I'd briefly experimented with Bates methods several years ago but, didn't continue with the practice. I'm now 41 and recently went back to my eye doc because, four weeks ago, my cat chewed the right side bow off of my glasses while I was napping one afternoon.
Fortunately, this incident has put me back on the Bates road. My eyeglasses rx at my most recent appointment is: Left -6.00 + small astigmatism / Right -5.50 (been wearing glasses since 3rd grade). The crappy part is, I have a slight left eye inward turn (stabismus?) for which I have a .5D prism in the left lens. I got a temporary set of contact lenses to wear while the new glasses are being made. I see fairly well out of the contacts, except for the slight eye turn which makes rectangles (such as my computer monitor) look like trapezoids (narrower on the right side). What's frustrating is, my distance vision is good but, my close-up vision is approaching the day when I'll need bifocals (which I'd like to avoid, obviously). Also, the eye doc has now made two different sets of lenses but they can't get the prism in the right place. The trapezoid shape switches to the left side of the computer monitor being more narrow when wearing the glasses... as well as people's faces looking oddly shaped, ground surfaces appearing to be tilted, etc. All of this combined is making me nauseous.
I did 6 rounds of 15 minute palming sessions yesterday and hardly wore my glasses at all. At the end of each session, I could feel that my eyes were much more relaxed and seemed sharper. I also did several rounds of "shifting" (shifting focus from my finger a few inches in front of my face, to farther away objects)... and "zooming" (following my finger from near to far). When I put on my glasses to sit down and read through your forum posts, I felt all the muscles on the right side of my head / neck tighten up and I got a violent headache (both the old and the new glasses caused headaches). Though blurry, I felt more relaxed without glasses/contacts.
I know there's something to the Bates idea of relaxing for better vision. Several years ago, the left turn was so severe that I could literally feel the tension in the eye muscle. That's when the prism was first added. Later, due to some severe emotional stress, I went on an anti-depressant and one of the first changes I noticed was the disappearance of the eye muscle tension and decreased eye turn (I think it's only there now because I don't sleep well) ! This was verified by my eye doc.
Will the eye turn (stabismus?), as well as the distance vision, improve as I learn to relax my eyes? I'm going to call my eye doc (who doesn't believe in Bates Method) Monday morning and to see if she will make my new glasses without the prism in the left lens. Then I'll wear the glasses to drive but, take them off for the rest of the day.
Any thoughts from you folks would be greatly appreciated.
Susan
The Author of this website, David cured his eyesight and strabismus in his eyes. Read his directions on the main website page, his blog and replys here on the Forum.
The eyeglasses and prism will maintain, increase the condtiion.
You can also go here to read Ophthalmologist Nagazines; Type in Squint or cross eye. Dr. Bates called Strabismus squint. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.cleareyesight.info/naturalvisionimprovementoriginalandmodernbatesmethod/">http://www.cleareyesight.info/naturalvi ... tesmethod/</a><!-- m -->
Good news: talked to my eye doc today and convinced her to NOT correct the -.5D in the left eye, as well as to remove the prism in the left lens of my soon-to-be-new glasses. Thank heavens. I tried a pair of glasses with the extra -.5D in the left lens, the distance vision was so sharp that it was almost painful and the reading vision was blurry. No way did I want to sacrifice my reading vision for razor sharp distance vision (I'm avoiding being forced into bifocals by over-correction). Especially now that I'm starting on the Bates work.
I have a question about single vision reading glasses. I love to do online research and read books, as well as being in front of a computer at my day job. To read without glasses (since the idea is to take the glasses off - except for driving), my nose has to be 6-7 inches from the screen in order to see "slightly blurry text". When I spoke to my eye doc today, I asked about a pair of computer glasses.... could she make a pair of single vision glasses (again, I'm avoiding bifocals) that were 1.5 - 2 diopters weaker than my regular glasses. She said she could. I'm tempted to have her do this for me. Not only for times when I want to read without having my nose up against my monitor, but also to wear while driving in the future as my vision improves and I no longer need my current correction.
What are your thoughts on reading glasses....?????
I have been reading the forums for a couple of weeks now, prior to registering as a member. And I'm working my way through David's blog posts. but it's also nice to get some real life support and feedback from others who walked the same path.
Perfect! Very smart choice to avoid the strong lenses and bifocals!
Reading glasses, magnifiers cause fast vision impairment and cataracts. If must wear; use weaker, reduced, more and more weak as you practice Bates method and the vision improves. No glasses is the true natural method and fastest way to perfect relaxation and clarity.
