If Bates said eye problems are like lifestyle can't we just change the pattern? If I overeat I will run into obesity, blood circulation problems. The same with junk food, if after eating all that crap I simply shift to eco/healthy food, everything should change.
Here is the thing, if I am near-sighted, according to Bates I often "fix" (in negative way) during reading books or simply working to much with computer and watching excel for most of my work day I overuse my eyes. Does anyone know how to look at many pages of text (like reading interesting book) for few hours in a row, or working on computer for many hours in a healty way? What does it mean "healthy" concerning the eyes' good pattern. Like "eye fitness". I am sorry but how should I read text, if I try to look at each single letter I would achieve astonishing speed of a page per hour, and how to move between words without forcing them into strenuous effort.
Does anyone who recovered his sight now reads books, works with computer in a better, "fitter" way?
Take frequent short breaks to palm or get a glass of water, watch your posture, look in the distance occasionally (out a window if possible). Most of all, be aware when you start to strain and stop it.
But people with "normal vision" do not have to do things like that. I am curious what is the difference between me and somebody who is reading a book for 2-3 hours, how do you read text not to achieve strain. How to read in a constant manner and do it healthy? Did anyone reached that state, could this person please elaborate on it?
A good place to start would be David's series of articles, which you can find here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.iblindness.org/davids-method/">http://www.iblindness.org/davids-method/</a><!-- m -->
Ideally, if you are using your eyes correctly, you probably wouldn't have to take breaks and stuff like that, as you said. But, the reason that your vision is imperfect is because you are straining (i.e. doing something wrong). Taking regular breaks is unlikely to permanently improve your vision, but it definitely helps lessen some of the strain, which in turn can make it easier to do things like palming, swinging, etc.
For reading, it's mainly just important to be conscious of what point you're looking at as you skip across each line. I describe this in my articles, but not specifically for reading, which I should do. Depending on the size of the text and your distance from it, you can skip every few letters or even every other word, so long as each point you skip to is one letter or part of a letter.
Site Administrator
"Half of our funny, heathen lives, we are bent double to gather things we have tossed away." - George Meredith
David Wrote:For reading, it's mainly just important to be conscious of what point you're looking at as you skip across each line. I describe this in my articles, but not specifically for reading, which I should do. Depending on the size of the text and your distance from it, you can skip every few letters or even every other word, so long as each point you skip to is one letter or part of a letter.
This is the first I've heard of this kind of reading. I know Harold Peppard suggested reading upside-down.
Thank you David (the Cookie monster) for the answer, that was my point -> how to read as normal people should do. Now puzzles seem to come together - with the part you wrote about narrowing continously (I must say I really liked as I try to focus on smaller and smaller part - even if blurry - my eyes seem to relax) because as you should improve central fixation, the peripheral vision should benefit as well. Do I understand it correctly David, I focus on single letter in word (central fixation stuff), but as my peripheral vision would not be (as you stated) overloaded it would simply get the general shape of others letters in word sending signal to brain what word it actually is. So one would read with the same result, but without strain and effort?
cezar Wrote:Thank you David (the Cookie monster) for the answer, that was my point -> how to read as normal people should do. Now puzzles seem to come together - with the part you wrote about narrowing continously (I must say I really liked as I try to focus on smaller and smaller part - even if blurry - my eyes seem to relax) because as you should improve central fixation, the peripheral vision should benefit as well. Do I understand it correctly David, I focus on single letter in word (central fixation stuff), but as my peripheral vision would not be (as you stated) overloaded it would simply get the general shape of others letters in word sending signal to brain what word it actually is. So one would read with the same result, but without strain and effort?
Pretty much. The rest of the words are there around the points you look at, so you find yourself seeing them even though you weren't trying to see the whole word at once. And much of the interpretation of words and meanings happens automatically. A large part of fixing your way of reading is convincing yourself that you can just glance at a series of easy points, line by line, and you will interpret the words, and that it's also best to do it this way for good vision and the ability to continue reading for long periods of time.
Site Administrator
"Half of our funny, heathen lives, we are bent double to gather things we have tossed away." - George Meredith
David Wrote:For reading, it's mainly just important to be conscious of what point you're looking at as you skip across each line. I describe this in my articles, but not specifically for reading, which I should do. Depending on the size of the text and your distance from it, you can skip every few letters or even every other word, so long as each point you skip to is one letter or part of a letter.
This is the first I've heard of this kind of reading. I know Harold Peppard suggested reading upside-down.
Have you read Quackenbush's book? I believe that Quackenbush described a similar approach to reading. Shifting from point to point across each line.
I didn't read it as well, I guess I know what I will be doing during my vacation, as I heard it is more like bible, than handout, thanks for the hint pikachu.
@cezar: Just to be clear, I wasn't hinting at anything, or even suggesting that you read Quackenbush's book. In my opinion, it's not a whole lot different from what Bates wrote or what David has written. Nonetheless, it can't hurt to get another perspective. Everyone is different and what helps one person may or may not help another. But I was merely making a point that what David recommended for reading is not extremely radical, or even something new.
one more thing what does it mean not to stare. I can look at some particular point for several seconds and actually see it better later than at the moment I started -> I do not feel like I am staring. But during working with my computer I may look at different points (shift to some extent) and feel this burning sensation on my eyes, this is staring in my opinion, even when I am not looking at one moment. I feel like my eyes are doing the same thing as the camera that is actually zooming.
So how should I look not to in Bates words "not try to see", how do you do this, because I guess this is not staring.
Cezar, to me avoiding the stare is part mental and part physical, and they complement each other. Good mental habits (curious interested attention) will help your physical habits (shifting often). I make sure my attention stays on what I'm looking at and that I'm interested in seeing it. I invite it into my visual awareness, don't try to grab at it (looking in a relaxed way). I make sure I'm blinking enough (a lack of this can be a big cause of eyestrain at the computer). You can look at a very small area without staring if your gaze is shifting around it, even if the shifts are very small: your gaze and attention are still moving.
@cezar: It is also worth mentioning that trying to see too large an area can be considered staring. For example, even though I shift from one point to another on a computer screen, I still often find myself trying to "grab" at a significant portion of the screen, if not the whole screen! Obviously, this is very straining on the eyes. This may be what you were describing in your post.
