Used to be (4.50L / 4.75R)
Now I am (5.75L / 5.75R)
both (minus lenses)
I have only done over the last year, no glasses and using pinholes for computer work and not really done any active eye training.
I am wondering if this is normal and is there anything you guys recommend? I don't really notice any more vision loss over last year and the only thing I have more of is floaters.
Also got bitched at by the eye doc when I said I was trying without my glasses. He said that if I had worn them to use the computer instead of pinholes that my eyes would not have gone up so much in diopiters.
Remember that vision is dynamic, getting worse, then better, then worse, then better again, depending on your emotional state and attitude and physical health. The doctor's measurement is a snapshot in time and it could have been very different a few minutes before or after, or if you had palmed first. If it were me I wouldn't get too upset. I'm sure you've heard of "white coat syndrome" where people's blood pressure is high when they go to the doctor to get it measured because they're anxious, then when they measure it at home it's fine. Same thing with your vision. Keep checking it yourself with an eye chart, and keep the focus on relaxing and letting go of strain.
I really do think strain is my problem. Even now the back of my eyes are sore due to them feeling like they wanna escape my head. I also have the problem that any relaxation exercise actually stresses me out. I honestly have not found any bates exercises that don't cause me strain. I am weird like that, its quite frustrating.
I seriously get disheartened by it.
I also wish to ask a quick question while your are here nancy. Did your eyeballs go back to their original round shape once your sight had improved?
Quote:Did your eyeballs go back to their original round shape once your sight had improved?
I haven't had the eye doctor measure my eyeball shape in years. I don't want to get discouraged for no reason if the instrument shows I "should" be wearing a stronger prescription than I seem to need -- the eyechart is feedback enough to me at how my vision is improving. However, I can say my eyes look much softer and my eyeballs less "bulge-y" (straining forward trying to see) than they used to years ago, so I'm thinking they probably are rounder, settling back (relaxing!) into the sockets instead of reaching out to grab for the images. Also, when I wash my face now and my fingertips brush over my closed eyelids, there is much more "give", the eyeballs more pliable, not feeling so hard and rigid. Hope that answers your question.
Slightly different but related topic: it concerns me that you say "any relaxation exercise actually stresses me out". Palming is the most relaxing to me. When I coach my students through it I talk in a soft slow voice and say to feel the tension melting out of their forehead and face, their eyes softening and getting more moist, etc. Many who really "get" the benefits of palming (because they can feel it in the moment) think this is the biggest thing they got out of the lesson, especially since they can do it on their own. If you can't palm for long without feeling anxious, see if you can do it for a minute or two, or even a few seconds, focusing on relaxing and letting the tension go, and not on how long it's been (am I done yet?) or whether your vision is going to be better -- you want to get out of your head (too-busy brain) and into your body. If you can't sit still, try some easy slow Long Swings. I encourage you to stay with it and not give up. Good luck!
Yes, the measurement is merely a snapshot as Nancy says, but at the same time, only you can know for sure what your situation is. My personal experience with vision tests is that they are fairly consistent. Maybe they won't tell me exactly how good or bad my vision is, but I have found that results from check-up to check-up match up pretty well.
I recommend that you try to stay aware of what your eyes are doing, but don't force them to change - just observe. You should probably find situations where they burn, strain, etc. In such cases, stop what you are doing and engage in an activity where you don't need to use your eyes much for - maybe just taking a walk around the house for example.
Like you, I have had trouble with most of the more conventional techniques, and some of them - most notably palming - not only don't relieve my eye strain; they add to it! If something doesn't work, try something else and move on. I think I mentioned it somewhere else, but if palming doesn't work, you should try closing your eyes and either a) think of something pleasant or b) clear your mind, put your attention on the muscles in your body and the sounds around you, and avoid thoughts. I have found that the latter is very relaxing.
I'd say that the most important thing is to pay attention to your body and listen to it when the red flags come up. I have found that it is a mistake to "keep going" when I start to notice strain, especially if I try to do something to consciously "relax" as I continue.
IndigoGhost Wrote:Also got bitched at by the eye doc when I said I was trying without my glasses. He said that if I had worn them to use the computer instead of pinholes that my eyes would not have gone up so much in diopiters.
If you need to justify what you're doing to your doctor or anyone else, show them this.
@Nancy: I actually feel stress reaction while palming. Just like an animal in a zoo where they rock back and forward due to being stuck and stressed. I actually start rocking my head/body like that while palming. I'm serious, its bad.
@All: I don't know what's up with me, I feel like I'm in a constant state of stress always. Probably due to being ill and feeling trapped.
@All: Its interesting that when I got home/ woke up my eyesight actually feels worse due to being demoralised by the eye doctor.
@Indigo: If you naturally go into a rocking motion to help cope with and reduce your stress, maybe swinging and swaying are a better thing to try for the time being. You don't have to be married to any particular technique, it's about finding what works best for you. Rocking is a form of the swing, just the short form of it (the 'sway'). It can even be done with eyes closed (the mental swing). I found that closing my eyes was much more efficacious for me than palming, and swaying, something I could rely on even if in public. My body likes to move, too. Though I could now sit still with my eyes closed for any length of time, and find it my favorite relief.