The best way is to read and shift on very small fine and microscopic print without eyeglasses, 'even when its blurry'. It corrects unclear close and distant vision!
Read Dr. Bates articles on fine print. Also; shift tiny part to tiny part (point to point) on a flower, rock... up close daily. It activates tiny saccadic eye movements and central-fixation; two things that improve the vision. Also; the mind must perfectly relax for the eyes to see the fine print clear. Practice of reading it will eventually induce that relaxation.
Relax; no squinting, no hard effort. Blink, breathe.
Yes, "weaker, reduced Rx" glasses is precisely what I asked the doc about. Told her if I decided to go with a pair of reading glasses, that I'd want them to be "minus lenses", not magnifiers. She said she could make single vision (no bifocals), minus lenses for computer reading if I chose to go that with that.
So, I wanted to hear opinions from others here on the forum. Thanks for your input Clark. I've read other threads that have referred to Zenni Optical and Eyeglass Lense Direct for ordering reduced Rx glasses for much less than you can get from an optometrist. I think it was Nancy who mentioned it in one of her posts. So, I may end up going that way.... temporary glasses that I'll use as a stepping stone for less than $100. As opposed to glasses from my eye doc for $400+.
I'm still interested in hearing others opinions on reduced Rx glasses for work and reading. I'll start working on the microscopic shifting now. Maybe I won't even need reduced Rx glasses. Okay, maybe hoping for a little too much there.
Even minus lenses not good and they will mess up your distant vision.
Yes those eyeglass places are good.
Here is one that promised me people can order without any uv blocking, tinting..; just plain eyeglasses; http://www.eyeglasslensdirect.com/ (customer service at eyeglasslensdirect states they have full spectrum transmitting lenses, no UV blocking, no tinting, coating. Ask for CR39 plastic lenses. Phone; 1-888-885-5367).
http://www.selectspecs.com/ - Customer service at selectspecs says they have plain eyeglass lenses; just de-select UV blocking, tinting and other unwanted additions on the prescription page and, you can also tell them in the 'Additional info' box to omit UV blocking, tinting, coating and other additions.
Specify you want plain lenses. Phone; 1-845 704-7091
I just read this line from a Jan. 2012 post in David's blog...
"Real vision improvement is uncomfortable, because it forces some level of disruption in your programming/personality, because it has to do with the way you interact with the world in every moment."
So, I'm wondering.... does push mowing my yard (which takes a minimum of 45 minutes) last weekend WITHOUT the use of my glasses or contacts count as a step toward "real vision improvement"....? Yes, I really did this, after only a couple of days of palming and eye exercises. Was it "uncomfortable"...? Heck yes. I couldn't see anything clearly but, I survived. And the yard doesn't look bad either.
Susan, it absolutely counts! I was push-mowing my yard without glasses years ago when I still needed glasses to drive. Then I started to move toward driving with them on top of my head, unless I really needed them to see something, while they gradually got weaker and weaker. It was a very big step for me when I realized NOT wearing glasses was becoming my default! I think it's great that you are already more comfortable without glasses than with them, even though things appear blurry -- your body and mind are talking to you about what they want and I'm so glad you are listening! Celebrate everything you do without glasses that you used to do with them, of course remaining safe (like when driving), and not straining. I still have several pairs of glasses of different strengths (from Zenni, very inexpensive) in my car for driving in different light conditions. I used to look forward to traffic jams because I could drive without glasses at 5mph! See this as an exciting adventure, not an arduous task. Enjoy!
Thank you Nancy....! I was hoping you'd pop in on this thread. I may just end up having to "thank" my little monster of a cat for eating my glasses four weeks ago. He's the one who essentially "renewed" my process of learning about Bates Methods. By the way, I checked out your blog the other night. Amazing story of how far you've come in your journey.
Mowing the yard last weekend was an "experience" to say the least. But I kept reminding myself that I couldn't possibly get lost in my own yard ! And yet, it felt very awkward the entire time. In fact, at one point, the oil cap loosened enough to spray a bit of oil on the engine and I didn't know it (because I couldn't "see" it) until I smelled burning oil. lol Kind of funny.
