Perfect Vision Method

8/3/2019 Perfect Vision Method

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The Solution for

Imperfect Sight by

Treatment withouGlasses

Perfect Vision Method


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2Perfect Vision Method

Perfect Vision MethodThe Solution for Imperfect Sight by Treatment without Glasses

Table of Contents

Perfect Vision Method ................................................................................................................................2

Table of Contents .....................................................................................................................................2

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................5

Chapter I: Vision Fitness Defined .................................................................................................................8

How healthy are your Eyes? ....................................................................................................................8

The Effect of Ageing on Eyesight ..................................................................................................... ........9

Common Visual Problems and Eye Defects ......................................................................................... ....9

Other Eye Defects and Conditions .........................................................................................................10

What Causes Vision Problems ....................................................................................................... ........11

The Triggers of Variable Refraction ........................................................................................................11

Common Treatments for Poor Eyesight .................................................................................................12

Chapter II: How Your Eyes Work: A Look at Your Eyes Mind .............................................................. ......14

Eye Structure .................................................................................................................................... .....15

Focus and Function ................................................................................................................................16

Effects of Feeling on Vision ....................................................................................................................18

Effects of Everyday Life on Vision ..........................................................................................................19

Chapter III: Understanding Glasses, Contact Lenses and Prescriptions ..................................................... 20

Types of Lenses ......................................................................................................................................20


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Materials for Lenses ...............................................................................................................................22

Visual Acuity ..................................................................................................................................... .....23

20/20 Vision Explained ........................................................................................................... ...........23

Visual Acuity and Nearsightedness or Farsightedness .......................................................................24

The Problem with Glasses and Contact Lenses ......................................................................................25

What are Contact Lenses? .................................................................................................................... .27

Laser Vision Surgery ...............................................................................................................................27

The Problems with Mainstream Solutions to Vision Problems ..............................................................28

Chapter IV: A Step-by-Step Guide to Improving Your Vision without Glasses ........................................... 30

The 3 Principles of Natural Vision ..........................................................................................................31

Movement .........................................................................................................................................31

Centralization .....................................................................................................................................33

Relaxation ..........................................................................................................................................34

3 Crucial Visual Habits to Help Wean Yourself off Corrective Glasses ............................................ ....... 36

Step 1: Improve your basic reading health ..................................................................................... ...36

Step 2: Change Your Diet .................................................................................................................. .38

Step 3: Get Healthy and Happy! .........................................................................................................40

Natural Techniques Alternative Medicine: How They Can Help You Get Better Eyesight in No Time! . . 43

Iridology .............................................................................................................................................43

Color Healing ................................................................................................................................ .....44

Homeopathy ......................................................................................................................................44

Acupuncture ................................................................................................................................. .....46

Games and Ideas: Training your eyes on the go ............................................................................... .....47

Eye Aerobics ............................................................................................................................... .......47


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Occipital Massage ..............................................................................................................................47

Games ................................................................................................................................................48

Chapter V: Specific Tips for Common Visual Problems ..............................................................................49

Palming ..................................................................................................................................................50

Blinking ............................................................................................................................................ ......51

Swinging ..................................................................................................................................... ...........52

Figure 8 ..................................................................................................................................................53

Sunning ..................................................................................................................................................53

Central Fixation or Centralization ..........................................................................................................54

Shifting ...................................................................................................................................................55

Near-to-Far Shifting ........................................................................................................................... ....56

Zooming .................................................................................................................................................57

Eye Massage ..........................................................................................................................................58

Myopia ...................................................................................................................................................59

Hyperopia and Presbyopia .....................................................................................................................60

Astigmatism and Squint (Cross Eyes) .....................................................................................................61

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................62


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Introduction

We all rely on good clear vision for nearly every one of our daily tasks.However, when our eyesight begins to deteriorate, we often write itoff as getting old or say that our eyes are tired.

But what are the long term effects of this sort of eye strain? Andwhat can we do to avoid the need to wear glasses or contact lenses

to correct our failing sight?

Our eyesight is the most important of our senses. Neuroscientistscurrently believe that about 2/3 of our entire brain activity isassociated with seeing and interpreting what we see.

According to studies made; only about half of the worlds populationhas little or no vision problems. This means that the other half suffersfrom some sort of defect in their vision.

Billions will have to wear glasses or use contact lenses to do everydayactivities like reading, watching television or driving. A large percentof those same people will not be able to see clearly at all withoutsome sort of visual correction.

So how do we know if our eyes are healthy? Most of us suffer fromtired eyes; usually after straining them to read or look at small detailsover a long time. But are these indications of poor visual fitness or dowe merely need to rest our eyes?


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Most of us wont even worry about our visual fitness until we arestruggling to read something or straining to see something at adistance.

A lessening of the acuity with which we see can be an indication ofchanges in our eyes that indicate underlying problems with our eyehealth that can be improved by treatment.

The amazing structure of our eyes is a very delicate mechanism thatallows just the right amount of light to enter the pupil. And then thisis carefully focused onto the retina where the image can betranslated for the brain.

Tiny changes in the size or shape of the eye can alter the way that itfocuses the light. This causes errors in refraction that lie at the baseof nearly all vision problems.

Usually, changes occur in the eye as we get older. But many thingscan affect the way that we see such as stress, our emotional state,light conditions or just plain old overuse.

Forcing our eyes to see clearly can cause a permanent strain on ourvision that can become a permanent astigmatism over time.

