Okay, so after reading some of the vision improvement blogs of several members in the iblindness community, I decided itâd be a good idea to track my own progress. However, I think that it would be best if I did so on these forums (specifically, in this thread). Any insights I come across (should I come across) would help others on these forums and I would also have the feedback and insight of the more experienced members.
Iâm really not sure how often Iâll be able to post updates, but Iâll try to do so as often as I can. That might mean once a day, once a week, or even once a month, depending on my schedule. All feedback, suggestions, comments, and questions are much appreciated.
Since this is the first post, Iâll give a bit of background info to put everything into perspective. I first had to wear glasses around 8-9 years ago (really not sure of exact year). I donât recall the prescription, but it was probably around -3.00 Left, 1.50 Right. Sorry about having to give diopters and not the 20/xx acuity system. Optometrists give prescriptions based on diopters and itâs fairly difficult to get an exact measurement on a Snellen eyechart at home. (And this was many years ago!) Anyway, to make a long story short, it was all downhill after that. Year after year, both eyes would get worse anywhere from -0.25 to -1.00. Every year, my dad would give me a very angry lecture about how I need to take better care of my eyes. With the exception of one year when my vision did not get worse, my eyesight has steadily deteriorated with no end in sight. Thatâs when I took to the Bates Method about a year ago. I practiced sporadically, but it wasnât really a full-hearted effort, and my vision continued to decline. Then last month, I found these forums and read the posts of many others who have tried the Bates method and learned a lot about what I had not done correctly: mentality, execution of exercise, motivation, etc.
Today, I am practically a vision improvement fanatic. I blink, breathe, shift, swing, and palm whenever I can remember. A very slight but temporary improvement to my eyesight can make my day. A brief look at the progress Iâve made in several categories:
Motivation: Itâs very high right now. Of course, it changes from day to day, but overall, Iâm committed to the Bates method.
Mentality: Still working on this. I understand that sometimes itâs better to forget about the eyes, but itâs very difficult considering that Iâm actually trying to improve them! How do you improve something that you donât think about?
Blinking: I didnât really think this was all that important before, but after I tried out âproperâ blinking a few days ago, I realized that it was really important. Almost immediately, I noticed that my eyesight was slightly improved and my eyes didnât strain as quickly or as much as before. Iâm still trying to blink correctly ALL the time though.
Breathing: Iâve noticed that deeper breathing helps me palm more effectively, but itâs not been easy to remember to breathe correctly all the time. I definitely need to put some more time into this one.
Swinging: I still donât completely understand how this exercise works or the specifics. Iâm currently experimenting and reading forum posts on how to do this correctly.
Shifting: Still in the works, but I see some improvement. I find it easy to shift with objects I encounter in everyday life.
Palming: Have done much experimenting with this, but Iâm still trying to find the method that works best for me. Thusfar, the easiest way to get relaxed has been to breathe deeply and count my breaths, trying not to wander into other thoughts. Imagining a âperfect field of blackâ has not worked at all. Imagining motion of objects seems to be promising, but I have not perfected it yet. I seem to do very well imagining a big âCâ (like that of the Snellen chart) moving around my field of vision. Sometimes, I imagine the âCâ moving around in familiar places.
My vision after my afternoon nap was fairly better than usual. It's very hard for me to measure my eyesight via the Snellen chart without glasses. Usually, I try to read the 200 ft line from 6 ft. Today, it was definitely clearer after my nap; it fluctuated a bit, so I'm taking that as a sign that my vision is on the right track.
I hope to focus on swinging in the next week. I have been able to force myself to wake up between 5-6 AM the last few days, but didn't really do much with that extra hour or two. I'll spend it on swinging
So I spent some time swinging this morning (roughly 20 minutes), and it was sort of interesting. I was still a little groggy from just waking up, but I found that I shook off that grogginess more quickly while swinging.
Some insights/questions:
1. It seems that I have problems keeping my eyes open (like theyâre dead tired) when I swing. Perhaps this has something to do with blinking or âlocking onâ? I try not to lock on to anything.
2. How fast are you supposed to swing? Iâve tried it at various speeds and lengths and am still experimenting. Thusfar, I like a good âmediumâ speed of roughly 1.4 seconds per 180 degrees. Maybe thatâs too fast already?
3. I believe Dave mentioned in his âMethod of the Monthâ article that itâs nice to imagine a âCâ while swinging. I tried it, but could not really maintain the other things I was trying to do simultaneously so I will probably add that part in later. I am currently trying to swing while making sure that I am blinking and breathing properly, which is hard enough considering that I also have to make sure I donât lock onto anything. Itâs going to get better though and Iâm sure after a bit of swinging, I wonât even have to think about not locking on to objects!
4. I donât notice even the slightest improvement in vision after I swing, but I do notice that I feel a bit âlooserâ. My neck feels better, my eyes feel more relaxed, and my body feels nice too. Even if swinging wasnât beneficial to vision, Iâd still do it just for that nice feeling at the end.
I'm busy nowadays so I won't be able to write as much or as often, but here goes:
1. I like shifting when there's something like my hand or finger put in front of my eyes. I don't know why it works, but it makes the oppositional movement MUCH more noticeable.
2. Breathing is still difficult to do properly outside of palming. I have to consciously think about it (or maybe I do it subconsciously and don't realize it; I don't know).
3. Need more blinking practice. I can't say it with any degree of certainty, but it I had to guess, only about 10-20% of my blinks are proper when I'm not paying attention. It's definitely better than before, but still could be better.