Something that I think gives me an advantage is.... I went to college and majored in photography.... back in the days of wet chemical darkroom techniques. I even have a darkroom in my basement. So, in essence, I'm used to finding my way around "in the dark" -- without bumping into things, at least, not "too" many things. I don't "depend" on my eyes to navigate. I feel my way by "seeing" sharp mental images.... whether I'm in darkness or, as in the case of last weekend, a blurry environment while mowing. So, while I really couldn't "see" what I was mowing, I could see well enough to distinguish the "line" of what had just been mowed vs. what had not been mowed. I kept my eyes relaxed but, my neck muscles were quite tight from pushing the mower. I put my glasses back on when I was finished with the yard to see if I'd missed anything and, sure enough, the yard looked pretty darn good. Then within 15 minutes I got a terrible headache... I think in one part due to the tension in my eyes with the lenses in front of them again, as well as neck/head muscle strain that I feel from the prism in the left lens. I can't wait to get my "new" glasses with the same Rx and no prism. In fact, I think I'll call the optician in the morning and ask if she would call the lab and put a "rush" on my glasses.
With a -5D in the right lens and a -5.5D + astigmatism in the left lens I can state that my vision will have to improve dramatically before I'll even consider driving here in the city without my glasses. But.... I'm looking forward to that day.
It is indeed and exciting adventure. And I hope to some day prove my eye doc wrong when she sees that I have a reduced correction and I say, "Remember when I asked you if there was any validity to the Bates Method of vision improvement, and you said 'No, it doesn't work'....? Ahem."
I gained SO much self-awareness (or should I say, eye and head/neck muscle awareness) last weekend when I did several 15 minute palming sessions throughout the day. I could really feel tension releasing without the glasses and returning with the glasses. Hey, maybe my chiropractor visits will decrease when my neck muscles loosen up and I hold my alignment for longer periods of time....!
I think palming is going to play a major roll in vision improvement for me. When David wrote of the four causes of eye strain in an article on the main site:
A: Misuse of the eyes
B: Reaction to poor vision
C: Chronic tension whenever the eyes are open
D: Other mental strain
The emotional components of "C: chronic tension whenever the eyes are open" really resonated with me. In fact, just last week I had a conversation with a friend, talking about my eye doc appt, and I said, "I don't like contact lenses, I prefer glasses because THEY GIVE ME SOMETHING TO HIDE BEHIND." I cannot believe I said those words (which are truly the way I feel) just a few weeks ago, and then I go and read the paragraph about the reasons behind chronic tension "...armoring (tensing muscles to protect yourself emotionally) due to fear of the environment, fear of seeing too much, fear of being seen..." Yep... that's me alright ! How ironic !
I've looked at Zenni and looked at the drop down lists on the order form. The PD measurement... that's the distance in millimeters between your pupils, right? Would my eye doc have that info on an Rx card if I asked her for it? If not, could I have a friend measure it with a ruler to give me a rough estimate? And another question... does Zenni make their glasses with plastic lenses (like CR39)? I've tried the cheaper poly carb lenses from the eye doc's office but the lens warp and aberrations make the ground look wavy to me. The same aberrations make me nauseous when turning my head from left to right, like when I'm at a stop sign and am checking both directions for oncoming traffic. No poly carbs for me.
Alright, I've rambled on long enough. Off to bed to palm the eyes for a bit and then fall asleep.
Remember; contacts wont fit the corneas as Natural Eyesight Improvement is used and they can scrape, injure the cornea. Even without practicing the corneas shape can change. Astigmatism angle can also change.
Chiropractors can help but they dont tell you that a good physical therapist exercises, posture movements can keep the neck vertebrae aligned and muscles strong, relaxed.
I was injured by a chiropractor turning the neck to only one side; injured a few times and the last time ended up ion hospital with vertigo and many vision, balance problems.
Chiropractors are now being taught to turn, pop the neck on only one side. Almost always the patient has to come back for more treatment due to ear ringing, balance problems, black spot in central field of vision... The nurse at the hospital told me the vertigo was same symptoms other bad chiropractic treatments victims have experienced due to stroke from the treatment. When the neck id tight often chiropractors cant get the neck to pop on one side and it ends up with a misalignment. The chiros always lie and say its ok.
Please believe me and consider trying physical therapy. My therapist taught me how to use a bungee cord and to exercise the arms, neck by pedaling a hand bike machine forward and backward along with posture movements. I am free of the chiropractors now. There are other natural ways to relax the neck.
Yes, you can learn to measure the space between your eyes for the eyeglass lenses. I took a short optician course and learned it. I can find my old notes and scan you a copy if you want?
Susan, hi again. My experience with a chiropractor has been much more positive than Clark's -- I started seeing him at the recommendation of my behavioral optometrist, who told me people with a long-standing myopic pattern usually have a misalignment of the C2 vertebra at the top of the neck. He's helped me a lot, but of course maintaining the good alignment between visits is up to me. A few Alexander Technique lessons have helped (check out my blog for that category of posts).