The most common way to deal with vision problems is to correct theerror of refraction inside the eye. Using eyeglasses or contact lenseschange the way that light enters the eye to compensate for the

incorrect focus. This obviously is only treating the symptoms whileleaving the underlying condition unaffected.

Furthermore, different conditions of the eye require different kindsof lenses. It is also often the case that some people may suffer from adegree of both shortsightedness and farsightedness. Consequently,


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they will need complex compound lenses to compensate for it. Thismeans that glasses really do nothing to improve visual acuity at alland they may actually make existing conditions worse.

It is possible though to improve your vision without having to resortto glasses or contact lenses. It is by using a few very simple exercisetechniques such as homeopathy, acupuncture, herbs, iridology,massage or color healing.

It is also possible to lessen the strain and possible damage that canoccur by following a few simple steps. While we do those simpleeveryday tasks that put so much stress on our eyes and damage our

eyesight.

There are also a number of things that people who already wearglasses can do in order to wean themselves off of having to usespectacles. Many of which are simply common sense like readingwith a proper amount of light or not watching the television in a darkroom.

All of us would like to enjoy good eyesight, it is the sense that we relyupon the most in our day to day lives. But the restrictions andembarrassment of corrective eyewear often make glasses orcontacts undesirable or impractical.

The therapies outlined in this book have been developed andpracticed for nearly one hundred years. The aim is to eliminate the

need for the use of eyeglasses or contact lenses or, in more extremecases, the resort to expensive surgical procedures.

Through the use of these simple exercises and by creating new goodhabits with our vision, a number of eye conditions that cause visual


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problems can be alleviated and even reversed. A return to goodvision without glasses is possible.

Chapter I: Vision Fitness Defined

Vision fitness is a measure of how well our eyes function in thevarious things that we do every day like reading, driving andwatching television.

Clarity of vision is determined by many physical factors in the eyethat all relate to the general condition and health of our eyes. It canbe affected by a variety of medical conditions or simply as part of theageing process.

Generally our visual acuity is defined by a number like 20/20. It is toindicate the range of the eyes ability to see clearly. But it is thephysical condition and shape of the eye that bears on its visual fitnessmore than any other factor.

How healthy are your Eyes?

We all use our eyes all day every day without ever really giving it

much thought until we come across some small type that we cantread or fail to recognize a familiar face in the distance. And we startto wonder how healthy our eyes really are.

With the amount of reading and screen watching time that most ofus do every day, we are all putting a strain on our eyesight. The


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astigmatism. In addition, as we age, our lens may become lessflexible and so less able to focus correctly on objects that are upclose and this is called presbyopia. This is a form of long sightedness.

There are other disorders of the eye but these are the ones mostcommonly treated with spectacles. Myopia is an instance of thedistance from the front to the back of the eyeball being too shortmaking it difficult to focus close up. And hypermetropia is theopposite with the length of the eye from front to back being toolong. Both of these conditions are held to degenerate over time asthe eye strains to focus and this can cause permanent changes to

vision.

Other Eye Defects and Conditions

Other eye defects such as glaucoma affect the internal pressure ofthe eyeball. Ophthalmologists check this pressure to determine thephysical health of the eye. Usually there are prescribing medications

to treat the disease and to rectify deteriorating eyesight.

Another common eye problem is cataracts. It is a clouding thatdevelops in the lens of the eye due mainly to an over exposure tostrong or bright light. In extreme cases, blindness can result.Currently the mainstream cure for cataracts is to remove themsurgically which, of course, has many associated risks.

Some disorders of the eye will affect eyesight, often dramatically.But most commonly people suffer with problems with their visionbecause the shape of the eye has changed permanently over timeand changed the focus of the lens. Even the more serious eyeproblems can be treated with natural therapies. It is the most


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common visual impairments that we can all work on improving themost easily without having to resort to glasses once we are aware oftheir causes.

What Causes Vision Problems

There are many causes of problems with vision that result fromphysical damage or deformity of the eye, such as an atrophied opticnerve or damage to the lens or the retina. The main cause of visionproblems though is imperfect refraction of the light entering the eye.

Refraction is variable throughout our lives and even throughout theday. Even people with myopia, hypermetropia or astigmatism haveperiods in every day when their eyesight is normal even though theynormally suffer from impairment.

Imperfect refraction also occurs whenever we look at somethingunfamiliar such as foreign texts. Our focus will generally shift causing

further fatigue which sometimes results in headaches or neck pain.Another common cause of vision problems is the sudden or rapidchanges of light. This may result in imperfect refraction making ourvision blurry and which can continue for some time.

The Triggers of Variable Refraction

Things that may trigger variable refraction in even normal eyes aresudden or loud noises, pain or discomfort, illness, depression andother forms of stress.


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The real cause of these effects is the strain that is put on the eye bythe external muscles of the eyeball when we force the eye to focus.In myopic people, it is most commonly caused by straining to see atlong distance.

Whereas for hypermetropic people, the opposite is true and theirstrain comes from trying to see close up objects like print or finedetails.

Even in a normal eye, straining to focus on close up objects canproduce a temporary astigmatism. This makes distant objects moredifficult to see clearly. This strain is predominantly a strain of the

mind rather than of physical eye. When the mind relaxes and allowsthe eye to refocus, the error of refraction disappears too.

