William Horatio Bates

“ When the deviating eye looks directly at an object the strain to see is less, and the vision is consequently improved. Covering the good eye with an opaque screen, or with ground glass, encourages a more proper use of the squinting eye, especially if the vision of that eye is imperfect.
Children of six years, or younger, can usually be cured of squint by the use of atropine, a one per cent solution being instilled into one or both eyes twice a day, for many months, a year, or longer. The atropine makes it more difficult for the child to see, and makes the sunlight disagreeable. ”

“ One of the best ways of gaining mental control in cases of squint is to learn how to increase the squint, or produce other kinds of squint, voluntarily. In the case illustrated the patient had divergent vertical squint in both eyes. When the left eye was straight the right eye turned out and up, and when the right eye was straight the left eye turned down and out. Both eyes were amblyopic and there was double vision, with the images sometimes on the same side and sometimes on opposite sides. ”

“ Although atropine had been used in the right eye every day for more than a year, and intermittently for a much longer time, and the pupil was dilated to the maximum, it read fine print without difficulty at six inches, central fixation overcoming the paralyzing effect of the drug. According to the current theory the accommodation should have been completely paralyzed, making near vision quite impossible. The patient also read fine print with the left eye as well as, or better than, with the right eye. ”