Natural Vision Improvement

[8.1] What is passive vision?

Passive vision is the act of seeing without strain as displayed by the emmotropic eye. To develop passive vision a series of non-exercises have been developed to reduce strain and sensitivity.

Dr. William Bates found that myopia is in fact always associated with a strain to see distant objects, and that hypermetropia is always associated with a strain to see at the near point. Primarily the strain to see is a strain of the mind.

By straining to see at near or far objects the eye can pass through various stages from emmetropia, in which the eye is spherical, to hypermetropia, in which it is flattened, and if these changes take place unsymmetrically, astigamatism. Bates found that myopia could be induced in dogs by forcing them to strain to to see a distant object.

Bates’s remedy is not to avoid either near work or distant vision but to get rid of the mental strain which underlies the imperfect functioning of the eye at both points. The ways in which people strain are infinite, and the methods used to relieve strain must be almost equally varied.

[8.2] Does sleep help reduce strain?

Yes and no. If a person is under mental strain during the day, then this will carry over into sleep. Even during sleep, eyes can still be very active during a period know as REM, or Rapid Eye Movement, a phase of sleep during which dreaming takes place.

Some people find their vision is best in the morning, certainly the result of sleep — while others find it markedly worse! The effect sleep has on your eyesight may be affected by the tension your eyes are under before you go to sleep, the amount of light in the room while you’re sleeping, what you ate before going to sleep, etc. In general, though, if you are able to achieve complete relaxation before you lie down, the effect on your eyes the next morning will be positive.

Unconscious patterns of muscular tension are however generally not cured by sleep, nor are muscular weaknesses.

[8.3] What do I do if my sight is worse in the mornings?

A few people strain their eyes during sleep causing poor vision in the morning. A program of passive vision non-exercises before bed will help to relieve this condition. Also look into the emotional side of your lifestyle and how this may relate to your night time stress.

[8.4] How often should I wear glasses or contacts?

Wear them only when your safety (or the law) requires it. The less you wear glasses the quicker you can improve.

[8.5] Should I go cold turkey and stop wearing glasses altogether?

If you can then yes. You still need to wear glasses were you _need_ to see perfectly clearly. (Note it is illegal in most countries to drive without glasses if it is indicated on your license)

In some situations you can get by with a fitness pair of glasses correcting to 20/40. In situations were you don’t need glasses don’t wear them.

Remember glasses only compensate for vision problems and don’t improve them. Many people complain that their eyes feel “tight” or tense and tired when they wear glasses, indicating a possible negative action on the eyes from the lenses.

[8.6] What are functional or fitness glasses?

Glasses which undercorrect an error of refraction. The lowest an optometrist is legally allowed to prescribe for your sight, this varies from country to country. In most countries it is illegal to prescribe glasses that correct vision worse than 20/40.

[8.7] How long before I become accustomed to not wearing glasses?

If you have worn corrective lenses for a while then the transition might not be easy. The first week is usually the hardest, but you will probably be surprised how quickly you adjust.

The first problem is a psychological one, most people immediately exclaim, “I cant see!”, when in fact what they mean is “I cant see clearly”. Mental vision now becomes the first priority, that is, learning to differentiate and become aware of what exactly it is you do see.

Once you develop this sense of your vision you will be able to instantly tell the state of your sight. Some people can tell you their Snellen acuity just by looking at any patch of black. Simply because they have learned that with blur, blacks become grey, and the degree of grey indicates the current state of their sight. Become curious about just what is it your are seeing. How is it different from what you want to see? Are lines sharper in one orientation? Are you seeing double or more images? Which part of your visual field is clearer? How do your eyes compare to each other, is one stronger than the other, does this change? How does your vision change during the day?

[8.8] What is palming?

Relief of mental strain is the cornerstone of the Bates method. Bates found that closing the eyes gives them and the mind a break which can temporarily restore sight. He futher expanded this principle with the non-exercise of palming, which actually comes from the Hatha Yoga tradition.

Do not wear glasses or contacts while palming.

To palm, cover your closed eyes with the cupped palms of the hand with the fingers overlapping in the center of the forehead. Do not touch or put any pressure on the eyes. Then meditate over something pleasant and relax. Some people like to warm up the palms first by rubbing them briskly together.

Palming relaxes the optic nerves, enhances blood circulation, and relieves muscular rigidity in the eyes.

At first most people find they see a myriad of patterns lights and colors etc. When a high degree of relaxation is attained these tend to give way to just black. Bates advised to just imagine black to encourage this process, however if this proves difficult then to just rest while palming.

The first thing you will notice when you have finished palming is the sense of peace, relaxation and warmth in the eyes and the muscles around the eyes. The second is an increase in clarity, which slowly reverts back to your abnormal sight. Permanent sight improvement is based on the cumulative beneficial effects of these temporary improvements.

[8.9] How often should I palm?

30 minutes a day is a good goal. If you have busy schedule then break it up into lots of 5 minutes. You can mix palming with a quick facial massage.

[8.10] Can I do too much palming?

No. Even if you do one or more hours a day, Bates found this still produced beneficial results.

[8.11] What is sunning?

Bates advocated sunning as an important component of vision therapy. Sunning simply involves being in the sun, closing the eyes and just moving the head from the side to side while allowing the sun to shine on the closed lids. Do NOT wear contacts or lenses while sunning. As you become accustomed to light you can stretch out your eyelid and allow more light through the tranculecent skin.

