Re: My Progress So Far

[Bob]

Well, I haven't posted for awhile, so I thought I'd write a little log about my progress so far to see if it helps anyone.

Clear Flashes.
I've had many clear-er flashes, but I didn't have a crystal clear flash until last Sunday. To be honest, it came out of the blue and caught me off guard, and as a reflex I started blinking furiously, so it didn't last long. Also, my eyes had a totally different feel when this was happening. Not a painful feel, just a different feel -- which is why I started blinking so quickly.

Vision Improvement
It doesn't seem like I'm making progress as fast as I once did, but still I can tell I'm improving. When I started this process on July 6th my right eye had about 20/225 vision, now it's fairly consistently at about 20/70. My left eye was about 20/80, and now it's pretty consistently at 20/50. Sometimes my eyes are better than this, sometimes they are worse. If I'm concerned about making progress when I look at the Snellen chart they are worse, if I'm not caring a flying fig when I glance at the chart they are better. It's difficult for me to not be concerned about making measurable progress, but I'm going to just have to learn to let it go, and take it as it comes. I need to try to not be crushed if I look at the Snellen Chart and my eyes don't seem to be better than they were one or two weeks ago. I did this just this morning, my eye's hadn't seemed to have improved for two weeks. Then, as I was getting ready for work, I passed by the 20 foot line (away from the Snellen chart) and glanced at the chart and could make out most of the 20/40 line. So I need to relax, which is something I'm not good at, else I wouldn't have glasses -- oh well.

Speaking of glasses, I lost mine about two weeks ago. I hadn't been wearing them anyway, but now I have no choice but to move forward.

Methods That Work For Me
It seems I've made the most progress when I practiced Shifting from one letter to another on a printed page, and eventually I moved to Shifting between one part of at letter to another. I try to do this at least an hour every day -- sometimes I'm successful, sometimes I'm not. But Shifting can be taken to far I think. If I do it to long I get bored, my mind starts to try and make that letter Shift back and forth, and before long I begin to strain. So I'm thinking that I'll just Shift for an hour a day, throughout the day (a few minutes here and there), and start trying to add a type of Short Swing into what I'm doing too (I was trying to try and Shift for an hour and a half a day, but I think I got to a point of diminishing returns).

The Short Swing, though I haven't done it very much, sure feels good on my eyes, so I'm hoping that will help more over time.

Other than that, I stop starring if I catch myself doing it, and try to keep my eyes moving.

Last thing, I have a note for Dave K. I can't tell you how much this site has helped me as I've gone along. To read other people's experiences, and get help from them too, has been so very helpful. I'd hate to be attempting this effort in a vacuum by myself. Please keep up the good work. This site is so very helpful, even to those of us who occasionally go in to "lurking mode" at times. Thanks, again for all your help!

Bob

[otis]

Dear Bob,

I am highly impressed by your success.  As you know I
argue "alternative methods" -- but I admire anyone
who can "stick" with a program, clear the 20/40 line,
and go pass the DMV level test.

Bob>  It doesn't seem like I'm making progress as fast as I once did, but still I can tell I'm improving. When I started this process on July 6th my right eye had about 20/225 vision, now it's fairly consistently at about 20/70.


Otis>  I believe that may people are over-prescribed -- by quite a bit.
That is why I recommend reading your Snellen.
20/225 would be about a -2.5 diopter prescription.  (Average).
20/70 would be about -1.5 diopters.

Otis>  Do you happen to know what your strongest minus prescription
was?

Thanks,

Otis

[Bob]

Otis,

I really don't know what my strongest perscription has ever been, but it seems like it used to be more. My glasses (before I lost them) had the following perscription.

Right Eye: -2.75  -1.00 X 84
Left Eye:  -1.00  -1.50 X 82

Thanks for the encouragement, Otis.