4. Have swinged for at least 15 minutes the last three days, early in the morning.
5. The big "C" on the Snellen chart (200 ft) looks a bit better lately (from 6 ft). Maybe it's a sign I'm improving?
6. Still a bit of up and down as far as motivation and mentality are concerned. Have to learn to chill and stop "forcing" this vision improvement.
7. Very proud of my patience so far. I don't know if I've ever done anything like this for so long without giving up.
1. I am very excited. Two days ago, I could read the 100 ft line from 6 ft and could sort of make out the 70 ft line letters from 6 ft! Before, I could only read the somewhat foggy âCâ on the top (200 ft) and could hardly make out the 100 ft letters. Forget the 70 ft letters. Obviously, fluctuations happen, but this would be one of the first times that I have had the âgoodâ fluctuation. Interestingly enough, the circumstances were different than what I might expect. It wasnât that bright in the room (meaning that it wasnât ideal lighting for me); I had just done some reading (meaning that my eyes should be at least a little strained); I did not just wake up or do any Bates exercises (meaning that it wasnât some sort of temporary improvement that sometimes comes with palming or swinging).
2. Swung some more this morning. It still seems much easier to swing with a finger in front of my face. I really hope Iâm not locking in on it, but I can see the opposition MUCH better. My âunaidedâ swing is getting better, but itâs still no where close.
3. Palming less these days. Might try experimenting with it again soon.
4. Shifting. Still donât really get this so Iâll look into it and see what I can do. My focus is still on Breathing, Blinking, and Swinging though.
1. Ups and downs. Vision seems to be fluctuating more these days. I'll take it as a sign that my vision is changing, hopefully for the better.
2. Have tried out shifting. Pretty fun (even somewhat addicting; I know, I'm a freak) but it's hard not to get frustrated when the letters get worse instead of better (but then if I calm down and relax it gets better; sort of counter-intuitive if you ask me, but I guess the whole basis of the Bates method is somewhat illogical). What I've noticed is that the shift is not equal in every direction.
1. I had a brief "flash" and was able to somewhat see the 50 line from 6 feet. I don't measure it in the conventional manner, so I guess it's not really 6/50 but either way, I can see the progress I'm making. I'm becoming more and more confident with each passing day
2. Still swinging for 10-25 minutes in the early mornings.
3. While swinging in front of a window, I discovered (or think I discovered) something cool and weird. It seems that the objects on the other side of the window sort of go the same direction as my swing rather than in opposition. However, the window itself swings in opposition to my swing. Perhaps the swing of the window makes the background stuff swing in opposition to the opposition, which is really the same direction as my vision. With this said, it makes me wonder: Do glasses and contact lenses have this same problem? I haven't noticed it, but it's very possible that they produce the same effect, only to a smaller scale. Interesting stuff...
4. My blinks are getting much better. Practice makes perfect...
Congratulations again. Noticing continual improvement will keep you on track and moving forward. Last night I went for a walk after dark, and for the first time saw the round full moon outline inside the big blur of light in the sky. I shifted over it for quite a while.
It's been a while since I last posted here. I've sort of taken a break from these forums subconsciously. Anyway, I'm back from my "retreat".
1. I find myself shifting and swinging in everyday tasks now (occasionally). It's a nice feeling to watch your eyes work
2. That thread on Peripheral Vision by hammer was pretty helpful. It gave me another perspective and I've tried it out a bit.
3. Overall, the one word I think best describes Vision Improvement: Paradox. You have to improve your vision without effort. You see best when you try not to see. To see a still object best, it must look like it's moving. How intellectually counterintuitive. :o
1. I've noticed something weird lately. I can cross my eyes better than before. I'd say it crosses roughly twice as much as before, when I try to. Before, I could barely do this. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
2. I find that the amount of stress I feel on my eye depends on what I'm doing. When I'm not really doing much, it doesn't strain much if at all. When I'm watching TV or working on the computer (like I am now), it's sort of variable. Sometimes it strains, and sometimes it doesn't. When I'm reading, it tends to be okay for about five minutes, then starts to strain until the strain becomes almost unbearable, which I will take as an improvement from before, since before my eyes probably strained but I couldn't feel it. I wonder if there's a way to fix this. Experimenting whenever I get the chance
3. Still trying to figure out the difference between "tired" and "strained" eyes. Does one foreshadow the other or are they completely separate? I was raised in a family where the two were almost synonymous, but I'm starting to doubt that.
2. Been experimenting with swinging lately. Have tried the infinity swing, which doesn't seem very different to me. Have tried swinging quickly, slowly, very slowly, etc. Each seems to have its own purpose. I'm also noticing slight strain (or is it awareness?) while I'm swinging, but the feeling quickly turns to mild relaxation when I stop (it becomes stronger if I swing for longer periods of time). Probably means that I'm getting the hang of it, but still have some things that need polishing to get it to the point where I can fully relax.
3. Book-reading is still straining my eyes, but on occasion, it takes up to 15 minutes or more for it to set in, up from 5 minutes usually. I'm getting there!
4. Visual Acuity? I don't know where I stand right now. I don't really feel like calculating or anything either. All I know is that sometimes it's better than it usually is and other times, it's not. I suppose I'm on an upward trend (better vision), but I don't have any definitive way of proving it, so I'm not going to bother.
5. Observation. Eyes and videocameras have a lot in common. Camera terminology such as zooming in, zooming out, panning, and focusing all have counterparts in vision language. Sometimes, I make-believe that my eyes are acting as a videocamera, smoothly panning across a scene. Weird, I know, but it's fun to pretend.
