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+--- Thread: My Vision Journal (/showthread.php?tid=1596)
Re: My Vision Journal - Pikachu - 12-15-2010
1. I remembered to blink a little less than I did yesterday. I believe that the key is to do it early and often. From there, it becomes easier during the rest of the day.
2. My day visionwise was ups and downs. I felt relaxed, and then before I knew it, I was tense, and then I was relaxed again. It sure beats being strained the whole day, but it makes me wonder just what is causing this strain. (Sometimes I accidentally type "strain" as "starin", only to realize that I could add a "g" and make it "staring"!)
3. I REALLY like 2xtreme2fit's post a long while back about "memory scanning". I call it a "scanner sweep", but who cares? It works quite well for me. I can scan slowly or quickly, but almost all of the time my eyes get temporarily better when I open them again. This is coming from a person who can't achieve any improvement from palming! Thanks 2xtreme2fit!
Re: My Vision Journal - Pikachu - 01-03-2011
I'm back.
In case anyone cares, I was on a pleasant two week vacation. I've been catching up on posts the past few days, so I haven't had the time to make any posts here. I've got a lot to say though. 1. I believe that noticeable strain is a sign of poor vision habits. So if palming, swinging, or any other exercise is straining, you're probably straining. I know this might sound elementary, but this takes me to my next thought.
2. If you're straining while doing an exercise, you're doing it wrong, because it shouldn't cause strain if done correctly. Therefore, you must figure out what it is you're doing wrong and fix it. It may not be easy to figure out what the problem is, so some trial and error is needed as well as improvisation. Once an exercise can be done consistently without strain or any other problems, it can be repeated over and over again for vision improvement.
The above statements come from my thought process a few nights ago. I think my main problem is that I don't fix my problem when I do an exercise wrong. Instead, I repeat it and get nothing out of it, so these days, I'm trying to refine the swing, seeing if I can get it just right. Only then, can my vision go forward.
3. I tried reading while imagining the meaning behind the words. I must say that it's quite effective, although difficult (as expected) to keep up for long periods of time. I've decided to mix imagining with noticing the peripheral while reading. At this point, I think the key is persistence. At some point, I will be able to read without straining; it's just going to take some time.
4. Something I've been trying lately is to "check" if I am physically straining my eyes and if I am, I remove as much of it as possible by releasing the tension in my face. It seems that I strain quite frequently and it almost always comes from a tensing up of the facial muscles. Which brings me to my next point...
5. I came up with an interesting idea last night: My strain comes from fear and anxieties. I recall reading somewhere about how removing the "strain" in our lives should eliminate eye strain as well. At the time, I thought: But there isn't any catastrophic incident in my life that can be the cause of my strain. Yesterday, I hit upon the answer: It's not one incident; it's the sum of my fears and anxieties! Whatâs even more interesting is that many of these fears are hidden. At some point over the years, I have taken these conscious fears and turned them into subconscious ones by refusing to confront them head-on. Iâve uncovered a few such fears recently, only after some serious thought. I donât feel like discussing them unless someone out there really feels that it would help them if I shared my fears.
6. Another point of interest: I figured out that my eyes tend to be most relaxedâ¦when Iâm looking straight downâ¦and most strainedâ¦when Iâm looking straight up. What could this mean? I took the time to think this over last night and a likely answer came to me. Itâs possible that since I am quite photophobic, meaning that my eyes canât stand the bright sunlight (yes, I practice sun treatment whenever possible), the eyes have gradually gotten to the point where they subconsciously strain (or fear) looking up, in fear that the sun will cause discomfort. So even when I am in a dark room, looking up produces noticeable strain. I experimented with this yesterday, and I was able to remove this discomfort after a while by reassuring myself that there is no sun and that I have nothing to fear. This experience made me realize that eye strain is mostly psychological.
7. If youâre following my journal entries, Iâd like to hear what you guys have to say. Am I right? Am I wrong? Do you want me to elaborate somewhere? Maybe you feel the need to correct my inaccurate statements?
