Figs. 32 and 33. Correct positions for reading and writing.
Another way of working your eyes too much is by trying to see when the eyes are not focused right. Sometimes people are said to be near-sighted, because they cannot see very well at a distance. This is due to the fact that the eyeball is too long, so that the lens does not cause the rays of light to focus on the retina. Some people are called far-sighted. This means that they can see well at a distance, but that it is hard for them to see things close to them. Far-sighted children can usually see things near by, but they do this by making the muscle that rules the lens of the eye work too hard.
Method of testing the eyes
Probably your teacher has a test chart and can tell you whether your eyes are properly focused. If your eyes are not focused right, that is, if you cannot see the line of letters marked 20 when you are twenty feet from this chart, there is something wrong with your eyes. In that case, you are not only injuring them by trying to study, but you are hurting the whole body by overworking a part of it. If you cannot see the letters on the test card clearly at a distance of twenty feet, ask your father to send you to a specialist who will fit you with the proper glasses or will treat your eyes so that you can see well.
How to test the hearing
Sometimes children are backward in their school work because they cannot hear well. Your teacher can test your hearing by holding a watch near your ear. If you cannot hear a watch tick when it is held six feet from your ear, ask your father to take you to your doctor, that he may treat your ears.
How to care for the ears
If your hearing is perfect, the best way to take care of the ears is to let them alone. Never try to dig into the canal that leads to the middle ear. The ears must of course be washed to keep them clean, but in washing the ear you should not touch the delicate canal leading to the drum. A great specialist once said, "Never put anything smaller than your elbow into your ear," to which another great specialist added, "And wrap a towel around your elbow." Never try to dig the wax out of your ears; it belongs in your ears; it is there for a purpose, so let it alone. If it becomes hardened, you cannot get it out and will only injure your ears in trying to do so. An ear spoon is a dangerous thing.
Questions. 1. State the chief cause of loss of sight. 2. How can you keep germs out of your eyes? 3. Name three ways by which you may overwork the eyes. 4. Tell how to take care of the ears.