I'm back, and I'd like some help...

[js519]

I'm Joe, and some of you may remember me from... a year ago. That's when I first stopped wearing glasses and joined this forum. Even though I stopped wearing my glasses, it really wasn't enough, I was a bit lazy with actually doing the Bates Method, and thus my vision didn't improve. Over the last year I became a bit frustrated and disappointed that it hasn't helped me, but I didn't realize that it was my own fault because I lacked the personal motivation to actually work hard for something as precious as my vision. I came back to this site, and, well, hopefully I can get myself motivated again.

Just for the record, my vision was tested recently... I don't have the exact results but from my memory, they were something like...
Left: -3.50 sph, -2.50 cyl, 176 axis
Right: -3.00 sph, -2.00 cyl, 5 axis
This test was done in Taiwan where I'm on a vacation right now, and they also had some other numbers like 0.05, which I take to mean that a 20/20 person has vision 20 times better than mine
Also for the record, in comparison with last year... for both eyes, the sph has decreased very slightly, but the cyl has gone up, and the axis is no longer 180. Imagine my frustration then. Well, really, I brought it upon myself. Hopefully I can change all that.

I guess it was all because I was frustrated, I was lazy, and I was trying to rush it. When I looked at things and saw blurs, I was annoyed, I was thinking, "Come on, I want that emmetrope vision now" There was further pressure because the point where I could get a learner's permit for driving (15 years and 6 months of age) was approaching, and if I could not get at least the requisite 20/40 uncorrected in at least one eye, I'd either have to not drive or wear my glasses to drive (I live in the US), and I am entirely sick of my glasses and definitely would not like to have to wear them again. So I rushed myself, and felt frustration and anger when I looked at distant things and they were still blurry.

Reading this forum again, I realized I was wrong to think that and rush myself. I also saw, thanks to the new Success Stories forum that wasn't here when I first came here a year ago, that people had been making pretty fast progress... much faster than mine anyway... a year with barely any improvement. Some of you have been getting clear flashes as soon as a week after you began. 

But the thing is, I'm back, and hopefully I can change. But I need some help first. I need a better understanding of these exercises I am to be doing..

For example, palming. I'm a bit restless and impatient. The idea of having to sit there and think for a few minutes isn't very appealing. But I think it's because I had the wrong idea and was straining. Tell me if this is the right idea... that I shouldn't be actively trying to see black, but should try to allow the mind to recall a calming image, like remembering how clear and beautiful the world was when I was young and still an emmetrope.

Next, sunning. Ok, so closing your eyes and letting the sun shine on them can calm them. Will someone please explain... why? And should I think up calming images like mentioned above in palming? What should I be doing in my mind while I'm sunning?

Swinging. I know about how you can do the swing by standing in a room and swinging left and right, but this has not helped me at all, I have to actually tell myself that the movement's happening, and that's not a good sign. I've also read that you can incorporate it into your daily life. Can someone explain that too?
EDIT: Wait wait wait!!! I think I got it... I was bouncing up and down on the bed while looking out the window, and noticed that, while the scenery outside the window was moving the same way I bounced (goes up when I go up, etc), the stuff that was inside the room (the light switch on the wall caught my attention particularly...) moved in the opposite direction! Is THAT what the swing's all about? Jeez, that's much easier than looking back and forth between two objects and saying to myself, "Now they both just moved to the left, now they both just moved to the right", etc. So, two questions. Is what I just experienced the swing, and how am I supposed to make that work for horizontal movement?

Central Fixation. The smaller the point we're regarding, the clearer it is. As I understand it from reading on this forum, to practice that in my daily life, I should not actively attempt to make a small area I'm looking at be clear, but instead passively acknowledge that the small area is indeed clearer. Am I correct in thinking this, and is there anything to add on?

Any advice you'd have, or anything that I've missed, would be appreciated

Thanks in advance for your help, and hopefully I can improve on the pathetic performance this past year.

[Bob]

Hey Joe,

It's good to hear that you are still trying to obtain clearer vision through the Bates methods. I myself am very much new to the Bates process having only been working at it for about 3 1/2 weeks, but here is what I've learned so far and I hope it helps you to stay motivated.

