So I've been trying some letter / snellen card techniques for the last month and I am pretty frustrated with it. I don't seem to get any effect from it whatsoever. Not even temporarily.
What I am doing are the following things. These things have been told to me to do by a bates teacher who was trained by Thomas Q. Honestly, I could have found this out myself without paying her any money, but that is beside the point here.
1. I am looking at the letters of the card and shifting from letter to letter in order see the letter that is in my central vision more black / clear than the surrounding letters. She told me that this is practicing CF. ALso I am supposed to 'imagine' the letter I am looking at more black than the letters next to it, when I don't actually see it with my eyes (is this correct?). So I've been doing this.
2. I have been looking at the letters from a distance that I can see them clearly and crispy. Then I move away a bit further so that they will become blurry. I close my eyes and remember the letter pure black and clear. Then I open my eyes and look at the blurry letter (which does not change whatsoever in clarity).
So, I've been doing this for a month now, along with palming, massage, long swinging and reduced computer use (around 50% less). I've also done analytical looking (the equivalent to david's method of looking at details).
So I have not seen any slight improvement whatsoever, nor have I even been able to see the letters on the card even a little bit more clear.
The question is : what am I doing wrong ? Anyone ?
Imagination hasn't worked for me either, but I have only started Bates for about 2 weeks. What has given me some results, is this chart here:
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and using it at a distance where the largest letter is well visible but blurred on the edges. I read the letters 1 second per letter and move on to the next row. When I get to the rows where I cannot understand what letter it is, I skip the letter within 1 second but I repeat the row of letters until I can interpret it. What happens is that the smaller letters train my brain to centralize more.. When I get to the lowest letter I learn to centralize on half of the letter, but it is hard to centralize on an even smaller portion.
I use the card at about 40 cm from my eyes, My prescription is -4
Well the first possible problem I see is you getting frustrated. Being frustrated can make things pretty hard when it comes to this.
I don't know if you've seen this anywhere else, but when most students start off with vision improvement, it can take a while to catch on to the ideas and get their first clear flash. But then once they "get it", if they diligently practice with the mentality of it being fun play, and not a mandatory chore, they progress pretty quickly.
I understand the aggregation of not getting it, but keep practicing and you'll eventually get a clear flash. After I started working on my eyes in earnest, I think it was a little more than a month before my first clear flash.
Things to remember are that you are being relaxed, you're looking at details, and you're just letting it come, you're not forcing it. Hope that helps!
I think what you experience is that vision is very much based on mental factors.
The shifting, imagination, feelings, thinking is all in you subconscious mind.
This does not mean that it is impossible to address it.
Many times I have heard that it is impossible to address the subconscious without having to get drunk or listen to music etc.
The natural visual habits are stored in the subconscious. It is not destroyed. It is still stored there despite the fact that you might be myopic. The problem is thus to address the subconscious in a right way. To do this you need to look at vision improvement from a mental point of view. This is what you are supposed to learn when you look at the eyechart. You use the eyechart as a biofeedback tool to learn how you shall address the subconscious vision algorithms.
I myself prepare myself mentally with palming in combination with imagination, central fixation and shifting. For instance I have always been intrested in houses and cars. I use this, because it is very easy for me to imagine a house or a car in my mind when I palm. Then when I am palming I look at details and shift from detail to detail at the imagined house for instance, seeing everything in three dimensions. You will notice after a while that it is possible to shift in a rather relaxed way. But, it is not enough to see clearly. You must learn to not feel the eyes (while still feeling them) when you shift and only feel the awareness of each point that you look at, shifting from point to point. Then you relize that your eyes are much much quicker, faster, and much much more relaxed than you ever thought. When you realize what natural visual habits really is mentally, then you can go on and try this out in the reality around you, applying it on the eyechart or something else. I think then you will get much easier to see clearly. That was just some tips, but I have to say that I am still working on this myself. I have reach so far that I can see the bottom line easily after maybe five minutes, but my problem is that my eyes get blurry again after some time. I don't really know why yet, but I guess I need to continue training this technique.
