Maryland Society for Sight collection

The Maryland Society for the Prevention of Blindness was founded in 1909 by a group of distinguished Baltimoreans who were concerned that baby sore eyes was needlessly robbing many children of their sight. It was known at that time that the use of silver nitrate drops at birth could prevent blindness. Through public education and information dissemination to health care professionals, the Society was eventually successful in eradicating this disease as the leading cause of blindness in children in Maryland.

Having achieved this success, the volunteers who comprised the Board of Directors decided to expand their efforts of preserving sight by providing education and screening services to prevent blindness caused by other diseases and eye injuries. In 1926, the first paid Director was hired. Funds were always limited, and much of the work was carried out with the help of a dedicated volunteer force.

The Society was instrumental in the passage of many legislative measures in Baltimore City and the State aimed at preserving sight, including the requirement that silver nitrate be used routinely at every birth, the regulation of all deadly firearms sold to minors, the requirement of safety glass be used in automobiles, and the restriction on sale and use of all types of fireworks by individuals.

The Society was also instrumental in promoting vision screening for school-aged children, of whom 1 in 4 have been found to have vision problems. During the 1940s and 1950s, the Society provided screening kits and trained school nurses and parents in the techniques of screening. The Society also developed and implemented a method for screening 3 and 4 year-olds for vision problems, some of which could cause a child to become permanently blind in one eye if not detected and treated before the age of 7.