It is this constant mental straining to read or focus on a screen, oralternatively trying to see at a distance while driving, for instance,that causes the long term degeneration of eyesight in the modernday. The cause of this need to strain is based in our concentration.

It requires more effort to keep focused on things that we do not wishto look at closely such as long columns of figures as opposed toconcentrating on things that we enjoy and find relaxing such asreading a magazine or a novel.

Common Treatments for Poor Eyesight

Most people who have problems with their eyesight will usually visitthe ophthalmologist who will prescribe glasses to correct their vision.For those people that dont like the look of glasses, there is theoption of contact lenses.


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And in recent years, there has also been the option for many peopleof having the shape of their eyes altered by laser surgery. But this isvery expensive and comes with its inherent risks.

More and more people are looking for an alternative therapydesigned to strengthen their eyesight. It is by using naturaltechniques and simple relaxation exercises to return our eyes to astate of relaxation that allows for the greatest visual acuity.

Good eye health is about more than clear vision but to achieve it weshould take care of our eyes. And to maintain it we need to develop

good eyesight habits. When we can learn to use our eyes instead ofabusing them, we can have not only healthy eyes but good clearvision without the need for glasses.


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Chapter II: How Your Eyes Work: ALook at Your Eyes Mind


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Our eyes work without any conscious effort, so most of us will neverhave given much thought to their structure or to how they actuallysee. In order to understand how our vision works and how it maydeteriorate, it is a good idea to look at how the eye is put togetherand learn a bit about what its various parts do.

Understanding how light is handled by the eye and how it operatesto focus on objects clearly helps us to understand what has gonewrong when our vision begins to deteriorate. It is also important tothink about how our environment and our basic everyday activitiesand even our emotions affect the acuity with which we see.

Eye Structure

Our eyes are an amazing part of our anatomy that is made fromadapted brain cells that have evolved into the several complex partsthat make up our organs of vision. The images that we see aretranslated into nerve impulses. They are converted in the occipital

lobes at the back of the brain into the images that we see. Thisprocess is thought to take up the majority of the brains functionmaking eyesight the most used and most complex of the five senses.

The eye is composed of ten main parts - the sclera or the white partof the eye, the cornea which is the clear bulging part at the front ofthe eye and the pupil which is the hole through which the lightpasses.

Surrounding the pupil is the iris, the colored part of the eye, behindwhich is the lens where the light is finally focused onto the retina atthe rear of the eye. In the middle of the Retina is the macula with thefovea at its center where we have our greatest visual acuity.


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Behind the retina is the optic nerve that is a bundle of more than amillion nerve fibers which carry the messages from the retina to thebrain. Inside of the eyeball is a gel called the vitreous humor whichmaintains the shape of the eye and assists with refraction of the lightthat enters it.

Focus and Function

The process by which the eye adjusts itself to focus at differentdistances is called accommodation. It is achieved by the eye changing

its shape by altering the thickness of the lens.

When someone is longsighted, the eye is too short from front toback. All of the light that enters it from a distance is focused behindthe retina instead of upon it. Conversely, for people who arenearsighted have the opposite problem with the shape of their eyes.They are too long from front to back causing the light from the lensto focus in front of the retina making the vision blurry.

In a normally functioning eye, the ciliary muscles contract to focus onthings that are up close and relax to allow the eye to focus on moredistant objects. In shortsighted eyes, this muscle is thought to beconstantly contracted.

The lens is caused to be more or less permanently convex in shape.Over time this strain on the eyes causes the lens to become morepermanently out of shape increasing the shortsightedness of theperson.


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In young people, the lens itself is almost perfectly symmetrical. It isalso elastic making it able to accommodate the light that enters itvery easily without creating much variable refraction.

As we age, the lens becomes harder, losing its elasticity, andsometimes may become asymmetrical causing variable refraction ofthe light that passes through it. It results in astigmatism, orsometimes correcting, for a short time at least, a preexistingcondition, explaining why as we age our long-sightedness may oftenimprove.

The easiest way to understand how the eye works is to compare it toa film camera. Light enters the lens of the camera which focuses it tocreate a visual image on film. The eye does much the same thing,allowing light to pass through itself in such a way that it is focused onthe retina.

When light first enters the eye it passes through the cornea which isthe equivalent of the lens in the camera. At this point, about 2/3 of

the focusing is done. The light next passes through the pupil wherethe iris, the colored part of our eyes, opens or closes to adjust theamount of light that is allowed to pass through it.

The final focus is then achieved as the light passes through the lensinside the eye before the image is focused on the retina at the backof the eye. The shape of the lens is adjusted by the tensing or

relaxing of the ciliary muscles of the eye.That causes the lens to become either thinner or thicker and whichgives our vision its finest focus. The image on the retina is thenconverted by the eye into rods and cones that can be read by thebrain. It is where the visual image is reconstructed as sight.


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Effects of Feeling on Vision

All of us have experienced those frustrating moments when we are

angry or upset, not only unable to concentrate but also unable tofocus on small details. When we relax our vision clears and we dontneed to strain to read because our eyes are no longer being overexerted.

When we are relaxed, a normal eye possesses perfect vision becausethe act of just seeing requires no effort. Different emotions will havea different effect on our eyesight, some cause our pupils to dilate,

others, such as fear or surprise, do the opposite in order to focus onthings more sharply until our perceived danger has passed.

In extreme instances such as when we are in a panic, we may gettunnel vision. Longer term emotions also have an effect on oureyesight. And if we are constantly agitated or depressed it will bereflected in how we actually see.