Checkups with the optometrist or eye doctor are important to make sure we do not have or are not developing any medical type conditions. 99 percent of them, however, are not going to be receptive to alternative methods, so his response is no big surprise. They can only comment on what they know, and what they've been trained for. Few have actually studied Bates, and most don't even want to know. Are you working with your own eye chart, taking your own visual acuity readings? Take charge of your own eyes, only you will know and can see through your own eyes at all different times of the day, under different conditions. If you don't have the reinforcement of your own chart, you will be forever stuck relying on someone else telling you how you should be seeing.
No glasses is great but you need to practice The Bates Method also. Once you get that normal, correct eye, vision function, things will clear up. Bates says if palming is not comfortable for you, just try something else.
Shift as a easy relaxed habit. Blink, breathe, think a positive thought. Try to use your own eyes, not always pinholes.
Here's my info. on them;
Pinhole glasses are unnatural, act like dark, tinted lenses, sunglasses; they block healthy full spectrum sunlight and lower the clarity of vision, health and function of the eyes.
The pinholes act as sunglasses and widen the pupil unnaturally in the light.
This is harmful to the visual system, function of the brain with the eyes, pupil, iris, lens, retina. Dark glasses cause watering eyes, sensitivity to light, impairs light tolerance. Pinhole glasses with very tiny pinholes, appearing as plain sunglasses are most harmful, block out more healthy sunlight and impair normal eye function. Pinhole glasses do not help the eyes function correct, do not improve function of the eye muscles and brain with the eyes, eye muscles, retina. Pinholes block normal eye, brain, visual system function; prevent the eyes from functioning, focusing, moving perfectly, natural; prevents normal, complete eye movement âshiftingâ, central-fixation, all Correct Vision Habits, accommodation, convergence, un-accommodation, divergence, binocular vision, fusion, depth, distance perception, 3-D vision. The fovea centralis, macula; the eyes, retinaâs âcentral fieldâ must avoid the black areas of the glasses and move to, look through only the pinholes. This makes it difficult for the central light ray to focus perfectly on the center of the fovea centralis. This blocks full, free eye movement, normal central-fixation. Pinholes prevent the eye muscles (ciliary, iris/pupil/lens, recti, obliqueâ¦) from functioning normally. Objects seen through pinholes appear smaller, incorrect size. This impairs memory, imagination, depth, distance... perception, function of the brain with the eyes. This causes strain, impairs the vision.
All eyeglasses including pinholes disrupt normal blinking, can cause headaches.
Pinholes reduce some of the light rays entering the eyes. This reduces some of the blur produced by unfocused light rays in eyes that needs vision improvement. Pinholes act as the eyes pupil does in sunlight; in sunlight the pupil becomes smaller; this reduces light rays in the eye. This is why day vision is clearer than night vision when the eyes need vision improvement. Pinholes do this all the time, in all light and in an unnatural way. This is unhealthy, confuses the brain, eye muscles, iris/pupil muscles, impairs their function⦠(The iris/pupil muscle is interconnected with the ciliary, lens muscle. Tear gland and other muscles are in the same area and can affect each other when tense, not functioning correct.) Squinting, an Incorrect Vision Habit that causes eye, eye muscle tension and unclear vision is a form of a unnatural pinhole effect.
People with cataracts, other eye, vision impairments may see better through pinholes, but this is temporary and prevents Natural Vision Improvement, a return to natural clear vision, healthy eyes.
Pinhole glasses are illegal, not safe for driving, work, play. Pinhole glasses block out a large part of the peripheral field of vision. Objects, moving objects are sensed by the peripheral field. Peripheral vision is necessary for safety when driving, bike riding, crossing streets and most activities.
Pinhole Glasses are used only in emergencies, for a few seconds to read fine print on a medicine bottle, a distant sign... to prevent squinting and use of eyeglasses. Itâs better to use the pinhole glasses for a couple seconds than to put on eyeglasses and tense up the eye muscles, eyes, visual system and reverse your vision improvement process. If eyeglasses are needed; only reduced, weaker lenses are used and as little as possible. Pinhole glasses are better than eyeglasses because they cause less strain in the visual system than eyeglass lenses, less eye muscle tension, so, this can help the vision improve. Pinholes should not be a replacement for natural vision. The more eyeglasses, pinholes are avoided, the faster and easier the vision improves. When the vision improves with use of The Bates Method, then pinhole glasses, eyeglasses are permanently discontinued.
Avoid exercises that might come with the pinholes. I am not familiar with them and sellers are usually not natural vision teachers so they might teach things that are unnatural. Pinhole glasses with very small holes, appearing like sunglasses act as sunglasses and block more natural light, can cause other vision problems.
I agree that eye tests are simply a snapshot in time, from personal experience, depending on the time of day or how much sleep I've had/how relaxed I am, I can read at least 1 more line or maybe even 2 more lines down the eye chart in some cases so don't be too disheartened about your results at the optometrist as only you can ever know if your vision is better than it was.
As far as pinhole exercises go, I wouldn't try them, they reduce the light going into your eye which isn't all that natural however if you do look through pinholes, for this reason, you will have sharper vision. But no-one gets by in life looking through pinholes.
EDIT: I realise clarknight has explained this in more detail, I don't really know much about pinhole glasses but I agree with him.
Another thing I have noticed is that exercises like central fixation are far more effective if they are done in the morning. Unfortunately, since starting university, I haven't had much time to lie in my bed for 10 mins whilst practicing these exercises, however, if you have time I strongly recommend to practice as soon as you get up. Reason being? Personally, my eye sight seems to improve much quicker in the morning using these techniques and also stays far more consistent throughout the day. You can still practice throughout the day but sometimes having tired eyes later on in the day can hinder progress.
