Dear Friends,

Bates objected to the over-prescribed minus.

Here is an optometrist who admits that she prescribes a strong minus -- even
if the person has 20/20 vision.

When I ask a person to read the Snellen -- it is so that he can avoid
this "trap" of the minus.

Here is the majority-opinion on the subject:


drjudy65" <mpace99@...> wrote:

Queston> > How likely is it that someone with a mild myopia could read the
20/20 line on a Snellen eye chart?

DrJudy> Quite likely with up to about -1.00, especially in bright light or
with a bit of squinting. Various posters here and on other forums have
stated that they are able to see a blurry 20/20 without glasses
despite have refractive error in that range.

Opinion> It is quite possible to do even far better than that; I had -1.5
with -1.5 astigmatism, and can now see the 20/20 line quite dark,
sharp and clear under table-lamp lighting, no squinting. To push
myself even further I go to 32 feet, and can see the 20/20 line, not
so sharply, but recognizable. At 40 feet I have been able to see
the 20/30 line every day, looking down through my dark hallway into
the living room where the chart is hung. This isn't suppose to be
possible, some would say, but I would testify that it is, because I
do it every day. It took a couple years, but through persistence,
patience, and determination it is now possible. But I accomplished
it by exercising only the most important (and difficult) muscle -
the brain muscle. Learning the mental control to sustain good
vision is now the biggest challenge.

[This person did not use a plus. He is a strong believer and user
of Bates concepts. But he DID verify by reading his Snellen.
How much of this was over-prescription, and how much is
actually clearing? No one knows. But the final results
are very clear -- to the person who did this.]