Looking directly at the sun is of course NEVER recomended. If you have a high sensitivity, work mostly indoors under fluorescents or wear sunglasses often, then you might find that normal daylight hurts your eyes. Sunning is an excellent way of reducing any light sensitivity.

Once you are used to light sunning will give a soft, warm, pleasant and very relaxed feeling to the eyes.

If direct sunlight isn’t available, artificial full-spectrum lights can be used.

[8.12] What is skying?

Skying is milder form of sunning when the sensitivity to light is great or no sun is available. Instead of looking at the sun use a portion of the sky with no sun. Once this has been mastered then graduate to sunning.

[8.13] How much sunning should I do?

As much as you can. Start of with a few minutes per day and build up to half an hour, or break sunning up into smaller chunks if time is pressing. Eating lunch outdoors is a good time for sunning provided you don’t live under the hole in the ozone layer or in the tropics.

[8.14] Is sunning safe?

There are contra indications to sunning. If you are albino or have certain skin diseases or any problems in or around your eyes, then consult your doctor. But if your healthy then the answer is yes. As it is, many people don’t get enough sun, which can be a factor in causing depression, vitamin D deficiency, and calcium absorption problems.

If you are concerned about exposing yourself to too much UV light, there are things you can do. First, always sun with your eyes closed. Also, keep in mind: all frequencies of light are less intense in late afternoon or early morning — you can do your sunning then. And, if you feel you need to, you can always wear a sun block on your face (don’t forget your eyelids!).

Always start with as brief a period that you are comfortable with and slowly extend this to the desired time. Remember in controlled short periods of exposure the sun can only do good, and its only when you haven’t built up exposure or haven’t spent extended time in the sun that problems can occur as a result of sun-hypersensitivity.

Do however take extra care if you live under the holes in the ozone layer or in the tropics.

[8.15] Should I stop wearing sunglasses?

Yes. The lens of the eye filters out UV light on its own accord. Sunglasses are really only useful in high glare situations. If you need sunglasses use top-quality full-spectrum neutral gray as manufactured by Keystone Optical Laboratory or Environmental Lighting Concepts. If you find daylight or strong light painful this may be an aspect of your vision dysfunction.

[8.16] How much blinking should I be doing?

Remember to blink and blink often. People with refractive errors tend to blink much less than the average 20 blinks a minute. Reduced blinking leads to staring or squinting, so remember to blink often. Deliberate blinking momentarily rests the eyes, stretches the extra occular muscles, massages the eye balls and forces the pupil to contract and expand.

Working with computer video displays tends to dry out the eyes and blinking is even more important in these situations to help return much needed moisture to the eye. Some people like to put up a small note to remind themselves to blink frequently.

[8.17] Should I be yawning?

Yes. Deliberate or exaggerated yawning relaxes all the facial muscles, encouraging fuller breathing and oxygenates the blood. Yawn frequently, especially when tired. Many people report greatly enhanced clarity while deep yawning.

[8.18] How should I be breathing?

The eyes use one third as much oxygen as the heart. If your breathing is shallow or weak than you should look into aerobic exercises.

John Selby devised an exercise that combines breathing, mental imagery, relaxation and awareness of your eyes in a single practice called Eye Breathing. Sit comfortably in a chair close your eyes, back straight, body relaxed. Breathe calmly through the nose and imagine that your eye is inhaling and exhaling air as part of this same rhythmic cycle of the breath, as if your eyes have become lungs. Also imagine that health, vitality, healing, relaxation flow into your eyes with every breath.

[8.19] What are some breathing exercises?

John Selby devised an exercise that combines breathing, mental imagery, relaxation and awareness of your eyes in a single practice called Eye Breathing. Sit comfortably in a chair close your eyes, back straight, body relaxed. Breathe calmly through the nose and imagine that your eye are inhaling and exhaling air as part of this same rhythmic cycle of the breath, as if your eyes have become lungs. Also imagine that health, vitality, healing, relaxation flow into your eyes with every breath.

Yoga breathing exercise.

Cool breathing. Open your mouth to make an ‘O’ shape with your lips, and stick your tongue out over your teeth and past your lips. Inhale over the tongue, then after a full inhale. close your mouth and block your right nostril and breath out as slowly you can through your left. repeat alternating nostrils.

Subtle Energy breathing. Close your eyes. start with your left eye. Become aware of this sensation, and try to bring it alive with feeling. Imagine your left eye is capable of breathing in pranha/energy as you breath in through your nose. As you breath out, imagine the energy being transferred into your right out. Alternate for five minutes.

Breathing with the grain. stimulates the parasympathetic system and calms the sympathetic system. Hold your breath for 10 seconds. Block the left nostril with your left index finger and partially block the right with your right index finger. Exhale long and slowly through the right nostril. Inhale long and deeply through both nostrils, and repeat the above but swap nostrils. Practice 8-10 cycles.

[8.20] What am I seeing?

This is your starting point. Become aware of what you see, without judging its relative merits. Simply note the degree of blurriness, whether you see a single image, or double or more images. How uniform is your field of vision? What happens if you stare at point too long? Are lines clearer in any one direction? Is one eye clearer then the other? Do you see the same color through your eyes? How does your vision change during the day? How is your vision related to mood and general health?

Become really curious about your sight.