Illustrations of some of the principal diseases of the eye : with a brief account of their symptoms, pathology, and treatment / by Henry Power.

  • Power, H. (Henry), 1829-1911.
Date:
1867
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Illustrations of some of the principal diseases of the eye : with a brief account of their symptoms, pathology, and treatment / by Henry Power. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    cases, only five instances are recorded. The lower lids are more frequently subject to it than the upper. The effects of the disease, though more disfiguring, are certainly not so dis- tressing to the patient, nor so destructive to vision, as those occasioned by inversion of the lids. It might at first be imagined that the absence of so important a covering as the lid would quickly lead, by permitting the entrance of foreign bodies into the eye, and by preventing its surface from being properly moistened, to inflammation of the conjunctiva, or of the cornea; but in general the conservative powers of nature, or rather the adaptability of the different organs to altered circumstances, is remarkably shown in such cases; for even when scarcely a vestige of the lid remains, the accumulation of dust and mucus on the surface of the cornea is effectually guarded against by the powerful action of the internal and superior recti and the inferior oblique muscles, which together roll the eye rapidly upwards, and, aided by the contraction of the orbicularis, cause whatever remains of the lid there may be to sweep clear and clean nearly the whole of the exposed ocular surface. In point of fact, the patients usually apply for relief, not on account of any discomfort that they experi- ence in this respect, but because the internal surface of the conjunctiva, still retaining its red appearance, and usually becoming granular, spoils their appearance, and in certain occupations seriously interferes with their chance of gaining employment. Nevertheless, cases every now and then present themselves where much lachrymation is present from the irritation of the air and light, and where a condition of chronic conjunctiva is established, leading either to ulceration and staphyloma, or to xerosis, i. e., carnification and unnatural dryness of the sur- face of the cornea, ending, if neglected, in total loss of sight. The treatment of cases of ectropion varies with their severity, and with the nature of the causes by which they have been produced.