First of all this is my first post and I would just like to say that this is a website has opened up a whole new way of seeing things in regards poor eyesight comes about and how it is treated.
This post is first a general question that I think will relate to most people and then towards the end it will deal more with my own situation.
So... How do you know if your vision is improving? Go get an eye test is one answer, but that can be expensive. So other than an eye test, buying your own snellen chart or having a clear flash what are the other signs of your vision improving? Obviously on a small scale because if you suddenly lose a diopter it will probably be very noticeable.
Now in regards to my own eyesight, I am currently 17, myopic, -4.75R -5.50L previously to that I was -4.50 in both eyes and then I received a tremendous jump in my left eye which led me to this website. Since I started using bates method I've notice that while looking at close things such as my iPad while wearing glasses, my eyes are a bit stressed and my temples are sore, much like a headache. My question is if this is a sign that these new glasses are too strong for me now
You can find free snellen charts on-line. Print one out and use it. Other signs of improvement are fewer headaches, brighter colors and deeper depth, less facial or jaw or neck tension, eyes more relaxed and less tired-feeling.
I'd recommend doing what you can without glasses, and getting a reduced prescription for when you really need it like for driving. Using a strong prescription for close work like the iPad is not helping you.
Thank you for your kind replies, in relation to my eyesight I mentioned how my left eye took a tremendous leap compared to the other eye, any idea why this may be or could it just be that I was given too strong a prescription?
You might think back to see if there was any unusually stressful event preceding the decline, and work through that if so, but in any case you'll still have to do the Bates practices. I wouldn't spend too much time on "Why??" and just get to work improving.
Computer screens (especially 3-D videos...) can stress out the eyes and sometimes make one eye dominant up close and this makes the vision in the left and right eyes uneven. Set up mirrors with a distant view or a open window to look to the distance beyond the computer screen.
When one brain hemisphere is more active than the other, one eye can become less clear. Do you balance your life with computer, math... left hemisphere things with right hemisphere things like music, art, creativity, using imagination? Do the cross crawl, sway, figure eight infinity swing.
If the lenses in the eyeglasses are uneven strength for the left and right eyes that can prevent the vision from being equal in each eye.
If you must wear glasses temporarily as you improve;
Get equal strength eyeglass lenses for the left and right eyes; using the weakest strength lens of the two eyes (the weaker lens for the clearer vision eye) for both eyes and then; get the lenses reduced to 20/40 clarity while still keeping equal strength. This will not show exact 20/40 clarity for the less clear vision eye when looking through the eyeglass lenses at the 20/40 eyechart line (the stronger, clearer eye will see the 20/40 line clear) but it will enable the less clear eye to catch up with the clearer eye and eventually see 20/40 through the eyeglasses. The clearer eye will probably also improve so the vision 'might' still be uneven in each eye as vision improves but will have improved a lot in each eye and will be more equal.
If the vision becomes clearer than 20/40, reaching toward 20/20 in one eye through the eyeglasses; its time to reduce the eyeglass strength equally again to 20/40 with the stronger, clearer eye seeing the 20/40 line clear.
If the less clear eye has improved past, (better) than the clearer eye; reverse the directions (still using equal strength lenses) so the eye that is clearest sees the 20/40 line clear through the new further reduced 20/40 glasses. 'Use the weakest lens for the clearest eye in both left and right eyeglass lenses and reduce the strength equally for 20/40 clarity for the clearest eye.'
If clarity in the left and right eyes become equal; then both eyes will see 20/40 on the eyechart when the eye doctor creates a new weaker 20/40 reduced eyeglass prescription with the lenses still of equal strength for the left and right eyes.
At this stage you may be able to go without glasses if you legally see 20/40 without glasses; whatever is legal, safe for driving, work, hobbies. 20/50, 80... any clarity vision without glasses when not driving...; try to go without glasses as much as possible; vision will improve faster to 20/20 and better.