Re: My Vision Journal - seetheleaves - 01-04-2011
Hi Pikachu,
I love your summaries of your progress and thought processes - they really help me clarify some of the same issues that I'm having as well.
I definitely agree that the accumulation of fears and anxieties lead directly to mental and then corresponding physical strain. Whenever I am aware enough to sense muscular tension in my face I can immediately identify the source of it as me 'bracing against' some kind of temporary pain (usually mental anxiety which isn't even relevant to what I'm doing).
One thing that is working really well for me recently is alot of positive daydreaming. It seems that Bates was always asking his patients who couldn't see black when they were palming to imagine something else instead. And the suggestion was always to imagine something they wanted to imagine (like a white cloud in a blue sky or the feeling of joy from being around someone special, etc.). I started imagining as vividly as possible all the things I really want to accomplish, who I want to be when I am at my very best, the feeling of confidence and pride. And what I found is that my facial tension literally melts away without me even having to think about relaxing it. The tension automatically disappears when my focus shifts from bracing against anxiety and goes instead to the positive images of confidence and accomplishment.
Then when I have achieved a kind of joy and enthusiasm from this positive visualization, I open my eyes and see MUCH more clearly. (I think Bates said somewhere that if you can hold a positive memory perfectly while your eyes are open and looking at something else, then you will have perfect vision.)
This might also help you with your 'looking downward' habit. You can try holding your 'positive daydreams' inside your mind while slowly raising your gaze a little bit at a time, and blinking quite alot.
Congratulations on your progress so far!
Re: My Vision Journal - Pikachu - 01-04-2011
@seetheleaves: Thanks.
Interesting point about daydreaming, since I was actually about to post that I feel the most relaxed when my mind wanders. It's weird, but the second I realize that I'm relaxed, all of that relaxation goes out the window, which is really quite frustrating (and also makes for an interesting paradox). I'm starting to think that there's the chance that I'm overthinking everything and that there doesn't need to be a reason for relaxation; there just needs to be no reason for strain. Food for thought...
Re: My Vision Journal - Pikachu - 01-04-2011
1. I was reminded of this quote somehow:
"There is always some accident in the best things, whether thoughts of expressions or deeds. The memorable thought, the happy expression, the admirable deed are only partly ours. The thought came to us because we were in a fit mood; also we were unconscious and did not know that we had said or done a good thing. We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success. What we do best or most perfectly is what we have most thoroughly learned by the longest practice, and at length it falls from us without our notice, as a leaf from a tree. It is the last time we shall do it - our unconscious leavings." - Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau likely wasn't thinking about vision when he wrote this, but I've found how well it fits the concept of normal vision and in fact, how well it fits almost anything!
2. I woke up today in a very relaxed mode. It's probably because I decided to swing after I woke up in the middle of the night. It lasted up until I practiced sun treatment and for a while after. Then it dissipated when I did some reading. Relaxation is coming and going for me these days.
Re: My Vision Journal - Pikachu - 01-06-2011
Am quite frustrated lately. More like confused...yet enlightened. I don't really know how to describe my feelings right now.
1. I got to reading the Bates book again (and again) and sort of broke it down into its core. This is my look at it:
Strain causes imperfect vision. To get perfect vision, you must permanently eliminate the strain. To eliminate the strain, you must be completely relaxed, since perfect eyes "are always at rest".
All exercises and concepts are really just applications of the above. We practice central fixation and shifting to mimic the relaxed eyes. The exercises seek to help us achieve relaxation.
2. From the above, I got to the following questions and could go no further:
a) How is relaxation best achieved? Is it by repeated use of the exercises until the subconscious figures it all out? Is it perpetually practicing the proper vision habits so that we can "relearn them"? Is it perhaps, something else?
b) How should vision improve, ideally? Gradually, in chunks, or all at once? (I have read of cases of all three of them)
c) If it is as Bates said and vision can go from the greatest error of refraction to none at all in a splitsecond if only the eyes and mind are at rest, what then is the most efficient way of improving the vision? Can what Bates suggested truly be done? If so, how?