Yes, it will help you a lot that you can visualize and imagine what you can't see clearly yet. If you've read Bates at all you know how important of a role imagination plays in improving eyesight. I do this often -- "That looks like my friend walking toward me in the distance", imagining the details of her face. Now it's becoming almost an automatic habit, which is what I think it is for clear-sighted people.
I've never had a problem with waviness looking through the Zenni glasses, and they'll tell you on their website what the lens composition is. I seem to remember they had a few choices. If you have any astigmatism lingering, this can make a clear view look wavy. Yes, the PD is Pupil Distance, between the center of your 2 pupils when looking straight ahead, in millimeters, which a friend can measure for you. Whenever I ordered any new glasses (remember I came down from -10, so there were a lot of intermediate pairs), I told myself they were a tool to help me improve to the point where I didn't need glasses at all. They were NOT an end in themselves, but a stepping stone, not the destination. I've worked with people who were reluctant to completely give up their pretty expensive designer-framed glasses! "What's the downside of improving my vision?" is a useful question to ask to explore this.
Congratulations on your awareness. If you don't look at your behavior and motivations and acknowledge them, you won't be able to change anything, or move forward. Keep up the good work, and keep us posted.
Must emphasize; I went to chiropractors for years with good results. But not one back then ever told the truth about dangers and how other mehtods can be effective. Was not til moved to Mass. 12 yrs ago; Good doctor but then she broke her wrist and hired new people fresh out of college to work on the neck. Thats when the problems started. Also from changing chiros. Even if you have a good one; I really know that routine chiropractic can result in injury. A honest chiro told me it wears down the cartilage... He said; chiro is good, but always has risks; said; use chirop. if need to align bones, if no other way available, then use physical therapy only to maintain it in a safe way. It's also a job finding a good physical therapist. See Kevin Sorbo and tv n ews reports on chiropractic stroke; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvmVnfJpY8E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-3qLYjw3iM
Some of Meir schneiders movements helped me. I can now pop/align my left and right back myself. The chiros would often only p[op one side and I had to keep going back, paying more until they could get it even; pop/move both left and right.
Neckwise, it has usually been adjusted to both sides when I see my current chiro. He also has sheets for stretches at home to help keep things aligned and advises massage. I don't know his stance on physical therapy, but it is certainly a big help from all that I've read, and my own experiences. For instance, muscle atrophy can't really be "re-aligned" for obvious reasons, but it CAN be re-strengthened and stretched in just the right way to prevent injury, which physical therapists are trained to do.
Clark, I've had a similar experience to Fiat. My chiropractor often teaches gentle stretches to people, or advises them on simple healthy lifestyle changes, like going for a walk after dinner if they're overweight and obviously inactive, not comfortable in their body. He also gives us handouts on scientific studies of chiropractic's benefits for different conditions, like autism or allergies, and regularly gives free lectures to educate the public. I really believe he wants to help, not cheat people. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience, but please don't damn the entire profession because of it. I trust Susan to be able to tell whether her own chiropractor (or any other healer!) is on her side, or is only out to make a quick buck off of her.
Trying to get people to realize that even a good honest chiropractor can cause injury by a mistake and its not safe to get routine, continual treatments; it ups the percentage chance for injury. My experience is not rare. There are more and more dishonest chiropractors out there. One reason is; if a chiropractor does the job right, often one treatment only; then sends the perosn to a good physical therapist, the patient is healed, does not need more treatment. This results in the chirop. not making much money. If the chirop. does half way treatments or purposely mis-alignes the patient; then he gets money for more treatments. Even one honest treatment can result in accident, injury.
I was also injured 5 times in the past by 4 other chiropractors; loud endless ear ringing and black spot in center of visual field, unbalanced hips, lower back. Always caused by those 'on purpose or by accident one sided, unbalanced neck, back movements'. Because people and chirops. kept telling me "its ok, to keep coming back or just find a new chirop", I did that; then that chirop. caused the worst injury and I ended up in the hospital. This is one thing I will not be quite about. I usually just back off and let people go their own way, but when I know from experieince and others experiences that something can and is hurting people, I must post it.
You can check medical an dother insurance agency's; they have so many chiropractic injury complaints backed up by hospital visits to verify. I meet many people in the market, my neighborhood, at work ... that tell me they have been dizzy, feeling worse after a chiropractic treatment. It's all over the Internet. There's too much evidence.
The very first time a chirop goofed my neck was in So San Francisco, but he told me to come right in and he fixed it. He was honest and admitted the mistake. I wish back then I had the common sense to find another route. I was lucky then. My Mom advised me not to go to chiropractors in the past. Should have listened to her but I let myself be scared into letting the chirop. talk me into treatment.
