Dr. Koch informed us that a farm servant came to him, and said he could not see. Some time before this, a piece of wood had struck him in the eye. He had been treated for it; had had purgatives, leeches and cold water applications, and now his sight was quite gone. The particulars of the case were these: The bulbus was infiltrated with vascular engorgement. The conjunctiva was swollen, and the eyelid also in an irritated and inflamed condition. The cornea was dim, with a smoky appearance of the anterior chamber (i.e., between the cornea and iris), and some matter could be seen floating quite distinctly. I found on foreign body. The subjective results were severe burning pain in the eye, as if from a foreign body, and a continuous flow of tears. The man had to keep his eye tied up. His appetite was good, and pulse normal. As to the therapeutic treatment, I had evidently to deal with two different affections hypopyon (matter in the eye), and conjunctiva. First of all I gave Ferrum phos., a dose every two hours, and in a week the burning pain and watering of the eye were less. One week after this the man complained that his sight had not improved. Now I had the task of absorption of the matter before me, as well as the clearing of the cornea. To meet the first condition I gave Hepar sulph., but after a fortnight I could recognize no special progress. I felt rather in a fix with the case, as absorption would not take place. Remembering an expression of Dr. Quagleo, that he considered Schussler’s Calcarea sulph. a still more powerful medicine, I gave some Calcarea sulph. to be taken in water in three doses. Scarcely a week after, the man came to me, greatly delighted, saying he could see gleams of light in the right eye. Positively, I found the cornea less cloudy, and could observe that some of the matter had been absorbed. I now gave him only a dose night and morning. In three weeks absorption was complete, and dimness of the cornea quite removed, and his sight restored. Besides all this, all the inflammation of the conjunctiva was also cured. (From Schussler).
A woman, aet. 56, from Simbach, who always wore blue spectacles, came to see me, as she had become blind in the right eye. The cause and consequent suffering were as follows: Three years ago, one noon-day in the winter, she was walking from Arnstorf to Simbach. The whole of the meadows, were covered with snow, on which the sun was shining brightly, causing a strong refraction. Suddenly she felt a severe pain in the right eye, and immediately discovered that she had lost the sight of it. She took some snow and held it over her eye, which she thought did her some good. On reaching home she sent for the doctor, who put a leech to the right temple and gave her a strong purgative. She had to keep her bed for three weeks. The pain subsided, but her sight did not return. Some time after, she travelled all the way to Passau, to consult Dr. E., the oculist. He gave her a laxative and some ointment, to be rubbed all around the eye (Ungt. hydrarg.). As the ointment affected the gum and loosened the teeth, she stopped using it, her sight being no better. Later on, when she heard that Prof. Rothmund had operated on the pastor of Landau for cataract, she went to see him. “If this medicine won’t help you, you will remain blind for life,” were the Professor’s words. His prescription was Potassium iodide. After having had the prescription made up three times, and using it steadily, she felt no improvement, and was quite inconsolable. With her right eye she saw nothing; all seemed smoke and mist; and the other eye was becoming weaker and weaker from month to month. External examination showed the conjunctiva intact, as also the cornea, iris, etc. All pointed to internal disease of the inner medium of the eye. I could see but little of the retina, as there was a kind of mist over it, which seemed to spread from the vitreous humor over the background of the eye. I introduced the rays of light in different directions, and by this means I was better able to obtain sight of the retina. It appeared dim and misty, the veins were clearly seen, forming a dark network. In some places there were indistinctly defined spots, some larger than others, appearing to me like the residue of extravasated blood. The arteries were scarcely visible, and seemed to me pale and more contracted than in the normal condition. The necessary therapeutic treatment clearly indicated to me was to produce abortion of the exuded substance, this being the cause of the dulness of sight. According to Professor Rothmund’s opinion, inflammation of the retina always arises in the connective tissue, and as this exuded substance appears of a coagulated nature which no doubt is fibrinous, and, as is well known, can be hypertrophied, and is capable of fatty degeneration, I found that of the remedies I could think of the most suitable seemed to be Kali mur. I now gave the woman eight powders, each containing two centigrammes; the powder to be dissolved in half a wineglassful of water, a tablespoonful to be taken night and morning. A fortnight after, the patient came back, saying, “I don’t think I am any worse. Please give me some more of those powders.” She received a dozen, with the same directions. One morning she called quite early, and told me in great glee that on rising that morning she could see the window-sash quite distinctly. I tested her sight from different distances, and found that she had really improved. “I can see pretty well through the mist,” she said. Kali mur. was continued in small doses, and in four months her sight was restored. (From Schussler).
Girl, aet. 16, recurring keratitis. Left eye much inflamed, photophobia, slight haziness of the cornea, and traversed with red vessels; zonular redness. Calcarea phos. 3x completely restored the patient. I have never found it of any use where the palpebral conjunctiva was much engorged. (R.T. Cooper).
Bookkeeper, aet. 28. Overstrained eyes. “Feel like chilblains,” must wipe them often and pull at the lashes. Is emmetropic, though can read No. 15 at fifteen feet with difficulty from blurring of the letters, not improved by glasses. A candle held twelve inches seems double, and the left image is seen with the right eye, hence he has asthenopia from paresis of the internal recti muscles. Natrum mur 200. cured. (T.F. Allen).
The late Dr. Kafka records a case of incessant lachrymation of the right eye, caused by exposure to a strong north wind, and dependent on hyperaemic obstruction of the lachrymal passages. Natrum mur6. cured in four weeks, and was equally efficacious when, on later occasions the trouble returned.- Hom. Recorder, Jan., ’93.
Dr. M. E. Douglas relates a case of sudden blindness occurring in connection with the albuminuria of pregnancy, and refers to another in which Kali phos. 6x produced a recovery. – Am. Medorrhinum Mo., Aug., 1889.
THE SIGHT RESTORED IN A CASE OF CHOROIDO-RETINITIS BY KALI MUR., NATRUM PHOS., CALC. PHOSPH. AND KALI PHOS. – By C. Stirling Saunder, L.R.C.P., Lond.
Master, aged 14, had for some time been suffering from nervous debility and a high-strung nervous condition. His most marked defect, however, a was his eyesight which, notwithstanding the trial of glasses of various strengths and tints, became weaker and weaker, until at last it was discovered that he could hardly see clearly at all. He was taken to several oculists, and the last one (a noted London specialist) pronounced the sight of one eye gone and that the other would follow in due course, owing to the disease known as choroido-retinitis (or effusion from blood vessels into the choroid and retina), obliterating the sight. The writer took this boy in hand last autumn, only promising to try and save the sight of the better eye. He was kept from school, and diligently took a course of the above-mentioned remedies. As his sight seemed to have wonderfully improved in about two months’ time, he was again taken to the oculist above- mentioned who was quite astounded at the change which had taken place in the discs of his eyes, having found complete absorption of the exudation in the bad eye, with a return of the lost sight, which enabled him to resume his studies at school.
Professor of Materia Medica in the University of Michigan Homeopathic Medical College. Member of American Institute of Homeopathy. In addition to his editoral work he authored or collaborated on: Boericke and Dewey's Twelve Tissue Remedies, Essentials of Homeopathic Materia Medica, Essentials of Homeopathic Therapeutics and Practical Homeopathic Therapeutics.