Re: My Vision Journal - David - 01-07-2011
Some people tend to think of the whole idea of relearning good vision habits, or practicing exercises, as things that impact their subconscious, or their brain, or their eyes, but to me, primarily it has to be none of those things - it has to be you, your conscious self, your attention in every moment that changes, and only then can things start to become automatic as you insist upon it always as who you are. Of course, this can only be done once you've found a way that works consistently and that you can believe completely in.
As far as fast reversals of vision problems, let's look at the different parts. The eyes are fine, and there's no doubt that muscles and organs can and do change over time. As far as changes in the brain, people used to believe that the brain can't really be changed, but modern research has shown quite the opposite, that the brain's circuitry is continually and substantially modified over short periods of time even through adulthood. Not just a little, but a lot. You shape your brain. So the way I see it, there is nothing here that you have to pound into your brain - you just have to be the change in every moment possible, and your brain has no choice but to conform.
Re: My Vision Journal - seetheleaves - 01-07-2011
Quote:a) How is relaxation best achieved? Is it by repeated use of the exercises until the subconscious figures it all out? Is it perpetually practicing the proper vision habits so that we can "relearn them"? Is it perhaps, something else?
Relaxation is achieved through recognition of strain. The Bates Method provides the exercises which illuminate the difference between 'strain' and 'relaxation' so that the individual himself can arrive at the understanding of what is strain and what is relaxation. As soon as this becomes obvious, he can move forward by always choosing relaxation over strain.
Quote:b) How should vision improve, ideally? Gradually, in chunks, or all at once? (I have read of cases of all three of them)
Vision is improved as relaxation is achieved (through recognition and then choice). Ideally of course all sources of strain would be immediately recognized and relaxation of this strain would produce perfect, instantaneous vision. But because it is difficult for us to locate our own sources of strain (they are hidden from us in layers of habit and inattention), vision improvement is rarely instantaneous. Instead, for practitioners of the Bates Method, vision improvement occurs gradually, as we pass through the stages of recognizing each source of strain and then consciously choosing to relax.
Quote:c) If it is as Bates said and vision can go from the greatest error of refraction to none at all in a splitsecond if only the eyes and mind are at rest, what then is the most efficient way of improving the vision? Can what Bates suggested truly be done? If so, how?
From Better Eyesight, June 1921:
FUNDAMENTALS OF TREATMENT
"ALL errors of refraction and many other eye troubles are cured by rest; but there are many ways of obtaining this rest, and all patients cannot do it in the same way. Sometimes a long succession of patients are helped by the same method, and then will come one who does not respond to it at all."
Because relaxation (rest) can only be achieved by recognizing the source of strain, then the most efficient way of improving vision is through pinpointing exactly what is/are the sources of strain.
Bates had the gift of being a brilliant psychoanalyst as well as physician. He was able to recognize exactly the source of his patients' straining - physical and mental - by observing them with an experienced eye. Once the source of strain was found, it could be eliminated through 1) demonstrating that the patient was straining and 2) demonstrating through the Fundamental Principles of Treatment how the patient could relax that strain by himself.
Those Fundatmental Principles are: Closing the Eyes, Palming, Central Fixation, Shifting and Swinging, Memory, Imagination, Flashing, Reading Familiar Letters.
We do not have Bates, the person, to pinpoint our strain for us. But we have his writing and we have his Fundamental Principles of Treatment to guide us. It is up to each individual to 'be his own Dr. Bates'. This requires self-analysis. Each individual must demonstrate for himself that:
"In the treatment of imperfect sight these fundamental principles are to a great extent interdependent. They cannot be separated as in the above article. It is impossible, for instance, to produce the illusion of a swing unless one possesses a certain degree of central fixation. That is, one must be able to shift from one point to another and see the point shifted from less distinctly than the one directly regarded. Successful palming is impossible without mental shifting and swinging and the use of the memory and imagination."
