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Why the minus is preferred -- to Bates - Printable Version
Eyesight Improvement Forum
Why the minus is preferred -- to Bates - Printable Version

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+-- Forum: General Discussion (https://www.iblindness.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Complementary Methods (https://www.iblindness.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=7)
+--- Thread: Why the minus is preferred -- to Bates (/showthread.php?tid=914)



Why the minus is preferred -- to Bates - otis - 07-20-2008

Subject: The reasons WHY a minus lens is used.

As Dr. Bates said, the minus should be avoided at the
threshold -- and the person should read his Snellen
systematically.

However it is necessary to list all the reasons WHY
the minus lens is used.

Here are some of the reason WHY.

Because if you are going to "deal" with these issue
that Dr. Bates raised -- you must
understand the great POWER of the minus lens
to impress you at first blush.

Let me state some reasons why an optometrist judges
he MUST apply a minus lens to your eyes when
your Snellen is 20/50.

1. It is instantly EFFECTIVE.

2. The public calls a man a "doctor" because his use of the minus is
so impressive -- and most peole want nothing else. Or they would
think the man a quack for suggesting (and charging) for something
that does not work, or shows no effect.

3. The minus requires NO explanation. The fact of its working
INSTANTLY is all it takes, and for the most part,
all most of us want -- at first.

4. Every other OD is using the minus in this manner.

5. There is no "good" reason to change this system -- from the
perspective of the optometrist.

6. The OD who promotes anything else (Bates, the plus, etc.) is
regarded as a quack.

7. The preventive methods of Dr. Bates produce no immediate effect --
and the public will most certainly reject Bates for that reason alone.

8. The standard OD is looking for a CONTINUATION of the minus
lens FIRST. Thus in his mind, any "improvement" MUST produce
the SAME EFFECT on the public that the minus lens creates.

Making a living in optometry (with respect -- we all must do that.)

Let me add two additional items:

9. FEE STRUCTURE. If you use the Bates CORRECTLY, monitor your
Snellen, clear it and PASS at least the DMV (20/40 lines)
then the OD must ring-up a "no sale" and collect no money.
Thus YOUR SUCCESS is his financial "failure". I would
be willing to PAY for support -- but there is no
mechanism to do so.

10. The preventive OD will risk of "attack" by:

a. The patient who IMAGINES he gets double vision from working
with these various preventive measures (i.e., Bates, the plus, etc.)

b. In order to promote Bates it is necessary to make the claim
that it can be successful (at least at the 20/50 level). But
the problem is this -- other ODs and patients who will file charges
complaints against him for false claims and the like.

================

This is just a method for understanding why the minus is
so popular. Perhaps you could add some additional
reasons.

It also suggest that if any "preventing" is to be dones -- you
will have to do it yourself under your control or by support
of a teacher.

Enjoy,

Otis


Re: Why the minus is preferred -- to Bates - Ram - 07-21-2008

7. The preventive methods of Dr. Bates produce no immediate effect --
and the public will most certainly reject Bates for that reason alone.


I think the prevent methods of Dr.Bates produce immediate effect. If every child in a class room reads the Snellen hung in front of the class everyday it is unlikely that any child in that class will become myopic. This should be easy to verify. Is it so difficult to try this simple experiment in a few schools?

When I first starting wearing glasses I was about 13 or 14. I was only slightly myopic and from where I was seated in the class I would take off my glasses and read a board printed on a shop adjoining the school about 200 feet away. It was written 'Vote for DSU' - probably an election slogan. I was able to read the letters at 200 feet at that time. I was able to read that the whole year. The next year, my class room was changed and these letters were not visible through the window and thus I could not practise reading the letters. Many days later I realized that I could no longer read these letters from my former class room. I did these just unintentionally and had I known Bates I would have found an alternative to practice reading distant letters. I was always seated in the front bench and could not even practice reading the black board from the back row. I think every child must be made to sit in the back row in a round robin way - fixed seating places( especially front row) are not good for children with myopic tendencies. These were some reasons why my vision nosedived very quickly in the first three years I put on glasses.


Re: Why the minus is preferred -- to Bates - johnwayne - 04-22-2009

otis Wrote:Subject: The reasons WHY a minus lens is used.

As Dr. Bates said, the minus should be avoided at the
threshold -- and the person should read his Snellen
systematically.

However it is necessary to list all the reasons WHY
the minus lens is used.

Here are some of the reason WHY.

Because if you are going to "deal" with these issue
that Dr. Bates raised -- you must
understand the great POWER of the minus lens
to impress you at first blush.

Let me state some reasons why an optometrist judges
he MUST apply a minus lens to your eyes when
your Snellen is 20/50.

1. It is instantly EFFECTIVE.

2. The public calls a man a "doctor" because his use of the minus is
so impressive -- and most peole want nothing else. Or they would
think the man a quack for suggesting (and charging) for something
that does not work, or shows no effect.

3. The minus requires NO explanation. The fact of its working
INSTANTLY is all it takes, and for the most part,
all most of us want -- at first.

4. Every other OD is using the minus in this manner.

5. There is no "good" reason to change this system -- from the
perspective of the optometrist.

6. The OD who promotes anything else (Bates, the plus, etc.) is
regarded as a quack.

7. The preventive methods of Dr. Bates produce no immediate effect --
and the public will most certainly reject Bates for that reason alone.

8. The standard OD is looking for a CONTINUATION of the minus
lens FIRST. Thus in his mind, any "improvement" MUST produce
the SAME EFFECT on the public that the minus lens creates.

Making a living in optometry (with respect -- we all must do that.)

Let me add two additional items:

9. FEE STRUCTURE. If you use the Bates CORRECTLY, monitor your
Snellen, clear it and PASS at least the DMV (20/40 lines)
then the OD must ring-up a "no sale" and collect no money.
Thus YOUR SUCCESS is his financial "failure". I would
be willing to PAY for support -- but there is no
mechanism to do so.

10. The preventive OD will risk of "attack" by:

a. The patient who IMAGINES he gets double vision from working
with these various preventive measures (i.e., Bates, the plus, etc.)

b. In order to promote Bates it is necessary to make the claim
that it can be successful (at least at the 20/50 level). But
the problem is this -- other ODs and patients who will file charges
complaints against him for false claims and the like.

A good explanation of why the minus is preferred. It looks to me that this will not change in our life's time either, something I find incredibly sad.

Cheers,JW