I hope this helps,

Bob

[David]

Bob,

Sounds great! The different feeling during your clear flash is definitely to be expected. It might help a lot to mentally prepare yourself for it. When you're in a state of relative calmness, warn yourself of what might happen and affirm that you'll give into it and fully experience it, and nothing bad will happen.

Most everyone seems to have a burst of progress in the beginning, then it tapers off. Unfortunately many people take it to mean that they've reached their limit, and that the structure of their eyes are to blame or something ridiculous like that, but really the change has just begun. It's just internal resistance to change. Everyone can take a little change, but then it reveals itself to be the beginning of a more serious change, and it requires more from you. Not that I'm being flippant about your progress so far by any means.

Dave

[bjsilva]

Everyone can take a little change, but then it reveals itself to be the beginning of a more serious change, and it requires more from you.

It's interesting you say that, Dave. While I'm sure people who have myopia don't want it, what many do want to keep are the behaviours that have caused the myopia. At least for me, I was surprised to find that I didn't want to give up the habit of staring - staring was comfortable, and I liked spacing out. I wanted to have clear vision, but I didn't want to give up something I felt was part of my personality.

When the vision first starts to clear, it's exciting. But, as you start to realise you have to change some ingrained habits, it may not be comfortable for everyone and "it requires more from you", as you say.

[elias]

Dear all,

These progress results were very encouraging so I decided to include mine too:

I have started the Bates exercises about three months ago. I wore -2.5 glasses at that time and my vision was about 10/220 or so. But now I normally read the chart with 10/30. Thank you so much Dave. As I hold my eyes at the lower lines they become clearer and I continue along to read. I can adjust my vision up to 20/30, and sometimes flashes of perfect vision appears.

Thank you everyone for sharing your experience.
Besides, I want to note that I cycle so much and I get improvements after every training session! I haven't been doing the exercises so much lately but it seems that my eyes are learning to see by themselves using central fixation.

Elias,

[Bob]

Thanks for you replies everyone. I've been out of town for a week on a camping trip, but it's encouraging to see others making progress.

Bob

[Bob]

Hey guys, many of you might not know who I am. I started posting here last July, I posted allot at first while I was learning the Bates Methods and getting started.

But after awhile, as I began to  make real progress, I kinda had learned what I was doing (not that I'm doing the best I can) and I began to see that, yes, the Bates methods does work, you are seeing better, but it's gong to take you awhile to get to the 20/20 (or 20/10) mark. Which is all GREAT!

I think there is some doubt in people's mind that this method does work when they first begin -- I know there was in mine, though I didn't want to admit it. But after you do it for awhile and see real progress, at least for me, you sort of settle in to a "now it's only a matter of work and time" mode.

When I hit that mode I quit posting and offering encouragement to others because, well, my questions had been answered and I got lazy. Sorry about that.

So this post is to tell everyone that, yep, I'm still practising the Bates Methods most days, I could do much better, but my eyes are still improving all the time. Sorry I haven't been here more to encourage others.

For those who are just starting I'd say that you've found something that really is going to work for you. And that is a great thing. For me, the Swing and Shifting methods work the best. Begin today.

If you are wondering why I don't sound more excited in this post think of it this way. If you were crawling across the desert and found some water that quenched your thirst, you'd be pretty excited that you found that water at first. But after you had camped by that well for a few months you'd still appreciate it, but the thrill of that first discovery would be gone. And you know that if you're ever thirsty again, you know right where to go to get a drink.

That's where I am. I know the method works, my eyes are getting better all the time. I'm just in the middle of the "work and time" mode.

Anyway, thanks everyone -- especially Dave, who tirelessly DOES help us all even though he, of all people, has his answers.

Bob

[David]

Hi Bob,

Good to see you're back. Yes, shifting and the swing are really powerful. They're so simple on the surface that I think people don't usually give them the full chance they deserve. People want something more complicated!

Dave

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." - Einstein

[sorrisiblue]

can we get this thread in the success stories section? I would echo Bob's comments:

Thanks for all your help Dave!

happy new year
sorrisi