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Re: My Vision Journal - 2xtreme2fit - 01-07-2011
Pikachu Wrote:a) How is relaxation best achieved? Is it by repeated use of the exercises until the subconscious figures it all out? Is it perpetually practicing the proper vision habits so that we can "relearn them"? Is it perhaps, something else?
Ask yourself, how does someone relax? By taking a break? By going on a vacation? By not doing what he did everyday?
You REPEAT EXERCISES...worst thing to do or the worst way to put whatever you are doing. REPEAT will get you bored & EXERCISE will get you paining. If Sunday was everyday, would the weekend be as refreshing as it was before? Start doing what you call 'exercises' in a random manner, imagine the blur you see shrink into the clear object in your attention radius.
Quote:b) How should vision improve, ideally? Gradually, in chunks, or all at once? (I have read of cases of all three of them)
How does insanity grip someone? No-one can really tell. It just happened. Differently, each time.
Quote:c) If it is as Bates said and vision can go from the greatest error of refraction to none at all in a splitsecond if only the eyes and mind are at rest, what then is the most efficient way of improving the vision? Can what Bates suggested truly be done? If so, how?
Yes to first, Figure it yourself to the second. I figured out recently that just looking at the Sun in short bursts with the worse eye & then imagining the distance in crystal clarity is the best way to complete clear vision for ME. I'll tell you what I did after the Sun:
- chose a small part of a whole RANDOMLY
- closed my eyes & imagined it high-speed (without caring whether it was correct) in less than a second
- opened my worse eye while palming the better & saw everything clear
- chose something else
Re: My Vision Journal - Pikachu - 01-07-2011
Thanks for the comments everyone.
Clearly, I have much to learn about the Bates method...and much about myself too.
1. Imagining a period has been working better than it did a couple of months ago. I wonder if I am actually improving by going from exercise to exercise.
2. The sun is less of a problem than it has been. Through sun treatment, I have been able to reduce my photophobia considerably.
3. Swinging is still inconsistent for me. It only seems to be effective when I lose awareness of the fact that I'm swinging.
4. Palming is now a bit easier for me when I remember a period.
5. I find it interesting that I seem to be improving in everything save the visual aspect. I feel more relaxed, I'm more laid back than I was before, I'm more able to deal with bright lighting, and I do all of the exercises better. Yet, no vision improvement. I wonder if this means that I'm somehow holding myself back, either in fear or from expectation. Or perhaps I'm improving and don't realize it. It's all a mystery to me. =/
Re: My Vision Journal - Pikachu - 01-10-2011
I wanted to get into a long post about all of my feelings, but when I started typing, I just couldn't find a good way to express it. It's not that important anyway. Just a bunch of frustrated venting.
1. My approach lately has been interesting to say the least. I've just been going from one thing to another every other day or so. For example, I might focus on central fixation for a few days, then go to shifting, and then ignoring my eyes, and then imagination, and back to central fixation. I'm still not noticing any permanent improvement, but I am starting to think that I'm being a bit hard on myself (which might be a good thing) since I have noticed some temporary improvements, in increasing frequency.
2. I like the idea of working with fine print and as close to the eye as possible. To me, there are two ways of killing the myopia problem. You can take it by the horns and deal with the long-distance strain somehow or you can take the back-door and deal with it where you are strongest (near-point) and improve that near-point vision until it encompasses the distance vision. I go back and forth on this opinion all the time, but at the moment, I'm going with the latter method.
3. When I sun, I notice that if I swing my head back and forth, I notice the sun "shine" as it passes each eye. Is this the fovea centralis?
4. People talk about more "vivid" dreams as vision improves. Does this refer to color alone or can it include content? I'm finding that more and more frequently, I have dreams that have more action. I also tend to remember them better too. And this lucid dreaming thing is freaking me out. Take my dream last night for example: My mom is about to shoot me with a gun (don't ask why; one thing that has not changed is the lack of logic in my dreams). Now normally, I would freak out and wake up, but instead, I say to myself, "There's nothing to be scared of. I'm in a dream. I can do whatever I want. I'll just dodge the bullets like in the Matrix." And so, I do exactly that, some other stuff happens, and THEN I wake up. Weird, huh?
