Hi all. My name is Mihai and I am a 16 year old myopic. My problem arose 2 months ago when I noticed that I couldn't see clearly street signs, text on the shops, etc. I went to the eye doctor a few weeks later and he recommended glasses. He said that I was -0.5 in both eyes. I couldn't live with the idea of wearing glasses so I did some Google search on the same day and found out about eye exercises. I found the American Vision Institute Program (http://www.visiontherapy.net/order2.php) on the web and followed it for about a month. I noticed some improvements, but only minor ones. So I decided to inform myself about the Bates Method as well.
I think that I developed myopia because of the long hours spent at the PC and the poor habits in using it. But also a big problem seems to be that I have had problems sleeping for the last months. On some days I went to school bearing an incredible fatigue, my body felt as though it was melting because of the extreme tiredness. I am still having this problem. Even when I manage to get a decent night's sleep I still feel something weird in my chest, probably because I am too tired sometimes to even breathe. Do you think that I would do my eyes a favor if I sleep well?
Also, I think that my left eye is healthier than my right eye. When I do exercises I always feel muscles relaxing in my right eye and never in my left eye. A weird thing is that at late hours, my right eye gets red and the color of the iris gets less rich in detail, less shiny and the color gets slightly different. From rich, colorful green in the day it turns to drab, less bright green in the night. At this time (11:48 PM local time) I can clearly see a contrast between the color of my left eye and the color of my right eye. Is there any chance that you might know anything about this? I asked this question on another forum and the doctors there told me that it could be an illusion. But I'm pretty sure it isn't. It's obvious though that my right eye is by far less healthy that my left eye. I thought that wearing an eye patch might help and went to the drug store but couldn't find any. I was thinking that you guys might give me a few cues to make my own one.
I am going to read Bates's book although it is hard for me to understand because English is not my first language. Thank you and if you could give me a few tips about the eye exercises, I would greatly appreciate it.
P.S: How long would it take for me to regain my vision? At -0.5 should I dedicate the whole summer to the exercises? And also, what does Bates really mean by "strain"? Muscle tension in the eyes?
Last night I almost couldn't sleep AT ALL. In spite of this my body seems quite refreshed but my both my eyes are red and I have somewhat poor vision even at close. I think I have to overcome this cursed insomnia first to regain my vision.
He suggested that you read your Snellen.
Just click here, and then on "Display" several times:
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Since you know you have "slight blur" at distance, you will
find you can read the 20/40 to 20/60 line.
It is important that you have this "capability" to see results.
You are also right about long-term "near" work on a computer and the like.
It takes about 2 years to get down to -1/2 diopter -- as you are now.
Also, that minus is VERY IMPRESSIVE -- but you should avoid using it unless
absolutely necessary.
So read your Snellen and let us know your "starting point".
Have you seen a medical doctor for eye and body?
Did your eye doctor look into the eye to check your eye, bodyies health?
The eye reveals many conditions.
Have you been eating anything new since the problem began?
Soy can cause thyroid hormone imbalance with low iron, fatique and other symptoms.
Hormone imbalance, birth control pills, hrt pills can cause insominia, nightmares other conditions.
Are you in contact with any chemicals, substances that can be entering lungs, mouth, eyes, skin and into the body?
These can disrupt hormones and other body functions.
I have heard that some people have iris color change and it is normal.
A eye doctor that studies iridology can determine many health, eye conditions, diet... by looking at changes in the iris.
See books by Bernard jensen.
This science began when a man found a injured owl.
He noticed the owls iris was deformed after the injury.
He nursed the owl back to health and as the owl became healthy the iris healed, changed back to normal.
Red eyes?? Many causes; Strain doing close work, allergy, migraine and other headaches.
Have you had any tension...strain, injury in the neck muscles?
Are you straining your mind, eyes by staring, boredom, stress when doing work on computer, other work?
Red eyes are also a sign of low potassium.
Eat two bannanas or 1-2 potatoes per day.
1-2 apples also.
Potassium improves nerve and muscle (eye muscles too) function, keeps muscles relaxed, contracting, releasing normally.