Seeing clear, 20/20 through eyeglasses indicates the vision has improved, the lenses are now too strong, will prevent more improvement. Try to reduce before you reach 20/20.
If not driving, for safety at work... some people are comfortable with 20/50 even weaker prescriptions as long as it's not so weak that it interferes with relaxation, causes strain, effort to see. Comfortable weaker lenses allow more, faster vision improvement. No glasses is best.
(Why we use the weakest prescription for the clearest, best eye in each eyes eyeglass lens and reduce that to 20/40; If you make the prescription so the 20/40 line is clear for the less clear eye, placing the less clear eyes stronger prescription in both eyes; this will make the vision in the clearer eye reverse, become less clear and limit the amount of improvement in the less clear vision eye.)
If this 'equal eyeglass strength routine' is not possible, is uncomfortable or is illegal for driving, safety; stay with the uneven eyeglass strength prescription in the left and right eyes and reduce the strength of the eyeglass lenses to 20/40 clarity for the left and right eyes on the eyechart. Reduce each time the vision improves, when the lenses become close to 20/20 clarity. When the vision becomes equal, (if possible with these uneven lenses); get the eye doctor to make the lenses in each eye equal and reduced to 20/40, both eyes seeing 20/40 on the chart clear. Perfect equal vision may occur only after vision has improved and eyeglasses are discontinued.
See my website for shifting, switching close and far and extra practice time with the less clear eye. Practice shifting, central fixation, relaxation... and switching close and far to get the vision equal in each eye. As soon as possible; get the eyeglass lenses equal for each eye and continue to reduce to 20/40 and work toward freedom from eyeglasses.
Many people have a dominant eye with clearest vision. There is a test at the gun, rifle range that is done to determine this. I cover one eye at a time and check the vision at close and far distances in each eye. The gun range guys may be speaking of something extra, different. Clearest vision can alternate in the left and right eyes for close and far distances.
Do not look through close vision, reading glasses to see the distance and do not look through distant glasses to see close distances. In reality no eyeglass prescription is right for all close or far distances. The eye doctor can only set close vision glasses for one general close distance and distant glasses for one general far distance. This impairs, weakens natural, normal accommodation, un-accommodation, convergence, divergence at all distances. All eye movements become stiff, imperfect. Eyeglasses with many different small sections in them for close and far also impair these functions and are very straining to the brain, eye muscles, eyes and cause fast vision impairment. Bifocals, astigmatism sections also increase strain, impairment.
Practice the Bates method and the difference in clarity will become slight, then clarity will become so clear, equal in the left and right eyes that you forget which eye used to have less clear vision. You will also feel a difference in the brain, how you feel; a very good feeling when the vision gets this perfect. Memory, imagination, all brain functions, relaxation, energy improve.
Once again I am shocked with this amazing feedback, I must admit I knew improving my vision naturally would be hard and would require a large abundance of self motivation but this forum and all that contribute to it give me more and more encouragement every day
Thanks clarknight for your post and in regards to your post Nancy about stress affecting my eyesight I must admit I was quite stressed out that day and feeling very helpless as I waited for the optician to tell me that my eyesight had worsened again.
Now that I think of it when, it was only a year after my dad died and we moved away from my home town that I was given my first pair of glasses and diagnosed with asthma (which I have since overcome with heaps of cardio)
I am still in the middle of reading bates book, I have read all of David's blogs and will oroably read other blogs after bates book but if there is any piece of info you could recommend I take an extra look at in regards to my situation please let me know
Pay attention to your feelings and honor them. Moving away from your roots is huge and your body knew that. I am away at a training on mental illness, and convinced already a lot of it comes from supposed authorities telling sensitive vulnerable folks "Oh, you don't really feel that way..." like I was told as a child. In addition to the Bates work, at least journal about anything that still has a big charge attached, and get your power back here in the present.
Well you see my dad died a while back, and we eventually moved back to our home town, I think my mum needed to get away from it all for a while but it doesn't really.bother me anymore so I guess the glasses just messed up my eyesight from there onwards.
