Only after 3 years of practicing the Bates Method I discovered that visual acuity and errors of refraction are not the same thing. Visual acuity is the ability to see more or less and independent of the Diopters each one has while error of refraction can be measured by an optometrist or O.D. and means that the shape of the eye does not bend light correctly resulting in a blurred image.
I understand that the visual acuity can be improved by the Bates Method but I haven't seen any evidence so far that errors of refraction can be eliminated by this method.
Peter Grunwald (Eyebody) started with -10 and worked with Janet Goodrich before she died to eliminate his glasses completely, after he'd spent some time learning the Alexander Method and becoming a teacher of it first. He says the last time he went to the eye doctor he could see the 20/20 line with no problem, but the eye doctor was puzzled because his eyeball shape indicated he should still need -1 eyeglasses to see that well. Note this is a huge improvement over needing -10, by the way. My belief is that the physical change of eyeball shape does improve with Bates work, but lags behind the brain change of seeing more clearly. I don't know if any studies have been done on this, but many people have improved their eyesight. For me, I don't care what shape my eyeball is if I can see clearly. I know some people need scientific proof and measurements, but I'm a believer from my own experience.
