+- Eyesight Improvement Forum (https://www.iblindness.org/forum)
+-- Forum: General Discussion (https://www.iblindness.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Bates Method (https://www.iblindness.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Thread: Why is my vision so much worse in low light/other questions? (/showthread.php?tid=2255)
Pages:
1
2
Re: Why is my vision so much worse in low light/other questi - arocarty - 12-02-2012
ted Wrote:Just for clarification, the only reason to use fine print rather than larger print or something like your finger is that with fine print you can gauge how the vision is changing easier. Is that correct?
Yes, the smaller the detail, the greater the necessity to use foveal vision to resolve it. Larger print or other objects are more easily seen, while one may still be straining and seeing eccentrically to one degree or another. And because of contrasts, printed text creates the illusion of halos, an important element in seeing it more perfectly.
ted Wrote:When reading fine print at a distance, there comes a point, or a distance, at which you cannot read or see the words unless you start doing something right/different with your eyes. Does this make sense? By doing something with your eyes, I think I mean that for me to make out the word, I have to get specific and narrow down my vision, instead of scanning the text with a large field of vision, I make my focus a smaller area and look at a certain letter on the word that I'm trying to make out. Or even the pieces of letters of a word that I'm trying to make out. What do y'all think about th
At first I thought you meant doing something with your eyes physically, which you definitely don't want to do. You don't even need to think about your eyes, in a physical way, better to forget about them. And do as you said, reduce your area of attention to much smaller areas. This is a mental process. Ideally look at the spaces between the letters, and words, and between sentences (imagine the background of the letters/lines and inside the letters to be brighter than the surround margin). Realization of this illusion, the brighter the better, is very important in seeing the letters more perfectly, as well as imagining them to have a slight motion, not stationary.
ted Wrote:It's not so much "practicing exercises" as it is experimenting with techniques and noticing what happens, and noticing what improves eyesight and relaxes, it seems
Right, this technique is basically about getting the mind to release mental tension/strain, and stimulating foveal vision. Release of physical tension is a component, but more as a follower, not a leader in the process. Like anything, it takes persistent practice to change the way we think about seeing, and to overcome years of bad habits and faulty conditioning. Repetition is about gaining mental control, as necessary, not strengthening some physical deficiency.
Re: Why is my vision so much worse in low light/other questi - ted - 12-02-2012
Quote:(imagine the background of the letters/lines and inside the letters to be brighter than the surround margin). Realization of this illusion, the brighter the better, is very important in seeing the letters more perfectly, as well as imagining them to have a slight motion, not stationary.
Why is this important? It seems strange....to imagine the spaces between the letters brighter than the rest. Are you saying to try and imagine the space brighter than it actually is? I would think it would be more beneficial to try and imagine what is actually there? It seems like imagining an illusion would make it more difficult to actually make out what's there.
Re: Why is my vision so much worse in low light/other questi - arocarty - 12-03-2012
ted Wrote:Why is this important? It seems strange....to imagine the spaces between the letters brighter than the rest. Are you saying to try and imagine the space brighter than it actually is? I would think it would be more beneficial to try and imagine what is actually there? It seems like imagining an illusion would make it more difficult to actually make out what's there.
To the contrary; to imagine the halos makes it easier to see what's there - the black will seem blacker, clearer. Yes, imagine it whiter than it actually is. People with perfect sight can always demonstrate imagination of the halos when looking at letters on the chart, or with fine print. Halos are one of the illusions of normal sight. For most, it is easier to improve the imagination than the sight. As imagination is improved, so is vision, without having to consciously look 'at' the letters so much, which is a cause of strain to most.