Battalion
February 17, 1982 /Page 1B
Section B
Specialists recommend
contact lenses for kids
United Press International
KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
Those millions of men and
women who pop plastic lenses
into their eyes each day instead
of putting on eyeglasses may see
a younger generation join that
same routine.
Most of the 15 million to 20
million people in America who
wear contact lenses are between
the ages of 16 and 30, but many
specialists in the field believe
more children will and should
be fitted for the lenses.
Dr. David W. Hansen, presi
dent of the Heart of America
Contact Lens Society, said he
sees an increase in the number
of children under 10 being fit
ted for contacts. Research has
proven, he said, that during
those early years contacts can re
tard myopia or near
sightedness. ^
In the past, contact lenses
have been thought as cosmetic
or beauty aids, but Hansen said
his society’s major concern now
is to look at contacts as health
care devices.
“It is a misconception that
contacts are just for adults and
not children,” Hansen said in an
interview. “We must remember
children are more adaptable to
anything. Even 4- or 5-year-olds
can be taught proper hygiene
and lense removal.”
The Iowa optometrist joined
about 600 other doctors and 200
assistants recently for the 21st
Annual Heart of America Con
tact Lens Congress, where spe
cialists from Australia, Canada
and Sweden, as well as the Un
ited States, shared current infor
mation about contact lens re
search, materials, instrumenta
tion and systems for patient
care.
The Heart of America Con
tact Lens Society is a group of
optometrists in seven midwest-
ern states that was formed 21
years ago to educate the public
about contact lenses.
Hansen emphasized the im
portance of looking at contacts
on more of a functional basis,
not just as a substitute for eyeg
lasses. Contact lenses can benefit
those who suffer from cataracts,
birth defects, traumatic injury to
the eye, strabismus (cross-eyed),
amblyopia (loss of sharpness in
vision), mystagmus (jerky move
ments in eye), karatocomus
(bulging eye) and hereditary de-
ects, such as albinism.
Many of these problems are
ietected during childhood, so
j-arents should be aware of the
contact lens as a therapeutic de
vice, Hansen said.
When the first generation of
contact lens was introduced in
the late 1940s, the lenses were
large bulbous discs that covered
the white part of the eye as well
as the cornea. In the early 1950s
smaller plastic lenses were intro
duced.
Today there are four types of
lenses on the market — hard,
soft, extended wear and oxygen-
permeable.
The soft lens was introduced
in 1971. There are now 42 soft
lens designs, Hansen said. The
Food and Drug Administration
approved the “extended wear”
lens last February and later
approved “tinted” lens (soft)
and a “toric” soft lens, which cor
rects stigmatisms. A bifocal lense
is on the way, he said.
Hard lenses made of a rigid
plastic generally give better vi
sion and are less expensive.
Soft lenses, which are larger
than hard, are made of water-
absorbing plastic, and each lens
contains between 30 to 40 per
cent water.
Extended wear lenses are su
per soft and made of new mate
rials that are 60 to 80 percent
water. They can be worn as long
as a month.
Oxygen- or gas-permeable
lenses, which are as hard as the
traditional lens, are made of a
material that allows normal air
gases to pass through the lens
material for a healthier cornea.
Now You
Know
The first income tax in U.S. his
tory was slapped on taxpayers
Aug. 5, 1862 to raise funds for
fighting the Civil War.
Sun Belt boom increases
;rowth of Brownsville port
I United Press International
■BROWNSVILLE — The
iiowth of the Sun Belt has sti-
■ulated the South’s economy
pui also has burdened its cities
th monumental population
lid environmental problems.
The city of Brownsville has
own to 100,000 in the past
lour years and Matamoros,
jadross the river, has 300,000
people. By the year 2000 both
ftities could have a combined
pulation of 1 million.
A1 Cisneros, director of the
Brownsville Navigation District
for 12 years, is well aware of
monumental problems progress
(as brought, and will continue
to bring, to the area.
The navigation district was
established in 1937 using a 17-
mile channel. But when the port
was established, the district also
bought 43,000 acres of land sur
rounding the port. Today 200
companies employ 6,000 people
in the port areas to transport
four million tons of cargo a year
through the channel.
The remainder of the 43,000
acres of the navigation district
will be used only for industry,
Cisneros said.
“Our growth is yet to come,”
Cisneros said. “We have pre
vented urban development
from encroaching on the port.
We own the land and we only
allow industry. To us environ
mental protection is a important
as industry development, but we
have separated the two.”
Cisneros also said the author
ity wants to deepened the chan
nel from 36 feet to 55 feet to
permit bigger ships access to the
port.
“Our port is too shallow to
allow the types of (large) ships
being built today across. The re
fineries shipping their products
could greatly reduce their costs
if they had larger ships.” he said.
A major problem in the
Brownsville-Matamoros area is
the lack of international bridges
to accomodate the constant
heavy traffic between the two
countries. One downtown
bridge is the most heavily used.
Another small rail bridge also
exists.
Cisneros said at least four
more bridges are needed.
TONIGHT
Rice Broocks
Post Oak Mall
College Station
7
5-Cell
Flashlight
$ 1 98 Value
Meet Tony Franklin!
Just bring this coupon to
the new Radio Shack to
receive your flashlight—no
cost, no obligation! Limit
one per customer. Batteries
not included. #68-1022
Expires 2/22/82
The barefooted ex-Aggie kicking
great and Philadelphia Eagles star
will be in our store Saturday, Feb. 20
from 11 AM to 1 PM. Come in for an
autograph or have your picture taken
with Tonyi
RUSSIA, ISRAEL &
THE MIDDLE EAST:
What does the Bible say?
Could this be the last generation?
Seminar in Room #601 Rudder
Tues. Feb. 16 through Sat. Feb. 20
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