The eye in health and disease : with an account of the optometer, for the adaptation of glasses, for impaired, aged, or defective sight being the substance of lectures delivered at the Central London ophthalmic hospital / by Alfred Smee.

Alfred Smee

Date:: 1854

Credit: The eye in health and disease : with an account of the optometer, for the adaptation of glasses, for impaired, aged, or defective sight being the substance of lectures delivered at the Central London ophthalmic hospital / by Alfred Smee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

43/128 (page 23)

$absolute; darkness. In cases of inflammation, more or less acute, of the conjunctiva and cornea, some change of structure occurs, or vitiated mucus is secreted, which prevents perfect vision. In chro- nic inflammation the patient suffers very considerably, in fact to an extent quite disproportionate to the natm-e of the malady, espe- cially if he is compelled to use his eyes much at night. In these cases relief may generally be obtained by attending to the general health, and at the same time using a coUyrium of half a drachm of almn mth half an ounce of spirits of wine, in half a pint of rose water. At night a Uttle ointment may be smeared on the edges of the lids, composed of one part of oxide of mercury of the Phar- macopeia, diluted eight times with the best lard. This eye-water and ointment may be regarded good standard applications for this class of diseases. (57.) In certain conditions of the eye the patient becomes sight- less: in fact, wherever the retina and choroid are destroyed, vision is utterly lost. A patient becomes sightless whenever total de- struction of the eye ensues. The globe, after severe inflanamation, or extensive tramnatic damage, is apt to be so much inj\n:ed that it coUapses, shrivels up, becomes unnourished, and wastes away. (58.) These cases exhibit a most unsightly appearance, especially where one eye is destroyed; and the ingenuity of man has been taxed to provide a remedy, in the shape of a false or artificial eye. The only maker in England, is, as far as I have the means of knowing, Mr. Gray; and to such exquisite perfection has he brought this art, so completely rivalling thereby the appearance of the healthy eye, that I have known the incipient surgeon, off his guard, to declare a false eye to be a remarkable instance of fixed pupil. (59.) Our worthy neighbours, the French, although great adepts at httle contrivances of this kind, are behind us in the manufacture of artificial eyes. Their form is not generally so perfect as that of Mr. Gray's, nor is their material so good. Moreover, there is a slight defect in all which come to this country, but which you would never discover unless you were told of its existence; in practice, however, this defect is of so much mi- portance, that you should absolutely forbid their use, on account$