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+--- Thread: Palming with one eye covered at a time. Works for me. (/showthread.php?tid=2453)
Palming with one eye covered at a time. Works for me. - panda - 11-03-2013
Something I have learned is that palming in this way helps me a lot:
1) One eye covered
2) One eye not covered
3) Both eyes opened
Regular palming (both eyes covered, both eyes closed), doesn't help me at all. I have tried it for 1 hour straight, and my vision was worse when I opened my eyes. I have also tried, on two separate occasions, to keep my eyes closed for 30+ minutes straight, and both times my vision did not improve or got worse. Palming, or even just closing my eyes, is overall and unpleasant experience for me. I always feel like opening my eyes.
But the one eye method I wrote above seems to help me a lot.
I learned this by following Bates's instructions on home treatment of defective eyesight.
Quote:They can cure themselves, and for this purpose it is not necessary that they should understand all that has been written in this book, or in any other book. All that is necessary is to follow a few simple directions.
Place a Snellen test card on the wall at a distance of ten, fourteen, or twenty feet, and devote half a minute a day, or longer, to reading the smallest letters you can see, with each eye separately, covering the other with the palm of the hand in such a way as to avoid touching the eyeball.
So I stand about 10 feet from the Snellen test card, and cover one eye with the palm of my hand, and read the lowest letters I can see with the other eye. But my arm gets tired from being held up in that position (covering the eye), so I switch eyes about every 60 seconds. Every time I switch eyes, my vision gets better. The letters get much bolder and darker. I can feel my eyesight becoming more "centrally fixated" (is that even a word?) on the point regarded.
Ok, now to shift topic slightly. Let's talk about this:
Why does Bates say to use one eye at a time when reading the Snellen test card? Why not just use both eyes at the same time? My theory is that if you use both eyes at the same time, the weaker eye may be slightly straining to see the line you are looking at (even if it is relatively clear), especially if there is a big difference between your two eyes. If you cover one eye at a time, you wont have to worry about this problem.
I remember reading in another chapter (I think about the improvements in young children in schools), that the children were instructed to look at the Snellen test card with one eye at a time, and with both eyes open, every day. But I can't remember if this was Bates's exact recommendation, or if it was just what the school officials had the children do.
What do you think about all of this?
Re: Palming with one eye covered at a time. Works for me. - Nancy - 11-04-2013
I'm glad you're seeing improvements. Bates did say to do each eye separately then both together as I remember. I think if the 2 eyes have different strengths always using them both together can let the stronger one dominate and the weaker one not be used as much. I've seen this with myself.
Re: Palming with one eye covered at a time. Works for me. - clarknight - 11-04-2013
Panda,
This is good idea! Palming with one eye will bring the perfect relaxation. I wrote a post on Chat about deeply relaxing while using one eye; 'the less clear eye'. This brought very clear sight, night vision and day. I never thought of integrating palming in this way. That would really reinforce it all.
Many people skip over the one eye at a time thing. For me, it was the thing that prevented glasses all these years. Whenever my injuries get to me this one eye at a time thing always brings it back.
I remember shocker telling me one of his eye that are tight, possibly the cause of double vision would make a elastic snap like sound, feeling?
I had this that other night using one eye, the eye on my neck injury side, the one that wandered, caused double vision, a lot of astigmatism after the injury. As The mind, eye deeply relaxed, using only that eye; a snap-elastic feeling occured, my whole right side 'pulled' and it felt like I was in a car riding over a bump. After that I kept up the relaxed practice and then the perfect clarity occurred that night and stayed next morning, day.
Re: Palming with one eye covered at a time. Works for me. - ted - 12-05-2013
panda Wrote:Every time I switch eyes, my vision gets better. The letters get much bolder and darker. I can feel my eyesight becoming more "centrally fixated" (is that even a word?) on the point regarded.
I've noticed this somewhat automatic ability to centrally fixate when covering just one eye, and it is actually noticeable. To me it feels like.....I know I don't want to shift around too quickly because if I do I wont be able to see anything really. So if I want to see something I look directly at it. Even something as far away as half an inch on the computer screen when I am a foot away requires that I shift directly to it in order to really see it.
This topic was created a month ago. Have you any new insights on this method since then, panda?
Re: Palming with one eye covered at a time. Works for me. - panda - 12-06-2013
I don't really notice anymore if palming with one eye covered and open helps. I am actually just focusing on other things now (which I will write about below).
I still use one eye at a time (when reading the test card) because that is what Bates says to do. I don't practice palming at all. In fact, I don't practice any exercises, except occasionally looking directly at the sun (it hurts ;D ). All I do is read the test card for 1-2 minutes a day with one eye at a time.
I focus on using one eye at a time when reading the test card, but I also use two eyes.
ted, about shifting, I feel something similar when looking at the Snellen test card from 10 feet away. Most people say not to stare but staring makes my vision better. Sometimes I stare for so long that my eyes start to dry up and hurt, lol. If I shift too much my eyes can not focus and the letters appear blurry, but when I stare the letters become bolder and clearer.
In chapter 24 and chapter 27, Bates says that the only thing you need to do to cure your vision is read the Snellen test card every day with one eye at a time, reading the smallest letters you can. He doesn't give clear directions on how to look at the test card. For example, he doesn't say: "Don't look at blurry letters. Don't try to see. Don't squint." Etc. All he says is to read the smallest letters you can. Thousands of children improved their vision with these same basic instructions.
(He also says that people who have worn glasses will need to "practice" with the test card for 1 hour or more a day, as well as practicing the other methods of improving eyesight. Once again these instructions are not clear. My interpretation of this is that people who have worn glasses tend to have such bad eyesight that they may need the aid of exercises like palming/shifting/etc to speed up their recovery).
From those two chapters, I feel what Bates is trying to say is that it is impossible to strain while reading the test card if you do it every day, because looking at familiar objects relaxes the eyes. A child who looks at the test card while squinting on day 1 will no longer be squinting on day 4. The child's unconscious mind will begin to understand that the less he strains, the clearer the letters are. He will be making no attempt to practice constant shifting, central fixation, etc. All of this will happen naturally over time, because that is what looking at familiar objects does... heals the eyes.
I feel Bates's instructions are so unclear because they don't need to be clear. All we need to do is read the smallest letters we can every day, with one eye at a time. Everything else will happen naturally. The Snellen test card will heal our eyes over time.
All of this is just my opinion, but I am writing it because in the last week, I have noticed a big improvement in my eyesight. I can read clearly one line lower than before, with both eyes. All I have been doing is reading the test card with one eye at a time every day, usually for just 1-2 minutes. This recent improvement has inspired me to practice more. I am confident that if I just keep reading it every day, my vision will improve to normal eventually.