questions about normal vision

[vavst4]

Not sure where to post this. This isn't exactly about Bates but had some questions about normal (unaided) vision.

I'm a recovering myop. You can read my story under "Success Stories".

I find that when I have a "clear flash" I can feel the muscles on the side of my eyes working. It similar to the feeling I get when viewing the stereograms in the "Magic Eye" book where you're supposed to look at an image and let your eyes diverge to see it pop out in 3D. In addition the normal vision seems to have a more 3 dimensional quality (like things are popping out at you) than vision with glasses. My questions are:

1) What are the muscles in the side of the eye responsible for? Is it normal to feel them engaging as above when you're looking out into the distance unaided by glasses?
2) Is normal vision supposed to have this 3D quality?
3) I also find that unaided vision fluctuates. Someone else told me this was normal, but I was wondering for the people who have perfect vision, how much and how often does it fluctuate? Can the range be as big as 20/20 to 20/100 or worse sometimes?

Vasanth

[Nancy]

Disclaimer: I only have 20/20 vision some of the time, not even the majority of the time on most days. Yet I have something to offer on your questions.
1. Here us a diagram and description of the eye muscles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraocular_muscles
As a recovering myope I believe my obliques that wrap all the way around my eyeball to squeeze it forward trying to see in the distance are over-active.

2. Yes, healthy vision is much more 3D and "alive" than eyeglasses vision. Glasses make the world appear flat. As my vision has improved this 3D effect is becoming more pronounced. Peter Grunwald who teaches the Eyebody Method told us that if myopes concentrate on seeing depth it will help with clarity, so I do this a lot, even with clouds overhead when I'm walking outside.

3. Yes, unaided vision fluctuates, which is a healthy thing. My belief is that as my vision continues to improve it will fluctuate less often and less dramatically. I'm guessing folks with normal vision don't even notice their vision fluctuations -- they are very minor, but still present.

[vavst4]

Disclaimer: I only have 20/20 vision some of the time, not even the majority of the time on most days. Yet I have something to offer on your questions.
1. Here us a diagram and description of the eye muscles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraocular_muscles
As a recovering myope I believe my obliques that wrap all the way around my eyeball to squeeze it forward trying to see in the distance are over-active.

2. Yes, healthy vision is much more 3D and "alive" than eyeglasses vision. Glasses make the world appear flat. As my vision has improved this 3D effect is becoming more pronounced. Peter Grunwald who teaches the Eyebody Method told us that if myopes concentrate on seeing depth it will help with clarity, so I do this a lot, even with clouds overhead when I'm walking outside.

3. Yes, unaided vision fluctuates, which is a healthy thing. My belief is that as my vision continues to improve it will fluctuate less often and less dramatically. I'm guessing folks with normal vision don't even notice their vision fluctuations -- they are very minor, but still present.

Cool thanks. So it sounds like I'm on the right track. This eye improvement stuff is really neat.

btw, with 20/45 vision, what has it been like driving at night? What prescription do you use for night driving?

Yesterday after work I drove home at sundown on the highway for the first time in the same -0.25 glasses I wear during the day. It was a little daunting with all these glaring headlights around me, but after my eyes adapted, I did just fine.

[Nancy]

Yes, you are definitely on the right track. Good for you! The amount of light is still a big factor for me in how well I see, so I am trying to spend time outside in the sun every day, and also walk at night when I can. I've noticed that if I skip several nights, my vision starts to close in, and the next time I go outside in the dark it's scary how much I can't see at first. So I really have to keep my focus (ha!) on this, especially with the daylight getting shorter here in NY.

Since I work at home, I'm able to avoid driving at night, though of course I deal with heavy rainstorms or deep fog sometimes. This Hudson Valley area can have volatile wild weather. My last long drive at night was a year and a half ago, driving home from the airport after midnight after traveling all day. It was raining, and I was tired and jet-lagged. Yes, I considered sleeping in my car until morning, but I drove home with -4s. I posted about this then and was pretty much attacked for for not having improved as much as I say. All I can tell you is that my vision still varies more than I like (and this was worse a year and a half ago). I am a sensitive human, not a machine!

When I drive next after dark, or at dusk, I'll post about my experience. Nice going about the near-dark drive with -.25s. This is excellent -- your vision work is paying off.