A Female Bates teacher trained by Thomas Quackenbush? Sounds like me or another lady?
Here's the beginning of that chapter in my book Lex may be talking about. I have combined some paragraphs to shorten here.
Print two identical copies of the eyechart and place them at close and far distances.
Keep one chart at a clear distance.
Practice shifting, central-fixation⦠on the charts once or more per day.
Practice in the sunlight, sun shining over the shoulder onto the charts.
Shifting, switching on the two identical charts improves the memory, imagination, ability to remember, imagine and see the letters clear, improves the brains function of storing clear images of objects in the memory. The eyecharts become familiar objects. Familiar objects are relaxing to the mind, eyes and are seen clear. When a letter on the chart is seen clear at a specific distance; all objects at that distance are seen clear.
When looking at a chart, place the chart at eye level, directly in line with the eyes, face.
The letter the eyes look at is placed in the center of the visual field; between the left and right eyes, at eye level.
The far chart is placed about 1 foot to the left or right (alternate) so the close chart does not block the view of the far chart.
When looking at a chart, maintain central-fixation; when looking at the close chart - stand directly in front of it. When looking at the far chart - move and stand directly in front of it.
Shift (part to part) on letters on the clear and unclear charts and remember, imagine and see the letters dark black and clear.
Practice with the eyes open, closed, open.
Practice with both eyes together, then one eye at a time, then both eyes together again. If vision is less clear in one eye, practice extra time with that eye. Then again a bit with the other eye, then both eyes together again to keep the vision balanced, equal in both eyes.
(Cover the eye not in use with a eyepatch and keep the eye open under the patch when the eye in use is open.)
Keep the letter the eyes are looking at between the eyes, at eye level, center of the visual field when using both eyes together and when using one eye at a time but avoid being immobile, tight. Let the head move with the eyes as the eyes (or eye when using one eye) shifts part to part on a letter and from letter to letter. Blink and relax.
Example; Person needs distant vision improvement.
Place one chart at a far, unclear distance.
Place the other identical chart at a clear close distance.
Look at the letter E at the clear close distance; shift part to part on the letter.
Remember, imagine, see the E dark black and perfectly clear.
Do this with the eyes open, then, in the imagination with the eyes closed, then with the eyes open again.
Then; switch to the unclear distant chart.
Look at the identical letter E.
Shift on the E and continue to remember, imagine the E is dark black and clear.
Practice with the eyes open, closed, open.
With practice the distant E will be seen clear.
Switch back to the clear close E.
Repeat; shift on the E, Remember, imagine, see it dark black and clear.
Practice with the eyes open, closed, open.
Looking at the clear close E reinforces the clear image of the E in the brain/memory and helps the brain and eyes work together to produce a clear image of the E when it is seen at the far distance.
Switch back to the E at the far distance.
Shift on it, remember, imagine and see it dark black and clear.
Blink, breathe, relax.
Allow the eyes, head/face, neck and body to relax, move freely when looking at the letters. Relaxation and movement bring clear vision. Eye, head/face, neck, body immobility, tension, staring, squinting, straining, trying hard to see the letters clear produces unclear vision.
Practice on other letters, smaller letters.
Practice at a variety of close, middle, far distances for clear vision at all distances.
Practice on two identical fine print charts with medium, small, smaller, and fine print size letters. Place the charts at two different close distances.
Memorize the letters on the chart. Memorizing the letters causes the chart to become a familiar object, something that is easy to see. Familiar objects relax the mind, eyes and activate clear vision. When the brain memorizes the letters, becomes familiar with them, there is not any effort to see them, mental strain and eyestrain are avoided, the mind/brain, eye muscles, eyes stay relaxed when viewing the chart and the letters are seen clear. This relaxation and clear vision continues when looking at other objects.
