Hi, my father went to a specialist because he says he gets some blurry vision or something and when he came back home he brought some papers and said that the doctor recommend him to get this cataract surgery...
I am really worried about this....at first I dont know what a cataract is and read the papers he brought home and it says:
"A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens inside the eye just behind the pupil. .........Cataracts are the most common cause of failing vision over the age of 60 in North America."
and for the surgery it says there will be an incision using ultrasound, and a lens implant is to be placed in the eye to replace the function of the removed lens.
my father is in his early 60's but how come some people are like in their 80's or 90's and dont need this surgery?
Is this surgery really necessary? Is there a way to avoid this surgery using Bates method instead?
I am really concerned for my father's health so any advice would be helpful, thanks!
Well, theoretically the Bates method can treat it. In fact, I believe Bates himself successfully treated many such cases in his day. But first let me expound a tad on the surgical procedure and why some people over 80 haven't needed it.
The operation is one that according to my understanding, barring diabetes and other such diseases, is a very simple and effective operation. Assuming the eyeball doesn't change after the artificial lenses has been implanted, there is a VERY slim chance of complications between a month after the surgery and his death, which would hopefully be in more than 20 years.
Bates found that almost all errors of refraction, and some diseases of the eye are due to excessive strain. He found with a fish eyeball that if it was squeezed, the lens would cloud. Indeed, sometimes myself under circumstances such as walking into the bright sun from a dark room without adequately rested eyes, during the process of adjusting to the light I sometimes (unfortunately) squint so much that a thin temporary cataract seems to form through the lens. It is gone however within seconds because I have removed the strain which caused it.
Bates solution to releasing strain is relaxation. David (the website administrator here) also believes that one must learn to look properly before change can occur. He believes (as do I) that it is both relaxation, and proper looking habits to get lasting results.
Some people have better eyes because of a blend of genetics, better visual habits, better diet, etc. And those who lack some amount of that end up with worse eyes, which includes cataracts.
You can have your dad experiment with palming and the different swings as illustrated at <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.seeing.org">www.seeing.org</a><!-- w --> for a week (if you have that much time), at least an hour per day, perhaps four sessions throughout the day of a half hour each, doing whichever combination of those yields the most relaxation to him personally. If you have or can obtain a Snellen chart to see where he can read to before the clouding distorts the image too much, and then check back in a week, you both should be able to discern from there which route to take. Either continuing the Bates method of re-educating the eyes, or the surgical operation.
The Bates method does not always work with everyone, because the individual must want change, be willing to take the time for it, and do it right. If the individual can do two, but not the other, successful change is unlikely.
I know a few people that have reversed cataracts with the Bates Method.
One lady stopped wearing her close vision eyeglasses which she wore for 15 years, then practiced the Bates Method, just a few things; shifting, palming, nutrition, fasting diet.
She then went to a different eye doctor after only 2-3 months and he told her there are no cataracts. Her old doctor never told her to stop wearing the glasses. As soon as she stayed away from eyeglasses, the eyes health, vision improved.
When I read in Bates' book that he squeezed a fish eyeball and saw the lens get cloudy, then released the pressure and saw it get clear, it made a huge impression on me. Yes, the cataract lens replacement operation is pretty routine now, but it won't eliminate any straining habits that caused the cataract to form in the first place. Plus they usually implant a corrective lens to "help" your vision now, not just a new clear one, so you're subject to the over-correction problem, and these will be glasses that are part of your body now and you can never take off.
My elderly mother had 2 cataract operations which didn't make much difference in how well she says she sees. As we know vision is very tied to your emotional state, and she is quite fearful and anxious. Do your research and ask a lot of questions before agreeing to have your only set of precious eyes operated on. I don't love dealing with blur, but it's a message from my body that I need to do something differently in how I'm looking, so I'm learning to do just that. I don't want to shoot the messenger!
I did not know about the corrective lens being put inside the eye for cataract surgery! This is awful! Bates students know the eye and cornea change to correct shape as the mind, eye muscles... relax, return to correct function on their own or with the Bates Method. This changes the focus of light rays to normal for clear vision but; the eyeglass lens implanted in the eye will not be the correct prescription resulting in blur. The same condition occurs if more strain occurs in the mind, eyes, muscles further impairing the eyes shape, focus of light rays. Are doctors doing this so they can do repetitive eye operations to place a new lens prescription inside the eye. Ahhhhhhh!
Clark, this is pretty pervasive -- do a bit of research. From what I'm seeing, I'm thinking the replacement of a human lens with a clear (no prescription) one is actually the exception now. There are bigger profits to be made from a prescription lens implant. This is how Otis "improved" his severe myopia, even though he didn't mention it unless pressed. I've heard they even have a lens that's got both near and far corrections in it, a bifocal prescription. I think some of these doctors do believe they're helping, since that's their training and all they know, but I also think more of them are starting to realize there are other more natural and less invasive alternatives to vision improvement. We need more educated consumers -- buyer beware!
I hope Otis makes out ok. He just keeps going for that eyeglass type option. How did you hear about his operation? When I had the broken neck problem the eye doctor I went to, to check if my eyes were injured was strictly Bifocals, Lasik... He was like you said; only taught this. I gave him all Bates Books. I never needed the glasses. Now he changed his sign on the building to a more natural name and I think he is studying the Bates Method. He wears glasses and I bet he will cure himself naturally.
Clark, Otis was asked repeatedly by some forum person, maybe on Effortless Vision and not here, as to just how he improved his formerly strong myopia. All he had ever posted about was the dreaded minus lens and SECOND OPINION ODs (I always felt like he was shouting at me with his pervasive caps), and the benefit of plus lens therapy for maintaining his vision, which I never personally believed in, but I wasn't about to argue as his mind was clearly made up. In one single post which you can find if you really look he admitted he'd had cataract surgery to implant a corrective lens -- this might have been part of a sentence buried in the plus lens stuff and other info he kept repeating so was easy to miss if you weren't reading carefully. I hope he's doing OK too.
Interesting about the eye doctor changing his focus (ha!) to a more natural approach -- I'd like to think the word is finally getting out.
Thanks Nancy. I get upset when these guys advertise the Plus Lens treatment but never tell the side effects. There is a book on that subject. Author should tell the truth and at least give some Bates Method training so people have a choice.
First thing, I have a great-great aunt (70 something) who had cataract surgery and got an implanted bifocal lens. 1/2 mm tall font I could read after a month of Bates practice (slight accommodative dysfunction previously), I asked her to read it, and after a minutes worth of squinting and "trying" to see it, she finally succeeded in reading the two words of that size I asked her to. "Normal" stuff she had no trouble seeing though.
What are the negatives of plus lens treatment that you are aware of?
Another note. Last time I saw my optometrist (non NVI supportive) I asked him about intra ocular lenses and he said that looking in someone's eye, if you know what to look for, you aren't going to be fooled by an intra-ocular lens if someone says they have perfect vision, no contacts, no glasses, etc. They had -7 diopters before, but now have zero after doing XYZ exercise. So this Otis person you speak of, aside from slightly admitting that he actually faked improvement, it would be obvious to an optometrist looking in his eye. At least we know that we can tell fraudulent improvements given the right knowledge, equipment, and access to the person.
my mother had cataract surgery for both eyes 5 months ago! it took her eyes a month and a half to fully recover and let the tissue repair the cuts. Now she's doing fine
That Otis Brown, kicked off Natural Eyesight forums is now on YouTube and a new group advising Plus Lens treatment for pilots, children... He refuses to state anything about the harm the treatment does. So stubborn. Hes gonna hurt a lot of people.
