Meir Schneider interviews, some comments

[ted]

I was just typing for like an hour and lost all my data when I accidentally hit the back button. An auto-save feature would be awesome on this forum, if it's possible.

I'll start over.

Meir Schneider's vision story is pretty amazing. I've been listening to some his interviews that are posted from his home page (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://self-healing.org/">http://self-healing.org/</a><!-- m -->) and I had some comments. I was also wondering what you all thought of his techniques, if you have ever had success with them?

The Consious TV interview
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://conscious.tv/consciousness.html?bcpid=2439355001&bclid=676435924001&bctid=676803520001">http://conscious.tv/consciousness.html? ... 6803520001</a><!-- m -->

Minute 24:49
He starts talking about various techniques that he used when he was improving. I like what he says about looking at details, and noticing more in those details. He talks about how he started to look at a person's face, and how he would start noticing their ears, eyes, nose and would notice even more. Sort of like, if you want to see something, you have to actually look at it.

Just after minute 28:00
He starts talking about the Bates Method and then gives some techniques/principles to improve vision. He says to look into the distance outside for 8 minutes, twice a day. I'm wondering why Bates never stressed too much the importance of looking into the distance?

He goes on to talk about blinking as well. "We should blink 20 - 25 times a minute." Hmm, does anyone know anyone with normal vision that doesn't blink that much? I guess once every three seconds is about right...

33:00
"I want to claim here, right now, that nobody should need glasses."

35:00
"We need to create a critical mass [of people working on vision/life improvement]."

"If we work on ourselves, and we improve ourselves, we bring a whole new consciousness to the world........"

It would be awesome if Meir would join this forum and contribute to discussion when he had the chance. I know he teaches vision improvement for a living, but spreading the message and hearing anecdotes is very helpful for everyone as well. He seems to be doing a great job, though, with his school and seminars.

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The second interview, from KKUP Radio
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3154184/Meir%20">http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3154184/Meir%20</a><!-- m --> ... -27-03.mp3

Minute 9:00
He starts talking about looking into the distance again.

Minute 17:00
"Our visual habits make a huge difference."
"When we look so much at near, we must compensate by looking far."
"For 8 minutes twice a day, look at the distance, wave you hands to the side."

I mean it makes sense, but it's still curious that Bates never placed so much importance on this technique. And Schneider's technique of waving your hands to the sides to promote peripheral vision again seems to contradict the concept of central fixation. Any ideas?

I couldn't get the rest of this interview to play. That's all I got so far. He's a great example to look to. If he can improve from blindness to legally driving with an unrestricted license, well then there ya go.

[arocarty]

I mean it makes sense, but it's still curious that Bates never placed so much importance on this technique. And Schneider's technique of waving your hands to the sides to promote peripheral vision again seems to contradict the concept of central fixation.

Central fixation is seeing one point BEST, the rest, worse; not seeing one point only. The rest of what? The rest of your visual field! E.g., your peripheral. The fovea does not operate in solitary isolation. It's a highly complex relationship borne out of survival and need to move through the world safely. When we put an abnormal burden on just central vision, as we do in today's modern culture of work, education (and entertainment), strain can and does abound. Schneider is surely not suggesting that we try to see something in the periphery BETTER than something in our central vision, but to stimulate much needed awareness. Bates promoted much to help the whole visual field - swinging especially. Noticing oppositional movement as we move. This is a whole visual field experience, not just one of central vision. A ton of vital data is processed from the periphery, though it's mostly processed on an unconscious level.

Bates was the first to say, if you neglect to use your distance vision, you can forget how to use it, and become myopic. He promoted many activities to engage distance vision - going to the movies, go dancing, children to get outside. Above all, he highly promoted the practice of looking at an eyechart at 20 feet, which is no different, optically speaking, than looking at any greater distance. Hence he stressed the importance of an eyechart in classrooms, and in every home, and in his treatment. For daily practice in distance viewing. He was all about stressing the importance of daily practice of distance viewing, to prevent/alleviate myopia. Maybe he just took on a more formal tone about it.

[ted]

Hmm, interesting.....I'll do some pondering and practice on this. Thanks for the reply.

[clarknight]

Thanks you guys!

If you read his book, write a review. See my review here; http://www.amazon.com/Vision-Life-Natura...ewpoints=1

I am working on a video review for all best teachers books. I did Thomas Quackenbush's book. 1st time doing a video for a book so a little nervous... but it shows the basics of the book. Move down the page 3 reviews; http://www.amazon.com/Relearning-See-Imp...ewpoints=0

I like Amazon because some teachers and their students, book readers will write back, comment on the review! I learn things. Maybe we can post a invite to Meir to come here! Maybe Tom Q! He used to post on a couple Groups.

I also notice Meir's peripheral exercise seems against central-fixation but I think he does this just to stimulate the periphery; not to use the eyes/vision that way all day. Maybe learned it as he tried ways to return his sight?

The eyes 'macula/fovea' produce the true clearest center of the visual field. It's straight ahead of the eyes, like a dot in the middle of a circle. It moves with the eyes/head to focus upon and also move, shift upon each object the eyes look at.
The outer central is also clear and so is the inner peripheral but it's the exact center, central field, 'that fovea' that produces the very clear, clearest fine detailed vision. It moves continually point to point making the entire field appear clear; wherever you look, the fovea goes and keeps moving; look at a chair; the eyes, fovea move on the back, then move on a leg, then a arm... Seeing one part clearest, BEST at a time. The whole chair appears clear, though in reality; the part you are looking at, for the time you are looking at it, even if it's only a split second; it's in the central and seen best.

Wow! Finally my spell checker is working.


Mary