Papers on Health

by John Kirk

While this treatment is going on it will be necessary to open the eyelids at intervals, so as to let off the tears that collect in such cases and cause great distress. These will flow out when in the most gentle way you have laid one thumb on the upper eyebrow, and the other just below the lower eyelid, so that you can draw the lids just slightly open.

Eyes, Cataract on.—This disease has been arrested, and in earlier stages even cured, by the treatment described in, Eyes, failing sight. By means of this treatment we have seen a totally blind eye restored in a few weeks.

Eyes, Danger to Sight of.—Where inflammation has gone so far as to lead to suppuration, or even to ulceration of the eyes, there is grave danger of blindness, and this is often the case with infants and children who have been wrongly treated or neglected. In such a case, cease at once all irritating and painful treatment and drugs. First, wash the eyes by gently dropping over them distilled water, or boiled rain water which has been cooled. The water should be used about blood heat.

After an hour or so, have another warm bathing by means of gentle pouring over the eyes, but do not rub the eyelids. Let there be no friction beyond that of the soft and warm water running over the face in the bathing. Rather have patience till that washes all waste matter away than run any risk of irritating the eyeball. All this time watch what the sufferer evidently likes, and follow his likings—that is, as to warmer or colder water, and so on. It will not be very long before you have thoroughly cleaned the eyes, while at the same time you have infused fresh life into them. To the water used a little vinegar or acetic acid should next be added, or Condy's fluid may be used when it is convenient. But care must be taken that no great smarting is caused. See Acetic Acid.

As the discharge from ulcerated eyes is very infectious, care should be taken not to communicate it to other persons' eyes. Strict cleanliness should be observed, and all rags employed should be burnt, and disinfectants used to cleanse the patient's and nurse's hands, etc. Towels should be boiled for half-an-hour before being washed, after they have been used in such a case.

Now a most important matter must be attended to. Castor oil is the most soothing that can be used with the eyes. Fresh olive oil comes next, but it is usually just as easy to get the one as the other. With a feather, or fine camel's-hair brush, and as gently as possible, cover the eyelids with this oil heated to about blood heat. Do not try to force it on the eyeballs, but if the lids open so much as to let it in, allow it to lubricate the eyeball also. Rub it gently over the eyebrows and all round the eyes, and dry it gently off. Cover the eyes then with a soft covering, and let them have perfect rest.

It sometimes happens that a tiny piece of dust or iron may stick in the surface of the eye, and refuse to be washed away by the tears. Take a square inch of writing paper, curve one of the sides of it, and draw it lightly and quickly over the spot. Never use any sharp instrument or pin. Repeat the operation a few times if unsuccessful.

Diet as recommended in article Eyes, Hazy Sight.

Eyes, Failing Sight.—This often comes as the result simply of an over-wearied body and mind, without any pain or accident whatever. It appears as an inability to see small distant objects, or to see at all in dusky twilight. The sight is also variable—good when the patient is not wearied, and bad when he is tired. When this comes on under thirty years of age, the eyes have almost certainly been overworked, and need rest. Rest from all reading and other work trying for the eyes is the best cure. If this can be had, it should be taken, with much outdoor exercise. Fresh air is a fine tonic for the eyes. Where total rest cannot be had, take as much as possible, and nurse the failing nerves as follows. Apply the bran poultice, as directed for inflamed eyes, just as long as it is felt to be comforting—with one patient it will be longer, with another shorter. Now there is a cooling of the brow and of the eyes themselves, which is as important almost as the heating of the back of the head. We always find, as a matter of fact, that a cold application opposed to a hot one produces a vastly better result that two hot ones opposed, or one hot one by itself alone. So we find in the case of the eyes. We have now, as we write these lines, eyes under our care that are mending every day by means of a bran poultice at the back of the head and neck, and a cold cloth changed on the brow and eyes. They do not mend anything like so well if heat alone is used. Rub the back of the head and neck with hot olive oil before and after poulticing, and dry well. Do this for an hour at a time, twice, or if possible three times, a day. Continue for a fortnight, cease treatment for a week, and again treat for another fortnight. This should make such improvement as to encourage to further perseverance with the cure. Sometimes failing sight follows neuralgia. In this case the rubbing described in Eyes, Squinting, given twice a day for fifteen or twenty minutes each day, will be useful in addition to above treatment.

Even in cases in which "cataract" is fully formed, we find that the disease is arrested, and the patient at least gets no worse. But where this malady is only threatened the haze soon passes away. We most earnestly wish and pray that this simple treatment should be as widely known as there are failing eyes in this world of trial.