But it is stress that is seen as being the single greatest influence onour eyesight, causing us to strain our eyes to see and so increasingour stress levels even more. Obviously in order to improve our visionwe have to consider changing our behavior. We need to be morerelaxed, so that we can take the strain off of our eyes that is causingthe vision problems.


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Effects of Everyday Life on Vision

We all have experienced the

feeling of having tired eyes,perhaps after a day of driving orreading closely printed or verysmall print text. Our eyes arealmost never at rest when we areawake. In the modern world, weare constantly using andsometimes abusing them without

giving it much thought.

It is well known that different colors have differing emotion effectson the viewer. Some colors such as bright lemon yellow causefatiguing for the eye. This is because more light is reflected fromthese bright colors which cause an excessive stimulation of the eyes.

If that is the case with simple blocks of bright colors, how much moreof a strain is it to spend hours looking at a television or computerscreen? So many simple daily activities such as driving cause a similarstress on our eyesight everyday making us squint and strain in orderto see our way through the simplest tasks.


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Chapter III: Understanding Glasses,

Contact Lenses and Prescriptions

When most of us develop problems with our eyesight we will end upeither wearing glasses or contact lenses, or in some cases havingsurgery to correct the defect.

We all had fun by trying on someone elses glasses and for a momentwondered how it must be to have to use spectacles to see. But mostof us know very little about how any of these methods for correcting

vision actually work.

People think that glasses will fix their eyesight. But only a little bit ofthought on the subject will show that glasses or contacts do nothingother than adjust the problem and in some cases may make it worse.

Different conditions will require different kinds of lenses or different

strength prescriptions. It is unlikely that grabbing a pair ofreadymade reading glasses will improve someones vision very muchat all. Most of us will have to pay for expensive prescription lenses ifwe choose to wear glasses.

Types of Lenses

The typical design of eyeglasses consists of a frame that holds lensesin front of the eyes. It is tailor made to correct a persons visionproblems. The main difference between different kinds of glassesbesides the aesthetic ones of frame style is the lenses that are used.And there are a few kinds of lenses that are most commonly used.


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The most basic lenses are called single vision. It is generally used tocorrect problems with distance vision. More complicated visionproblems are resolved using multifocal lenses.

These lenses are made so that different parts of the lens createdifferent focal lengths in the eye. It is to compensate for impairedvision either close up or distance vision depending upon where thewearer is looking.

These lenses come in three basic types, bifocal, trifocal andprogressive lenses. Bifocal lenses are divided across the middle. The

top of the lens is used for distance vision like watching television.And the bottom half is used for close up vision such as reading.

Trifocal lenses add a third division in the lens that adjusts for visionover intermediate distances. One disadvantage of these traditionalstyles of lens is that there is a dividing line between the differentfocal lengths of the lens. And this division causes a distortion ofvision.

The third style of lens compensates for this by making a gradualchange between the parts of the lens. It allows a smooth transitionfrom our distance and our near vision.

Lenses are most commonly spherical in shape. But some visionimpairment aspheric lenses have differing degrees of curvature over

their surface. They are basically used to correct eyesight allowing fora much larger area of the lens to be used.


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Materials for Lenses

Originally, the lenses used in eyeglasses were made from glass. They

gave excellent optics, but with several drawbacks. Most obviouslyglass lenses are easily broken which can be dangerous. But thickglass lenses such as those used in high prescriptions can also beheavy and uncomfortable to wear.

Glass lenses can also cause light to refract in unexpected ways. It ismainly due to a number of things such as their angle in relation to alight source causing them to produce glare which obscures good

vision and may even be harmful to the eye.

The increase in the number of plastics available in recent years hasseen a shift away from using glass for lenses to a number of differentplastics. Most commonly used is polycarbonate which has theadvantage of being tough, reasonably scratch resistant and light.

Newer materials such a trivex are even lighter and stronger thanpolycarbonate lenses. It allows the lenses to be thinner and lighter.And in some instances, it gives better vision than the older style ofplastic lenses. Even lighter are the high index plastic lenses which areused specifically in high prescription lenses to keep their thicknessand weight to a minimum.

These types of lenses can also be given different treatments like anti-

reflective, UV resistant or scratch resistant coatings. They can also beproduced in various colored tints, can be photochromatic so thatthey change color in different light conditions, or they may even bepolarized to reduce eye strain from glare by allowing only parallellight rays to pass through them.


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Visual Acuity

Visual acuity is a measure of the quality of vision or how well a personsees and relates to the acuteness or clarity of our vision. The mostcommon test of visual acuity is done using the Snellen chart.

It is the classic page of capital black block letters, usually E, H or N.They are arranged in lines which get progressively smaller and havemore characters per line. It is placed on a white background and

which we are asked to look at during a standard eye test.

There are a variety of eye test charts used, some replacing the letterswith pictures or colored circles. But the most commonly used is thegreatest possible contrast between foreground and background.

The person being tested is made to stand at a standard distance of 20feet (6 meters). The person is asked to read the chart; progressing

through characters as they incrementally decrease in size until thelimits of clear vision is established.

20/20 Vision Explained

The most commonly known measure of visual acuity is the 20/20rating (which is also often called 6/6 vision in countries that use the

metric system). But few people actually know what these figuresrelate to.