I think I got the insomnia after altering the circadian rhythm of my body. Waking up one day at 8 AM and one day at 1 PM won't do any good for sleep I suppose. I think I got my myopia after getting the insomnia. I remember clearly going at a football match at the end of February and everything was so richly detailed. After some time I got insomnia and my vision shortly got blurry.
Nevertheless, my vision is not very bad. I get clear flashes everyday when I do the exercises. Just that my progress is backed down when I don't manage to sleep. Last night I slept from 2 AM to 4 AM when my sleep got interrupted and from 5 AM to 9 AM. That was not enough though. However, this night I'm hopeful that I'll sleep... I'm going to try a bundle of approaches to deal with the problem... including EFT and self-hypnosis. If that's not gonna work... then I'm a goner.
One very important thing that I want to know is what does "strain" actually mean? I got the definition from the dictionary but I do not understand it completely. Does it mean "tension"? Also, I'm going to try your recommendation about potassium. Thank you for your advice.
Insomnia is often caused due to lack of physical exercises. If you dont have the habit try some mild aerobic exercises before bed time. A 10 minute of jogging at night induces immediate sleep for me and once I sleep I dont wake up for atleast seven hours. Be warned that exercises can sometimes disturb your sleep but at night time I usually notice that any aerobic activity induces sound sleep. You can also try the infinity swing for five to ten minutes before bedtime.
Dont do acitivities such as watching TV before going to bed.
Mihai_alexandru Wrote:One very important thing that I want to know is what does "strain" actually mean? I got the definition from the dictionary but I do not understand it completely. Does it mean "tension"?
Strain would mean making an effort, either consciously or unconsciously. You may not notice it at first, but your eyes are unconsciously straining to see objects in the distance which is seen poorly. The strain manifests itself in the form of chronic eye muscle tension, chronic facial tension, and mental strain resulting from both. The more the tension, the easier it becomes to stare. Mental strain can be easily demonstrated by staring fixatedly at a point until it and the surrounding field of vision blurs, distorts, and disappears. You'll notice your energy level plummets faster than you ever conceived it could.
The way the field of vision blurs, distorts, and disappears while intently staring is nearly identical, if not exactly identical, to failing vision for a person who, through buildup of chronic strain, acquires blindness in the long term.
Through a buildup of chronic strain/tension, you produce a chronic stare, usually unconsciously. The relaxation techniques of this method are designed to achieve a consciousness of the unconscious strain/tension. Once you're conscious of it, it becomes easier to deal with and eliminate this underlying tension, and a permanent improvement in vision should follow.
Thank you Junio. I think I now understand perfectly what strain means and also I have read half of the Bates book and I'm getting more conscious of what I have to do.
I would like to ask another question. Do you (and the others) think that strain from close work is that important? Should I make brakes as often as every 5 minutes to look 5 seconds at a distant object?
How can I use central fixation in reading? Don't I have to focus on the whole letter to identify it? ??? Some Bates teachers recommend moving your head while reading.
Temporary hormone changes in late 40's, early 50's.
Can occur different times for different people.
Can cause harmless fluxuations in sugar level, blood pressure and other conditions and disrupt sleep.
Is temporary.
Dont worry if sleep is not as good some nights.
Hormones will even out as the body, system adjusts to new state in middle age and older.
Many older people get up early so they are nice and tired at night and sleep good.
Turkey is a great food for strong nerves and relaxation; It contains tryptophane, I think also B-12?, contains protein and other nutrients that relax the body and promote good sleep.
Avoid caffine.
If i remember anything else I will post it.
Central fixation; the center of the visual field moves with the eyes as the eyes move along the words, sentences.
Dont try hard to place objects in the center of the visual field.
Learn central fixation, then let it occur naturally, automatically when shifting, moving the head/face, body with the eyes from object to object, part to part, small point to small point on objects.
The exact center of the center of the visual field is the size of the end of a pin.
This small area produces very clear fine tuned vision, seeing very small fine details on objects at close and far distances.
Learning to use this area of the visual field to shift on small tiny details improves clarity of the entire central area in and around the exact center of the visual field and, also improves peripheral field to maximum clarity.
Color is improved.
