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+--- Thread: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 (/showthread.php?tid=51)
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - apavel - 06-10-2007
Yeah the eye infections can be very nasty because the contact lens harbors bacteria. Some can even take years to treat with antifungal and antibiotic agents. Unfortunately most modern-day ODs (optometrists) do not warn you of such infections.
I'm glad that you returned to the Bates method. If you have any further questions feel free to ask us on these forums. I'm sure that if you diligently work with it, your visual health will greatly improve. You may have times of discouragement, disappointment, as well as times of excitement. I would suggest do not worry about the time it takes to improve, just follow the method and enjoy the mental and physical relaxation it provides you with. Vision improvement is a mere pleasant side effect
I know individuals who improved their eyesight from greater degrees of myopia than yours. The one thing I would like to suggest you is to be very resourceful. Read other books to understand different techniques and different outlooks on the method, try them and pick which ones work best for you. Out of all the books on vision improvement, the best one is called Better Eyesight Without glasses by the man himself. Use that as your base for all the techniques that you work with.
If you have any further questions, post on this forum and we'll be glad to help you.
Best to you,
Paul
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - vobes - 06-11-2007
Thank you Paul, and the others.
I have the Better Eye Sight Without Glasses which comes now with a useful pull out Snellen chart.
I know one should not wear glesses at all during the treatment, but of course life gets in the way and I have found I have to use them occasionally. I edit videos and produce a daily podcast where I need to clearly see the monitors, etc. However I am now only putting on the glasses when absolutely necessary.
I do appreciate it will take time, but occasionally I see through the blurred double images and gain some definition which is encouraging. My listeners to the show are very secptical about it and some have writen in to warn me away from such 'weird' ideas! They are a funny bunch and i doappreciate it is nature to run away from people do not understand. I believe they used to burn witches....!
I have ordered somemore books on the subject and am fascinated on different peoples approach and resolve. It can only be good.
Back to Shifting, I think Dave I now have the concept in my head about observing the previous point being less clear and find I am able to do this more and more. I think also the 'observe the world as constantly moving'principle has been extremely useful and now I am taking long eight miles walks without my glasses (when my infection allows) and observing the countryside moving all around - that I find very relaxing for the eyes and the soul!
Close work on the computer is the hardest -as I have to be so damn close to the monitor and keyboard to see the keys and words - but I am trying not to strain and not to resort to the glasses for this.
Cheers all
Vobes
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - BlackEyes - 06-14-2007
Hello Dave,
I did the exercise several times and my eyes felt funny, I think it is the same feeling you get when you swing for a long time.
The letters cleared up a bit, but after continuing that for a bit long I felt a burning sensation in my eye or something like that and my eyes get watery, is that what is supposed to happen and does doing that exercise regularly do any good?
Thanks
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - David - 06-14-2007
Funny sounds good to me. Even burning. Anything but the tired, achy feeling of strain could be a good thing, and even that's a good thing to become aware of when it's been unconscious for years. Eventually you won't feel your eyes at all, but intermediate feelings is fine, and I'd suggest that you continue doing this.
David
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - gamerzgamerz - 07-09-2007
how fast should i shift from one letter to another?
it takes me a while to tell myself mentally that the other letter is blurry...
also, do i acutally need an eye chart for this? where can i get one?
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - apavel - 07-09-2007
eye chart isn't necessary, but it helps.
Google has lots of eye charts. You can also generate yourself some here:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.i-see.org/eyecharts.html">http://www.i-see.org/eyecharts.html</a><!-- m -->
How fast should you shift? Depends, just don't find yourself staring. Dave may give you a better answer, but for me... I'd say no longer than 2 seconds per letter.
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - Kazekage - 07-10-2007
Hi gamerz,
Just a few thoughts here that might help explain the concept of shifting and central fixation;
Firstly, remember that central fixation itself is not a process but a state. It cannot be "performed" but reached.
When you look at a new point, notice that the point you've been looking at one step before is now seen worse. Seeing worse means not seeing blurrier, but seeing without paying attention, outside of the central spot. It is similar to seeing with your peripheral vision - you notice an object (particularly a moving one) but can't tell exactly what it is like, because you are not looking at it.
A mistake is to force to literally see the previous point and then make that seeing "worse". Another mistake is that while you are regarding the previous point as seen worse, you do it too long and begin staring at the current point. In other words, you should shift frequently and don't stop for too long.