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The first figure indicates the distance of the object from the eye. Inthis case, 20 feet (or 6 meters) and the second figure relates thevisual acuity ratio.

This means that the less this second number is, the greater the visualacuity is over distance. And the greater that this second number is,the poorer our visual acuity is over the same distance.

Thus a person with 20/15 visual acuity would see the same objectclearly at 40 feet away as a person with 20/20 vision would see at 30feet and as someone with 20/30 vision would see at 20 feet.

20/20 vision isnt perfect vision, as we mistakenly believe, but ratheran average acuity for eyesight generally. Other than distance acuitywe also have near vision acuity that is measured in much the sameway except that the distance from the eye to the test chart is less,about 16 inches (40 cm) but the same principals apply.

Visual Acuity and Nearsightedness or Farsightedness

Taking 20/20 as an average for good vision it follows that a personwith 20/15 vision will see best at a distance and so we call themfarsighted. Conversely, someone with a visual acuity of 20/40 will seethings much better closer up and so they are called nearsighted.

Whilst it is not always the case, farsighted people tend to have moreproblems with close up vision just as near sighted people often

struggle to see things at a distance.


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The Problem with Glasses and Contact Lenses

Because all of the problems that we have result from errors ofrefraction of light in the eye, the most common treatment available isto correct that refraction with eyeglasses or contact lenses.

While this may go a long way to giving us clearer vision, it does

nothing to treat the underlying cause of the problem. In fact, it maycreate more problems than it set out to cure.

Glasses dont improve our vision but instead change the focus of thelight as it enters the eye to create an illusion of clear sight. There areseveral side effects that this causes such as decreasing ourperception of colors resulting in artificial color blindness.

Everyone who wears glasses will have had the experience at onetime or another of taking off their spectacles in order to do colorrelated tasks such as comparing color swatches.

Another, more serious problem, is that glasses are designed tocompensate for a specific refractive error in the eye. But as visualacuity changes with varying light conditions and at different times of

the day, this tends to force the eye to create the defect in itself thatthe glasses are made to correct.

This constant straining or adjusting of the focal length to suit theglasses will over time cause the condition to worsen. And so, in turn,will require a new and perhaps stronger prescription to correct.


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Often, people with presbyopia who wear glasses to see very fine

print, find that over time they can no longer read larger sized typethat they could easily read before using glasses.

It is also common that when someone goes without using eyeglassesfor a short time, for instance when they have been lost or damaged,that there is often an improvement in their eyesight generally.

Another difficulty that may arise to people who use glasses is that

their eyes have to get used to wearing them. And in some cases,especially where a high prescription is being used, the eye neverbecomes fully accustomed to the correction of the glasses. In turn, itcreates a different kind of vision problem altogether.

Even the difference between wearing glasses during the day and atnight, and going from indoor lighting to outdoor lighting may affectthe way that glasses work.

People are often told to accustom themselves to a new set ofspectacles at home in familiar surroundings before venturing out.This is to lessen the risk of taking a misstep or having an accident.

It is a fact that any form of glasses restricts the field of vision of thewearer. To function correctly, the focus must be directed through

the center of the lenses. Looking through the sides of the lenses willalways distort the images seen.

And so our peripheral vision is necessarily reduced by glasses whichcan also be dangerous when doing things like driving or playing sportas it increases our blind spots.


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Other factors that can decrease our vision through glasses can be adifficulty in keeping them clean or clear while engaged in someactivities. These activities can generally increase our stress levels andso produce more eye strain than is usual.

What are Contact Lenses?

Contact lenses work in the same way as glasses. But they are placeddirectly onto the cornea, the outer lens of the eye, in order to correct

its refractive errors. Like glasses, contact lenses dont treat the actualdefect of the eye and they merely treat the symptom.

Contact lenses were once made from polymethyl methacrylate (orPMMA). These rigid contact lenses are still used. But morecommonly, soft contact lenses are made from silicone hydrogelswhich have the advantage of allowing oxygen to pass through themto the cornea. Hence, they can be worn for longer periods.

Contact lenses have many drawbacks, among them is the expense asthey have a limited life and need regular replacement. Many peoplefind it difficult to apply the contact lenses to their eyes or find themuncomfortable. Contact lenses, like glasses also have a limiting effecton the field of vision because their best focus is achieved by lookingstraight through them.

Laser Vision Surgery


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For a number of people there is the option of having laser surgery. Itis to correct the shape of the cornea and so to treat the error ofrefraction in their eyes.

A small flap is cut in the covering of the cornea with a laser and thenthe cornea underneath it is sculpted into the correct shape byanother laser before the flap is replaced and the eye is left to heal.

This procedure is very invasive and comes with its own risks, just asany surgery, the commonest of which is either over or undercorrection of the problem. It may also cause the eyes to dry out or tobecome more sensitive to glare.

As well as the usual risks of infection that comes with any sort ofsurgical procedure. The other main drawback with Laser Eye Surgeryis that not everyone with visual problems can be treated with thistherapy.

The Problems with Mainstream Solutions to

Vision Problems

Glasses and contact lenses are not the simple solution to pooreyesight as has been shown. But is at best stopgap measure to makeup for an underlying condition of the eye which goes untreated.

Often, people are embarrassed to wear spectacles or find them

uncomfortable to wear for extended periods of time. Contact lenseshave the advantage of being invisible but have the drawbacks thatthey can be uncomfortable and difficult to apply.

