[Report 1934] / School Medical Officer of Health, Essex County Council.

  • Essex (England). County Council.
Date:
1934
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1934] / School Medical Officer of Health, Essex County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/56 (page 17)
    metliod of certification serves a two-fold ])urpose. The extent of the blindness is given and the exact cause and contributory factors ascer- tained. Information thus obtained may be of considerable help in elim- inating certain causes and contributory factors in the cause of blindness. Cases already on the Blind Begister are gradually being reviewed and more detailed certification obtained. Time must elapse, however, before a full review has been com])leted. For the detailed examination of these cases, moderately well equipped ophthalmic examination rooms are being established in various parts of the County. These centres are utilised also for the ophthalmic examination of school children. Cases reported as unal)le to attend a clinic are examined at home. Detailed examination is, however, often difficult in home surroundings and, when considered necessary, every effort is made for a complete examination at a properly equijiped centre. Arrangements have been made whereby children referred as “ partially sighted ” are examined in all cases by an oculist and certified when necessary on Form 37D, and recommendation given as to the type of education necessary or ])ossible. These children are re-examined every three months. It has been suggested that efforts be made to disassociate as far as possible in their education and school the partially sighted children from blind children, and in particular is this advisable in cases of partially sighted children who, on leaving school, are unlikely to be certified blind under the Blind Persons Act. With this modification in view, it would appear that the necessity for further sight saving day classes in the more rapidly growing areas of Essex will be found necessary. For the partially sighted children residing in scattered rural areas, the residential sight saving schools must be used, or existing blind schools where special provision is made for the education of these children by sighted methods only. Difficult cases of refraction met with by the School Medical Inspec- tors in their routine ophthalmic work are referred for further examination and advice to the County Ophthalmic Surgeon. Similarly, arrangements have been made for all cases of squint to be treated before the school age. The County is also fortunate in still having the services of Mr. T. Collyer ilumme'rs, F.R.C.S., available at the Oldchurch Hospital, Romford, to whom, by arrangement, cases of school children can be referred as and when required. >g) Minor Ear Defects. 2,147 children received treatment, 1,956 being treated under the Committee’s cheme. As mentioned in previous reports, this serious condition of ear discharge