I have been doing with Bates method for 2 months and I am very motivated to keep doing all the necessary to this work. I know that I need to discard completely my glasses in order to get better results, but I can not read the computer or fine print without glasses. I have -5 diopters in my right eye and -4 diopters in my left eye, as well as some astigmatism in each eye. What do you recommend so I can practice this method to it's full potential?
Read Bates better eyesight magazines and his original book; the cure of imperfect sight by treatment without glasses.
Keep it simple and easy.
iblindness provides many of these for free. http://cleareyesight.info has a free book to download.
I want to thank iblindness, David, kazekage, otis and others for teaching me more information about the Bates method.
Bates book; The cure of imperfect sight by treatment without glasses is on cleareyesight.info for free due to your discussions on this forum.
Any other suggestions are welcome.
Which Bates articles, magazine issue do you think describes shifting and central fixation in the most simple, easy form for new students?
If you are practicing with fine print but can't see it, don't worry just look at the white spaces ignore the letters and imagine the halos whiter . It's a good technique ;D I get microscopic eyesight if I do this . when the sight is weak, the best thing IMo is the IMAGINATION . read the bates original book etc. if it's confusing
GLASSES MUST BE DISCARDED be brave my friend and do it
the faster you discard your glasses, the less you will suffer because you can cure yourself quick and not waste time wasting your efforts.
Thanks for your all encouragment. I can bring closer the books to my eyes, but related to computer this is more difficult. Is there any software that I could use on the computer so the letters are bigger?
It is weekend, and I am at home with my nose touching on the screen while I write this. I do not know how I could do this at work without causing me some sort of embarrassment. Any ideas are welcome.
I have a separate cabin so no one sees me all the time. I too find it very embarassing when others see me almost touching the screen. But I have decided to be an introvert for the time being and ignore 'public opinions' regarding how I use my eyes and the computer because there is much at stake.
Have you tried using a magnifier software? I use this one frequently http://www.iconico.com/magnifier/. Depending on what kind of work you do a magnifier may not be of practical use. I am able to use it 50% of the time.
With normal font size and no magnifiers I can see only from 5 inches. With the magnifier at 4X I am able to work from a distance of upto 15 inches which is closer to normal distance.
Correct. You can avoid eccentric fixation while using large fonts by
a) Blinking frequently which causes a small eye movement in addition to flushing the tear film. It is important not to get the dry eye condition while using the computer. Dry eye is both irritating and blurry.
b) Rest your eyes by closing them now and then, and even better palming every hour or so.
c) Take your eyes off the screen every ten minutes and slowly shift on distant objects for a few seconds.
d) Use an application like the swing browser and gently shift your working window. This way your eyes have no chance to stare as it is forced to move with the window.
Please note that for the normal eye it does not matter if the fonts are big or small. It really does not matter which fonts you see, how long you work, how bright your screen is or how far you are from the screen once you develop proper vision habits. The point is to consciously imitate good vision habits until they become natural for you. Dont worry about the font size now and try to concentrate on the basics.
I agree with everyone else that discarding the glasses is the quickest and best way to improvement; but like you, at work I cannot do this (not to mention the fact that CRT monitors emit high levels of radiation which are not healthy either, so beware of sitting too close to your screen unless it is LCD; a fellow vision improvement friend mentioned this to me because I was doing this for a while). For high myopes like us we would have to sit so close to the screen that it is quite terrible for our posture --> which is in turn causing strain in your shoulders and neck --> which is bad for your vision.
I have had success using very reduced computer glasses. I use lenses which are at least 0.75 diopters less than an already reduced distance pair; basically I use the absolute lowest prescription I need in order to see well close-up, while shifting my vision. If I don't shift my vision then I can't see anymore, so it keeps me from staring as well. And even then I take them off frequently, palm/swing/sway, and read a near version of the Snellen chart which is taped to my monitor. If I can see without shifting my vision then I reduced the lenses even more. My vision has been improving and I've been following this method, so while it may result in slower progress it can still work and save you the shoulder/neck pains (which lead to severe headaches in my case) and prevent squinting.
Just my opinion though - if I could quit my job, I would discard my glasses altogether -- this is definitely the best option.
Sassy
Thanks for all of your opinions. Like Sassy it is difficult for me to use the computer without glasses, I have bought a new one in order to make the transition smoothly. My current prescription in my right eye is: Myopia - 5.00 Astigmatism - 1.25 and in my left eye: Myopia -4.00 Astigmatism - 0.75. The new pair of glasses corrects only myopia for - 3.50 in my right eye and -2.50 in my left eye, but they are very uncomfortable. I think I had reduced to much the prescription.
I realized that without glasses are the way to get better. I only put my glasses when extremely necessary, and sometimes at work when needed because I can not afford to loose my job.
Try pinholes if you cant do without glasses completely. If you are serious about vision improvement then dont wear them. Glasses will always maintain your refractive error because only then you can see through them. If there is no choice then wear weaker lenses but be warned that you may not be able to improve your vision at all and dont listen to the advice of people suggesting weaker lenses because your possibilities are highly reduced. Even without glasses it is hard so you can imagine. Pinholes are better than minus lenses but use them moderately. The risk of loosing job is there for me as well but there is the risk of loosing sight and developing complications due to myopia in future.
You need to give yourself every favourable condition that leads to better eyesight to expect results and the most unfavourable condition is glasses. I have been doing completely without glasses for almost 45 days now and I have -8D in right and -8.5D in left eye and practically see nothing without them. Still I have managed my daily life and work without them.