Both glasses and contact lenses can be very expensive and, especiallyin the case of glasses, they can be fragile and easily broken or


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misplaced. Contact lenses in particular are easily lost and if nottreated properly can introduce infections or irritations into the eye.Given these facts it certainly makes good sense to look foralternatives to these traditional solutions to a problem that affectshalf of the people in the world.


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Chapter IV: A Step-by-Step Guide to

Improving Your Vision without

Glasses

Imagine living in a world where you dont need to wear your glasses.You would no longer have to deal with constantly losing them,expensive repairs, constant upgrades, and the impact on your

physical appearance.

No more straining to see road signs or missing out on breathtakingviews of nature because you simply cannot see clearly.

With Natural Vision Improvement, you can train your eyes to thepoint where you no longer need to wear spectacles. A few simpleexercises and a little bit of practice is all it takes in order to break freeinto the world of clear, healthy sight.

The major study underlying these exercises was that of WilliamBates, a revolutionary in eye care and health sight who felt thatalmost all eyesight deficiencies were cause by habitual strain on theeyes.

He even felt that glasses should never be a solution as they just tendto make these problems worse. So what did he suggest?

Although there is an abundance of complicated anatomical theorysurrounding his ideas, we can summarize the core of his thinking to


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the belief that, if correctly exercised, trained and rested; the eyes areable to recover by themselves, without glasses or similar treatments.

The basic principles of movement, centralization and relaxation arediscussed in quite a lot of detail below. Once you understand theseprinciples, you can start on your journey towards improved vision,the natural way!

The 3 Principles of Natural Vision

Bates entire programme rests on the idea that the musclessurrounding the eye are responsible for the way it focuses andmoves, which obviously have a direct impact on the way we see andperceive the world.

Eyesight will be perfect if the muscles are all working together at theoptimum level. Those of us with less-than-perfect vision need toteach our eyes and surrounding ocular muscles so that we can enjoy

the benefits of perfect sight.

There are 3 basic principles which Bates discusses as the foundationsof his revolutionary treatments - movement, centralization, andrelaxation. Lets take a look at all of these in turn, as they are crucialin grasping the holistic approach of natural vision improvement.

Movement

This part of Bates theory is pretty straightforward, and is most oftenexplained with the use of analogies and metaphors, but biology givesus the best explanation. Think about your eyes.


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They are surrounded by muscles, blood vessels, and the all important

optic nerve. All of these little pieces need blood to function properly.And this blood is rushed to the necessary parts when they are inmotion.

The same is true of the eye. If the muscles that control themovement of our eye are not regularly moved, stretched and tested,they become static and tired. The result is reduced blood flow, poormuscle health, and impaired vision.

We all know that feeling. Tired, sore eyes from staring at thecomputer screen all day or hazy vision when we havent had enoughsleep.

Bates encourages us to make use of very specific movement thatincrease blood flow in the ocular region, and train the importantmuscles surrounding the eye that help with focus.

The movements suggested linked up to another lesser known idea inBates work - imagination, which he also calls visualization. He calledon people to close their eyes and imagine a serious of very distinct,black and white letters.

After a while, he asked people to open their eyes and imagine these

letters moving behind the lines of text.

After a short while of practicing this technique, many peoplereported improved vision. Focus, movement, relaxation and practice- the core of Natural Vision Improvement.


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Centralization

Bates was clearly a visionary in more ways than one, because despitethe fact that he wrote about a hundred years ago, he knew that wewould one day be confronted with literally thousands of images on adaily basis.

Lets face it, we are bombarded with colours, photographs, adverts,movies and TV shows, and our eyes have to break down everythingwe see. These results in tired, sore eyes and once again, reducedvision.

In keeping with his overall faith in simplicity and relaxation, Bateschampioned a method called centralization. Basically, he tried totrain people to limit their focus to one small area as much as possible.

He said, for example, that if you look at a chair, you should see thefeet, legs, back, seat and arm supports separately. This is the coreidea behind the concept of centralization. Bates felt that limitedfocus on smaller pieces of an image will boost vision, as our eyes arenot strained and forced to try and take in everything thatshappening at once.

Heres a practical example. Walk into a room and try and look ateverything all at once, the entire time. People, furniture, art, thetelevision - it all becomes too much. This is how most people try tosee the world, and it quickly leads to reduced vision, headaches andmost probably dizziness!


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Now go into a room and focus on each part in turn, slowly andnaturally, when your attention falls where it should. Not only willyour eyes handle the situation a lot more effectively, you willprobably also find that you remember far more detail about theevening.

Relaxation

Nothing is better than kicking back and relaxing after a long, tiringday. Your muscles unwind and all your stress seems to melt away,feeling you refreshed and happy.

But have you ever made a conscious effort to relax your eyes? Fromthe minute you wake up in the morning your eyes are working -scanning, reading, blinking, squinting, staring! Its all too much, andafter time, this constant work will lead to dwindling eyesight andblindness.

Your muscles need to be worked and relaxed like any other muscle,and Bates found the balance by using a kind of active relaxation ofthe eye. Mostly, this centred on the practice of palming.

The patient would cover each eye with their hand, and once they feltthat the eye was rested and ready for work, they would uncover andopen it. And it worked! Sharper focus and clarity were the results

after a few moments of relaxing.

There is another important point to be made here. Bates felt thatspectacles were visual crutches which forced the eyes to become


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lazy. Then, when they were actually needed, they would strain as themuscles were too weak to perform the task needed.