Concerning Clear Flashes.
I have yet to have a perfectly CLEAR flash, but I have had many clear-ER flashes, meaning that I see just a little bit better than usual for a few moments. My first clear-er flash came at about 8 days. These flashes seem to be getting more frequent as time goes on.

I think I was able to make such quick progress because I try to put at least an hour or two each day in to directly practicing the Bates Methods. The weekends for me are an abomination as far as practicing the Bates Methods however, so I've got to improve there somewhat. When I'm not directly practicing one of the Bates Methods I try to practice Central Fixation at all times when my eyes are open. Now, I do forget to do this frequently, sometimes for hours on end during the weekends, and I been told by others on this forum (who know more than me) to not worry about my times of forgetfulness, but I don't believe these times of forgetfulness can go on for days on end without stopping my progress. In other words you've got to realize that your trying make permanent life style changes, and that you are going to be practicing Central Fixation, either subconsciously or consciously, forever. The sooner you make this a subconscious habit the better, but since none of us do this consistently right now (else we'd all have normal vision) this is going to take a great deal of consistent, conscious effort.

Concerning Swing
This is my method of choice right now, though I also practice Palming and others. Print out a page of text and then focus on one letter then jump over a few letters and focus on another. Make the jump big enough that you can see the letter you're focusing on clearer than the one you just left. This doesn't mean that you'll see the letter your focusing on perfectly clear, it just mean that you should see it clear-er. Jump back and forth. It helps a great deal to gently blink between each jump. After awhile you'll start to see the "Swing" that people talk about. Once you see this keep doing it until you can make you jump from one letter to the next smaller, meaning instead of jumping seven letter try to jump six and still see the Swing. Keep on doing this, jumping back and forth and up and down until you are able to jump back and forth to portions of the same letter. Currently, I do this for 5 to 15 minute stretches for a total of about an hour and twenty minutes every day (except weekends, because I'm out and about). And I'm trying to add more time to this each day.

Concerning The Time It Takes To Get Perfect Vision.
I'm afraid to say that, as far as I understand, there are no guarantees as to how long it will take. As you start putting more effort into doing these methods, and practicing Central Fixation when you're not actively, pursuing one of the Bates methods, you'll be able to tell what amount of progress you're making with what level of effort. Even then, the level of effort won't always correspond to the progress you make. This whole thing is about relaxation and people like us who are habitually, subconsciously tense (as we who have poor vision are) are not good at relaxation -- much less "relaxing fast."

So my question to you is: What if you don't make your deadline of seeing 20/40 by the time you are sixteen? I know you don't want to hear this but it really isn't a horrible thing to have to wear glasses temporarily to pass your driver's license test. The reason I say this is because stressing about an imposed deadline is not a great way to help yourself relax. On the other hand, maybe you'll eat up these new lifestyle changes and be seeing 20/20 in three months! Be if not, then remember, it really isn't the end of the world.

Just my two cents,

Bob

[bjsilva]

To add to Bob's good response:

I'm sure most people doing the Bates method on their own experience varying degrees of frustration. Just try to be positive about improving your vision, it's a great thing.

Sunning helps relax the eyes because it helps lessen your sensitivity to light. Notice when you are in a dark room and then go outside on a sunny day you will strain your eye muscles. That is an extreme example, but you will tend to strain (more mildly) when you see any amount of light. By sunning you can learn to appreciate and feel comfortable with the sensation of light. Sunlight is also healthy for your eyes, despite what is commonly taught.

Palming should be relaxing, and you shouldn't make any effort to see anything. I will venture to say that you, especially in the early stages, will inevitably make some effort while palming. However, take notice to how your eyes feel and if it feels like you're straining just take a moment to relax.

As for central fixation, you have the right idea. Perhaps it might be helpful to also think of it as stopping the tendency to attempt to see a lot at one time. When you look out at cars while driving do you notice the entire car, the number plate (licence plate), the first letter on the number plate, the spec of paint that's been chipped off, etc.?