Re: My Vision Journal - Deliverance - 01-11-2011
I think dreams have to do as vision improves, the quality of the dreams also increases... for example i want to share with you my last beautiful dream I had today since I started N.V.I:
I was sitting in a small rock with some friends around me, then If I look around I could see people and when I looked at the horizons ...bang! beautiful colorful mountains at the distance perfectly clearly and everything seems perfect, there is no blur. This has been one of my best dreams I could remember since the last months/years I ever had.
I used to have some of these colorful beautiful dreams when I had perfect sight some years ago. So this is an evidence how vision returns to normal.
Best.
Re: My Vision Journal - Pikachu - 01-11-2011
@lordofthesun: Well, that's promising. My dreams aren't exactly sci-fi movies yet, but I've noticed some pretty interesting changes. And well, I'm noticing that I'm noticing.
1. Today, I read the posts of Andrea Major. Great stuff.
I find it helpful to read most of the posts of individual members one by one. It gives me a perspective into their thinking and logic, some of which I incorporate into my own.2. I'd like to see more activity in these forums.
I know that I'm probably asking the impossible, but it'd be nice to have less arguing and more constructive debating. I think that when it all comes down to it, we're all partly right and partly wrong. What works for one person won't work for another, so it's important that everyone contributes his/her own ideas. Even better are the "articles" that people write detailing which method helped them improve their eyesight most. It is usually an adaptation of something Bates himself proposed and because of this, it may help people that otherwise wouldn't be helped by traditional methods. And before you say that no one will ever read them, let me tell you that I will read them! I have gone back to old posts, some of which had only a few comments, and found some pretty helpful stuff. I don't think I myself have found anything special that would help others, but hopefully I'll soon be able to contribute more than I've been able to so far.3. It's always a pleasant surprise when I find myself practicing central fixation without even realizing it. Now a real achievement would be practicing proper vision habits 24/7 without conscious thought. I believe that this "achievement" is called perfect vision.
Re: My Vision Journal - Pikachu - 01-13-2011
1. The key to improvement is...frustration? Okay, maybe not, but I will say that I've noticed some improvement in my vision lately. It might have something to do with my practicing shifting and reading fine print, but I've noticed a sort of variable improvement, if that makes sense. Stuff in the distance is sometimes clearer and sometimes not. Stuff at the near-point seem to be more clear more often. This "clarity", which is clearly not 20/20 (far from it), seems to come about when central fixation and shifting are "easy" for me, almost like they are habits. To me, this is a very good sign, but it also means that I have a long way to go before it happens all the time. I think it's time to get back to pointing out my shortcomings.
Re: My Vision Journal - Pikachu - 01-17-2011
1. Okay, so after I read some of Sorrisi's forum posts and blog posts, I've decided to adopt her approach in using the Snellen. What this means is that I will start recording my visual acuity using the eyechart in some notebook and will see if I can post the notes here. This means that I will also be posting less about my idle thoughts and more about where my vision is and why I think it is where it is.
2. An overview of what my vision is lately, so that I may compare to it later:
[My estimate of my vision over the last two weeks]
- High: 8/70 (0.114)
- Low: 5/200 (0.025)
- Average: 8/200 (0.040)
Yes, my vision is so bad that I need three decimal places or else the numbers won't be accurate!
I'll start by measuring my vision tonight. I realize that on the long run, a bad measurement or two don't really matter since all I really care about is the long-term trend and not the fluctuations.
3. An observation I made from reading sorrisi's posts: Test the relaxation, not the vision! Maybe I oversimplified it, but it makes sense to me. If I consciously test the vision, I produce strain, and even if I temporarily improve the vision, it is of no use. If I focus on testing the relaxation, I may see better or worse, but I will improve the relaxation, which results in better vision on the long run.