Think of someone in a cast with a broken arm. When the cast iseventually removed, the arm is thin and the muscles ache - themuscles are in no position to work.

For Bates, glasses work in a similar way. So dont get confused by theidea of relaxation. Your eyes still need to be able to work. Just givethe poor things active rest every now and again so that they wont

let you down when you need them most.

Now that we have an understanding of the key ideas behind NaturalVision Improvement, we can start making a conscious effort totraining our eyes the natural way.

But how exactly do we go about that? What exercises, hints and tipsare available for me so that I dont overdo it, or be too relaxed?

The rest of this chapter will be dedicated to tips, tricks and exercisesthat you can do anywhere in order to train your way to better eyesight. Whether it is diet, natural remedies, or tricks you can use onyour daily commute, this chapter willhelp you to start healing yoursight, today!

Lets start by having a look at some household habits you can teachyourself that will help you maintain or enhance your vision, to thepoint that youll no longer have to wear corrective glasses.


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3 Crucial Visual Habits to Help Wean Yourself

off Corrective Glasses

The following step-by-step guide is designed to put you on the pathto better vision. Most of these suggestions and tips seem fairlystraightforward, but when they are combined, the results are

immediate and self-evident.

The information is broken down into three steps, from basic tips tospecific exercises, so that you can gradually integrate better sightinto your life. Below each step there are specific pieces of advice tohelp you adjust to your new, clear life.

Like most health care information, these steps will work best whenincorporated into a lifestyle that is structured towards leading ahealthier life in general. But dont you worry; these are specificenough to help you see clearly.

Step 1: Improve your basic reading health

The first step in improving your eyesight involves changing the wayyou look at your book, TV or computer screen - literally! Your positionand surroundings have a massive impact on your eyes, but mostpeople overlook the pain and burning and choose to stubbornlysuffer on. Listed below are some easy tips to help you save your eyes:


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Positioning

Read in a well-lit, well-ventilated, comfortable place. Make sure tokeep a significant distance between you and the text - too close ortoo far and you will strain your eyes. Also, try to avoid lying downwhen you read as this tends to affect the distance between your eyesand the book before you even realize the damage.

Another excellent tip is to avoid the dry air caused by airconditioning. The moisture in your eye helps you to see, and keepsyour prize possessions wet and happy. If possible, try not to read orwork for extended periods near an AC unit, which tend to pump outunwanted dry air.

Lastly, and possibly most importantly, remember to rest. We all gothrough periods where we have to digest massive amounts ofinformation in a short period of time, but as much as we try to bemachines, we simply are not. And our eyes cant keep up. So set analarm every half an hour, and focus on something else for a fewseconds. It will help your eyes to stay fresh and ready to keepworking.

Protection

Protect your eyes with goggles during swimming or carpentry!Harmful chemicals and debris can cause severe damage. Also, wearsunglasses or a hat as soon as you go out into the sun. UV rays have aterrible impact on the surface of the eye. Make the change today.


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Keep your shades near the door and pop them on when you headout.

Ladies, never ever go to sleep with your eye makeup on! Researchhas suggested that you run the risk of getting microscopic debris inyour eye, which can scratch the eyes surface over time. Keep it cleanand save your eyes.

The next piece of advice is also fairly specific, but taken for granted.Dont share towels, clothes or brushes that come into contact withyour eye. Infections can spread in a second and repeat infection will

lead to weakened immunity. Be careful and conscious, and dont beafraid to politely say no when people ask to borrow these items.

These tips are fairly logical, and easy to implement. Once you haveincorporated these helpful habits into your everyday routine, moveon to the next step, altering your diet, to bring yourself one stepcloser to improved eye sight.

Step 2: Change Your Diet

Fortunately there is a global trend towards healthier eating, so thisstep should not be too difficult to implement. Most of thesuggestions call for minor changes to a diet that will specificallytarget your eyes.

In general, a diet that is high in processed sugar and fat is not goodfor your body. And it will also be detrimental to your eyes.Remember, your eyes rely on blood to work properly, and soexcessive cholesterol will have a negative impact on the way you seethe world.


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Eat This Now!

Your mother was not lying to you - eating your vegetables is reallygood for you! And certain foods can even help you to see well.Eating spinach is a great way to start boosting your vision. Researchsuggests that you only need to servings per week to significantlyenhance your lutein levels, which correlate directly to your eyesight

Red onions are also a great addition to your diet when it comes toimproving the way in which we see the world. A compound calledquercetin is our ally in this case!

Sweet potatoes, or yams, are next on the menu. This super food isgreat for your overall physique, as it contains a balanced level ofcarbohydrates and protein, but it is also just bursting with vitamin A.

Like most yellow or orange foods - think peppers, carrots etc - sweetpotatoes will help you to see better during the night. Once again,your mother was not lying to you!

Why not round off your eye-popping menu with some salmon? Eatentwice a week, salmon or similar fatty fish can raise your levels ofOmega 3. Omega 3 is a good fat, and keeps your eye moist. I have

already mentioned the dangers of having dry eyes - why not have anextra dietary safeguard?

Are Your Eyes Worth Your Salt?


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As mentioned above, a diet that is high in fat and sugar is notparticularly healthy, and the same applies when adding salt to yourfood. Salt has a dehydrating function - so avoid adding it to yourmeals as much as possible if you want to protect your peepers.

