that areblue-colored glasses, which cut off the red rays,
jerky or spotted or badly lighted, and long periodswill relieve the person concerned of his
of projection without change in the light willsymptoms.
produce serious fatigue of the eye.No doubt the best advice that can possibly be
Suitable eyeglasses are prescribed nowadays forgiven to people generally is to tell them to see a
vision that is deficient or for the correction of thecompetent specialist in diseases of the eyes at
curves in the eyeball that result in astigmatism.least once each year, and not to take lightly any
When eye glasses first became popular theydisturbance of vision. The eye, once damaged,
were frequently prescribed when they were notdoes not recover with ease; neither does any
necessary. Everybody who had his eyesother highly-specialized organ of the body.
examined felt that he simply had to have glassesDisturbances seen early are treated to better
in order to justify the examination. Today theadvantage than if there is considerable delay.
reaction against this results in the development ofColor Blindness
fakirs who try to get people to throwaway theirA Quaker bought himself some scarlet stockings
glasses.when he thought he was purchasing dark brown.
There are three chief reasons for wearingHis name was John Dalton, and he is the first
glasses: to protect the eyes, to see well, and toscientifically-recorded instance of color blindness.
see without fatigue. An eyeglass is a crutch to aidDalton was an eminent English physicist. It is said
a deficient or weakened eye, exactly as anthat he was walking down the street wearing his
ordinary crutch aids a weakened limb. A crutchcap and gown and the red stockings at Oxford,
lends support until the limb is capable of workingwhere a degree had just been conferred upon
for itself. A permanently deformed limb or an eyehim, and that one of his brother Quakers
of which the structure is anatomically wrongpromptly took him to task for wearing such
demands permanent use of a crutch or eyeglass.colors in public.
Proper glasses can relieve eyestrain; improperColor blindness is more common in boys than in
glasses may make the condition more severe.girls. It is exceedingly important today, because
Not only is your eye the window of your soul, butthe signals on the railroads and on street comers
it is a barometer for measuring the health of yourare most frequently red, green, and yellow, but
body. By looking into your eyes, visualizing theiroccasionally also blue, and these are the colors
interior through the use of the ophthalmoscope,most frequently concerned in color blindness.
and by measuring certain of their reactions theCertainly no one who happens to be handicapped
physician can tell a great deal about your bodywith this condition should attempt to drive a
generally.motor car in modem traffic. The difficulty of
Not only does the body reflect to some extentdistinguishing between red and green is the most
bad conditions of the eye, but the eye can reflectcommon form of color blindness. The blue-yellow
troubles elsewhere in the human body. When thedifficulty is much rarer. People who have color
doctor notes that your eyes are clear and bright,blindness see objects as lighter or darker but are
he diagnoses atonce a fairly good state of health.unable to distinguish the shades. Sometimes they
A condition such as jaundice shows itself indistinguish between the red and the green lights
yellowness of the eyeball. Frequently trouble in theon roadways by their difference in brightness.
brain or in the nervous system may be found byThere is no specific cure for color blindness, since
looking into the back of the eyewith thethe defect is one of structure of the eye.
ophthalmoscope. Certain conditions, such asHowever, as has already been mentioned, there
alcoholism, rheumatism, gout, diabetes, andare various ways in which the color vision may be
poisoning of the body by various metallicdeveloped or substitutions found. In testing for
substances, reveal themselves in changes back ofcolor blindness the most common test involves
the eye.the sorting of a number of colored worsteds. The
Spots Before The Eyesperson who is being tested is given certain pieces
One of the most common symptoms complainedand asked to match them with others. There are
of by many people is a sense of spots floatingother tests in which colored strips of paper are
before the eyes. Scientifically, these are calledsometimes employed. One color-blind woman,
muscae volitantes. The specialist in diseases ofwho was an excellent seamstress, was able to do
the eye attaches little significance to these spots,sewing provided her family would tell her the
unless such spots can be seen on specialcolors of the thread.
examination of the eye with the ophthalmoscope,She was able to remember them by having each
the instrument with which the specialist looks intocolor in a different place in the workbox. So
the eye. These floating spots have beensignificant is color blindness today in relationship to
attributed to irritations of the eye, to congestionaccident that every person who attempts to
of the tissues, to eyestrain, and variousdrive a motor car or to indulge in any other
constitutional diseases. Generally speaking, theyoccupation in which color detection is significant
are not important. If the person concerned hasshould have a test as soon as possible.