I have found in the past that I didn't fully realize the value of that Bates' "seeing worse". I always emphasized on "worse", whereas I should also have used "seeing". My latest observation is that when I am regarding a single point at a time on my way to the state of central fixation, by simply realizing the entire view field, up to the far periphery, without trying to discern anything there, but only being aware of it, caused me a feeling of great relief and much easier flashes than usual. It feels like you no longer force your field of vision to contract to a particular point you strain to see better, but let the entire view field flood your head. Bates calls it the "universal swing". It seems paradoxical with the one-point-at-a-time principle, but the right understanding comes with practice.
Diverting from the regarded point and noticing the periphery turns your mind away from seeing as doing and switches it to the mode of seeing as non-doing. The same thing happens when you practice remembering the black dot.
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - Mihai_alexandru - 08-04-2008
Kazekage Wrote:My latest observation is that when I am regarding a single point at a time on my way to the state of central fixation, by simply realizing the entire view field, up to the far periphery, without trying to discern anything there, but only being aware of it, caused me a feeling of great relief and much easier flashes than usual. It feels like you no longer force your field of vision to contract to a particular point you strain to see better, but let the entire view field flood your head. Bates calls it the "universal swing". It seems paradoxical with the one-point-at-a-time principle, but the right understanding comes with practice.
Diverting from the regarded point and noticing the periphery turns your mind away from seeing as doing and switches it to the mode of seeing as non-doing. The same thing happens when you practice remembering the black dot.
Hi Kazekage, I think I did a weird version of the "universal swing" . I've tried doing a somewhat weird kind of looking at things: a 51% stare at nothing and a 49% central fixation, if that makes any sense. I've noticed that that relaxed my right eye, which is always experiencing strain. It also made my vision better I think, but I no longer know how to do it. Also, when I did this, I noticed my jaw moving in weird positions, almost involuntarily.
I've resorted to this weird kind of looking at things for the fact that I failed to understand how to do central fixation. I've tried to always (not only during some exercise periods) shift from point to point of things, from edge to edge, etc in a conscious movement. This always makes my eyes feel strain. It makes my right eye feel very heavy, like the tension that caused myopia getting even bigger. No change in vision whatsoever, though. No better, no worse. I've also never ever noticed any "swing" or "oppossitional movement". All things seem stationary. Maybe I did not understand it correctly?
Could anyone explain why I am straining when I am trying central fixation? I've barely done any exercises in the past week because I know I am doing them wrong.
Edit: I've tried what you suggested in the quote that I made and it seems like my eyes are more relaxed: blinking is soft and not heavy, less feeling of heaviness in the right eye and even better vision, at least I think. I must know more about this.
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - Ram - 08-05-2008
IMHO it is better not to worry too much about the "seeing worse" part of shifting. Just keep shifting from one letter to another attentively with full awareness of what you are looking at. Rest is automatic. On the other hand if you attempt mental gymnastics such as "trying to see worse" or "forcing central fixation" it just does not work. Allow things to happen naturally, just keep shifting both the eye and the mind and they will eventually work in harmony. Choose the shifting distance such that when shifting to a new point, the old letter no longer occupies your mind and progressively try to decrease this distance. When this distance has become very small it is central fixation.
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - harold08 - 08-05-2008
Often when ur shifting on the snellen, you should occasionally look away or close ur eyes for few seconds. IT helps relax my eyes and mind.
I find shifting very useful to get clear flashes because its so effective for me. Shifting between small parts of the letter is my favourite. Every week, i sit a bit further away from the snellen to do the exercise so that im gradually seeing the chart from a distance.
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - Mihai_alexandru - 08-05-2008
I'm not shifting at the snellen, though. I try and shift at everyday objects.
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - Ram - 08-05-2008
I shift on the four vertices of a black period ( top, right, bottom. left) in order and find that it improves vision temporarily. But when trying to shift between parts of a letter or period we need to be very careful - there is only a thin dividing line between staring and shifting. You can easily end up staring while you think you are shifting.
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - clarknight - 08-06-2008
David
White glow around clear letters.
Vision improvement teachers say it appears when vision is clear and looking for it, imagining it helps improve vision.
Please describe what causes it, what it is.
Some say it is the mind/eyes seeing the difference between the black and white but
I can see this around most any object if I relax and look for it, shift.
Appears on the blue sky around tops of trees, mountains.
Is it a effect of the retina like film... in a camera?
Other people say it is also a aura, energy field around the object/letter.
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - Ram - 08-06-2008
It is an optical illusion created by the brain - this illusion has nothing to do with the eye itself.
When I start imagining halos I start getting afterimages that interfere with my vision. I have not figured out why yet.
Re: Method of the Month - Shifting - Jan 2006 - clarknight - 08-09-2008
Yes, I have seen that after image effect.
If i look at a building in front of the blue sky, then look to the left or right... at the sky, sometimes, for a split second i see a white glowing image of the entire building.