I'm 18 years old and i'm new here. i suffer from Myopia at -6.00 in both eyes and a bit of astigmatism (spelling?) in my left eye.
However, i've been interested in this area when i found bates' book in my local bookshop when i was 15. I have always hoped to take that step to improving my eyesight, but i can't do it. As a student, i really do *NEED* my glasses. And i'm going to continue to need them until i'm in my mid-20's at the very least. For both short-distance and long-distance use.
Although i'll be going university this year and will still need them no doubt, i have been thinking recently that it's now or never. By the time i have proper time to devote to the bates method, i'll already be an old man. Which is why today i am posting here.
So, to restore 20/20 vision to my eyes (or close enough):
1. What is the maximum time per day i can wear my prescription glasses? (1 hour? 30 minutes? Or just throw them away?)
2. Is there anything that will help me function healthily in society, since throwing away my glasses will basically make me blind? Which won't be helpful when i'll be studying a lot.
3. Is 1-2 years a realistic time to expect my vision to be restored? If it takes any longer than that, i may as well just go for laser eye surgery than live 2+ years in blindness.
4. Roughly, how long do i have to do the bates' exercises per day? (don't give me a wishy-washy answer like 'whatever is best for you'. Because no time is best for me. I'm a busy man).
5. Are there any fancy new exercises i should be aware of? Or is swinging and palming enough? (Personally i find palming too complicated, as i'n not sure what i'm meant to do while i'm sitting there. Some people say you should imagine calming scenery. Others say you should imagine a block colour. Others say that you should clear your mind and not focus on anything but the blackness).
Persian, you sound goal-oriented and driven, which is fine for some things, but it can get in the way with vision improvement. The approach needs to be relaxed and curious, exploring even, like a child learning something new, no expectations, no agenda. If you do anything like meditation or martial arts or a sport where you lose yourself, that feeling is what you want during natural seeing, no trying, just letting your body do its thing while you direct but don't interfere. During palming whatever you "see" is right, swirling colors or black or memory or imagination images -- you're letting the images come, not making them happen.
Without answering every question individually, let this be your guide. Wear your glasses as little as you can, and wear reduced ones. Whether you've got your glasses on or not, look in a relaxed interested way, not trying but allowing. My opinion is that it might take longer if you have to wear glasses sometimes, but it's still possible to improve. Also, please ditch the negative thoughts about declining vision and disaster-thinking about going blind, etc. That's not helping, though I know the media and medical profession feeds this so it's hard to be optimistic sometimes. You can see as well as you let yourself, once you learn some healthy habits of seeing and ways of thinking.
Please don't have any schedule for yourself, which is pressure you don't need. Enjoy the improvements and forget about the things that didn't go right -- you learned something. You can do this as you're obviously a smart person. Slow down and take it like any other learning, don't try to swallow the concepts too fast, experiment with your own eyes and take your time. Faster is not better here. Read the introductory material on this site to get started. You didn't restrict your eyesight overnight and you probably won't heal it that fast either. And enjoy the process! This "work" can be a lot of fun.
I was going to post a variation of my usual discouraging response to moderate-to-high myopes who need to work or go to school. But it occurred to me that people are probably tired of that. Of course you can try it, like Nancy described, but don't get your hopes up about improving. And be very careful about when you leave your glasses off. With your level of nearsightedness, there are many things you wouldn't notice, especially in a new place. You never know when you might trip over something or not see something coming.
