beginner questions - Printable Version +- 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: beginner questions (/showthread.php?tid=548) |
beginner questions - Sunshine77 - 11-04-2007 I am 56 and have been wearing glasses since grade 2....can the Bates Method help me? Does one have to stop wearing their current glasses altogether? I tried on some reading glasses....which were weaker than my prescription, and it was so blurry!!! What about driving, reading or watching TV? It seems to me that if I did this....I would spend a lot of time not beeing able to see many things. Comments...... Thanks Re: beginner questions - Summon-Pretty-Peace - 11-04-2007 Some people who are used to strong prescriptions first use weaker prescriptions before completely stopping. Re: beginner questions - apavel - 11-04-2007 SummonPrettyPeace, you should Kaze's read this post here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.iblindness.org/forum/index.php/topic,678.msg3863.html#msg3863">http://www.iblindness.org/forum/index.p ... ml#msg3863</a><!-- m --> I would completely agree with him, improvement is greatly hindered by using reduced prescriptions. I would also agree with you, sunshine77, that TV would be hard to watch, driving...yes. I would get reduced prescription for driving, just because your life, along with the lives of everyone in the car, depend on the clarity in your eyesight. Plus it doesn't take much time at all, and the majority of your day will still involve not wearing glasses. TV and computer isn't as important. Yes, it is a shame that the picture will no longer be clear, but you must learn to accept the blur and ignore it. You have to focus on your hearing and other senses to watch TV and other activities. You can also take this opportunity to practice good visual habits. To be honest, you should be more grateful of not having to wear that heavy glass/metal object on your nose all the time. Using the eye improvement techniques proposed by Bates, you can clear your vision. You shouldn't look at Bates as introducing blur. You should look at the Bates method as relieving yourself of glasses, blur is a minor side effect that can be cured using his methods. Read the book written by Dr. Bates (posted free on this website). It should give you some encouragment to proceed with Bates. Trust me, it becomes an interesting little hobby Wish you the best, If you need our help, we'll be here. Paul Re: beginner questions - David - 11-05-2007 If you want to see without glasses, then you need to learn to see without them. In "stressful" situations, well, that's really when you need the Bates method the most, but if you need to keep your glasses in a pocket and put them on occasionally then it's ok. But always - ALWAYS - spend several seconds to find out if you can see something well enough without your glasses before you put them on. If that means spending an extra 10 seconds 50 times a day, then that's what it means. If you find yourself wearing your glasses for long periods in order to do something, then at least take them off frequently to rest and clear your mind. The bottom line is if you're addicted to glasses and can't comfortably see without them, you need something that will really shake things up. A reduced prescription IMO might make you feel as if you're doing something better for your eyes, but aside from a little relief by the first reduction, I don't think it usually helps, and it ends up just saving you from having to put in the practice to learn to use your eyes right. David Re: beginner questions - otis - 11-05-2007 Dear Sunshine, Since you started wearing that wretched minus lens at about age 7, your eyes probably "adapted" to that minus lens. In my opinion, Bates was attempting to stop entry into myopia -- when you were 7 years old. His method would have been MOST EFFECTIVE at that time. Quote: I am 56 and have been wearing glasses since grade 2....can the Bates Method help me? Perhaps. Do you know your currect prescription -- and can you post it here? Quote: Does one have to stop wearing their current glasses altogether? I tried on some reading glasses....which were weaker than my prescription, and it was so blurry!!! I am certain Dr. Bates knew of this truth. But he was able to convince children to avoid the minus (when there visual acuity was poor -- 20/60 to 20/70) and had proven success with his method. Quote:What about driving, reading or watching TV? For driving, explicitly, you must PASS the DMV test, which means reading 3/4 inch letters at 20 feet. If you can not do this -- you MUST wear that minus lens for driving. The other issues are a matter of your judgment. Quote:It seems to me that if I did this....I would spend a lot of time not beeing able to see many things. That was true of Bates 1913 study. But, starting with naked eye 20/70 vision, quite a few cleared their visual acuity to pass the DMV (type) test, and many got to 20/20 in several months. They were able to function at 20/60 -- and just waited till their vision cleared by their own checking. Best, Otis |