Place a familiar eyechart in the home, work, school and shift on the letters occasionally.
Practice all Correct Vision Habits on the letters.
Another Central-Fixation description; the letter the eyes are looking at is placed in the center of the visual field; between the eyes, at eye level. Look at and see one letter darkest black, clearest at a time in the center of the visual field. The letter the eyes are looking at is in the center of the visual field and is clearest. Other letters on the chart around and away from the letter are in the peripheral field and are less clear. This is normal.
Avoid staring, squinting, trying hard to see letters clear. Blink, relax and combine shifting with central-fixation; When looking at a letter; shift on it from small part to small part. Move the small exact center of the visual field part to part, (point to point) on the letters. Blink, let the eyes move. Shift relaxed, easy, continually, restful.
See the 'Illusion of Oppositional Movement'; the letter appears to move in the opposite direction the eyes move to, a small, quick movement no larger than the size of the letter. âThe Swing.â See Better Eyesight Magazine .
When reading a eyechart;
Don't spend a long time looking at a letter if itâs unclear. Avoid staring, squinting, straining, trying hard to see it. Shift on it, then move, shift to a new letter. Shift on that letter.
Blink, breathe abdominally, relax. Shift from letter to letter on the chart.
It is ok to stay on one letter if relaxation, eye shifting occurs. Relax, shift point to point-see small parts-let the eyes move on the letter automatically, on their own.
The exact center of the visual field; produced by the fovea centralis in the center of the macula, in the center of the eyes retina can be seen/measured by looking at a capitol letter E, 3/8" high, 20/20 line of the distant eyechart, from 20 feet away.
When looking directly at the E, the E occupies space in the center of the visual field produced by the macula and fovea. When looking at a small part of the E (Example; a part in the center of the E), that small part is in the exact center of the visual field produced by the fovea.
+Light rays from this part of the E focus on the center of the fovea when looking at this part, placing it in the center of the visual field.
+Light rays from other areas of the center of the visual field focus on the macula around the fovea.
+Light rays away from the E in the peripheral field of vision focus on the peripheral field of the retina around/away from the fovea and macula.
The fovea (especially the center of the fovea) produces the clearest vision, clearer than 20/20. The outer fovea and macula produce very clear vision, clearer than 20/20, but not as perfect as the center of the fovea.
The peripheral field of the retina produces less clear vision.
The far outer peripheral field is the most unclear.
See a letter clear by placing it in the center of the visual field and then;
use the exact center of the visual field, easy, without effort; place one small part of the letter at a time in the exact center of the visual field and see it darkest black and clearest. This is done by shifting from small part to small pert; moving that fovea, small exact central field upon the letter; each part it passes over is seen darkest black, clearest for that time the fovea, exact central field passes over that part, even if it's only for a fraction of a second. Normal eye function. Remember; do this easy, relaxed. No effort to be perfect.
I am going to incorporate all the tips in my tries. I think I should try using my eyes in a more relaxed way. I find myself having tired eyes in the evening without wearing my glasses (while I am trying to relax them at the same time).
@Hammer : I'm going t ot try that today ... many thanks...
@Fiat : very handy tips ... I think you're right that I should make it a little more fun. The more I am serious about it, the more results I will expect. That can eventually work against me.
@clarknight : I don't think its you personally ... you live in a different location than my teacher Thanks for the chapter in the book. It actually describes more or less the same process ... I don't know, maybe there is something to that whole way of doing things, but I seem to be immune for changes until now (unfortunately!) ...
If I can help you in any way, let me know. When I had a neck injury from a bad chiropractor I had many vision problems. David's looking at details really worked and fast; I used it as he teaches on objects in my environment and also on the lines of a astigmatism test chart; looking at details on the lines, one line at a time.
... you live in a different location than my teacher 
Thanks for the chapter in the book. It actually describes more or less the same process ... I don't know, maybe there is something to that whole way of doing things, but I seem to be immune for changes until now (unfortunately!) ... 