Broadened Vision

The most discussed presentation at the meeting of the American Academy of Optometry in Chicago last week was Dr. William Feinbloom's method of restoring vision to the 98% blind. Two out of five blind people can see 2%. Heretofore they have been able to read books, magazines and newspapers only with the help of compact field glasses which they wore as spectacles. Such telescopic spectacles both magnify the print (the optical effect) and seem to bring it closer to the eyes (the psychological effect). Those advantages become troubles as soon as the purblind wearer moves around or deals with moving objects. Nothing seems to be where it actually is.

Dr. Feinbloom, chief optometrist of Manhattan's West Side Hospital, applied himself to the problem of making a pair of spectacles which would magnify things, yet keep them at their distance.

Magnifying glasses are ordinarily spherical, theoretically sections of glass balls. They give a balanced enlargement to all objects. Another kind of magnifying glass exists, cut from along the curve of a glass cylinder. Such cylindrical lenses make things seem broader than tall, or taller than broad. They make convenient reading glasses.

Telescopic spectacles with triple cylindrical (instead of spherical) lenses in each eyepiece answered Dr. Feinbloom's problem. By trial & error he found best results by enlarging images vertically 1.3 times the natural, horizontally 1.8 times the natural. Objects seem wider than in reality. Ordinary men seem corpulent. As soon as purblind users of the Feinbloom spectacles become used to widened vision they can do ordinary work. Wearers are now operating stores, working in factories. Some are doctors.

Delighted with Dr. Feinbloom's invention and his permitting any eye specialist to make the device without royalties, the American Academy of Optometry gave him $1,000. He will use the money to give free spectacles to poor patients.

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