A healthy alternative is the use of herbs. They are natural and can adddelicate, delicious flavour to your meals without the risk to youreyesight.

So, you are conscious to read in the right environment, and you'retaking in food that will help your eyes; what else could you possiblydo? The next step is to move away from targeting your eyes and

work on your entire body.

Step 3: Get Healthy and Happy!

The first two steps in improving eyesight were very specific andlocalized. Step one involved changing your environment to help youreyes focus. The second was about diet, and how certain foods could

boost your eyesight.

Now, we take another step back and start working on the entirebody. The body is a machine, and when all the parts work as aseamless whole, weaker parts are boosted. So this step and the hintsare all about training your whole body to improve your health and, asa secondary effect, your eyesight.

Exercise Is Your Friend

Recent studies have confirmed that people who exercise have bettereyesight. This makes sense given our new understanding of the wayin which the body works as a whole to help us see. But dont worry,


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you dont need to be a star athlete to boost your vision - a short walk4 times a week is enough to increase blood flow.

This is also likely to lower your blood pressure, which is anothercrucial which affects your eyesight. Monitor your blood pressureregardless of your eyesight, as it is an important barometer onoverall health. Normal blood pressure, normal health, normaleyesight! Exercise will get you into the optimum blood pressurerange and boost your health...this is a simple and effective way tomake sure your eyes dont let you down.

Relax

Once again it seems Bates was ahead of his time. Apart from thepalming technique, which many people still advocate today, there arespecific relaxations exercises that will help you clear your mind andhelp you to see.

One such exercise involves a form of Bates traditional visualizationmethods. Simply close your eyes, take a deep breath, hold it, andexhale slowly. While you are doing this, visualize the number four.Then, open your eyes. Repeat the pattern from four down to zero.

Not only will you be calm and relaxed, but you will find that you canfocus more effectively. This is a result of the breathing, which bringsmore calming oxygen to your brain, and mental focus - the

visualization acts as a form of meditation to clear your mind andsharpen your mind.

Train Your Brain


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As the above exercise suggests, mental focus and brain activity aredirectly linked to the ability to see. This is quite clear on aphysiological level, as the thick optic nerve that links your brain andyour eye is basically a highway between the two. Blood and oxygensupply to this nerve is an important defining factor when we need touse our eyes. The above exercise helped to bring oxygen to the opticnerve, and this practice can boost blood supply.

Scientists have discovered that certain smells and oils can stimulatethe brain in such a way that blood flow to the brain and optic nerve isgreatly increased.

So, in order to stimulate your brain and the flow of blood to the opticcones and rods that make up your eye, simply take a deep breath ofsome jasmine, peppermint or vanilla extract.

For more substantial, long-lasting results, oils that are made fromthese scents can be purchased and rubbed into the skin so that thesmell can stimulate your brain throughout the day.


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Natural Techniques Alternative Medicine:How They Can Help You Get Better Eyesight

in No Time!

If you have read this book thus far, you probably have no problemtrying alternate ways of keeping yourself healthy. The initial half ofthis chapter was dedicated to the tradition of Natural Vision, andexplored the roots of this practice.

Then, we provided a simple, three phase programme that can helpyou change your lifestyle and see things more clearly. Now, we willonce again guide you through a myriad of alternative medicalpractices and beliefs so that you can further enhance your sight.

With any medical belief structure it is important to be aware ofpotentially damaging practices, and so I will briefly mention twosystems that are often mistakenly associated with attempts to betterones eyesight from home.

Iridology

Iridology is a practice that involves the use of the eye as a diagnostictool for the rest of the body. The iris is split into 80-90 sections, andany inflammation or irregularity found by the iridologist is said to beindicative of an underlying ailment.


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Although the majority of the scientific world has dismissed thepractice of iridology as pseudoscience, there are many unlicensedpractitioners across the globe.

Whilst their tool is the eye, there is no evidence suggesting that thepractice of iridology can enhance your eyesight.

Color Healing

Color healing is more of a spiritual practice that is often used incombination with crystal healing and meditative practice.Practitioners suggest that by the careful selection and manipulationof colours and their corresponding wavelength, ailments may becured.

Although there is some evidence to suggest that colour can influencemood and reduce stress, exposure to harmful wavelengths for anyextended period of time will have a negative impact on your eye.Blue, often seen as a soothing tone, has a wavelength that is

potentially harmful to the retina.

Despite these harmful treatments, there are several treatments thatare rooted in alternate medicine that may promote better eyesightand health.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is an ancient medicinal belief in the healing power ofvarious solutions, which are more often than not based on naturalremedies and herbs. Various herbs are mixed and diluted to formsuspensions which target very specific ailments. The dilutions arethen consumed or smeared onto the affected areas of the body.


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There are three homeopathic treatments that appear to have a directand measurable influence on peoples eyesight.

The first is the use of herbal eyewash. This solution is designed toimprove circulation, and thus vision, as discussed earlier in thechapter. The potent combination of bayberry, eyebright, redraspberry, goldenseal and cayenne is diluted with water and thenwashed over the eye. Over time, many patients state that they haveimproved vision.

The next homeopathic solution to improving eyesight is known asherbal eye food. Once again, it is believed that this uniquecombination of herbs leads to better circulation, as well as greateroxygen levels in the blood - two key aspects when trying to improveeyesight.

Homeopaths suggest that a combination of bilberry fruit (which isextremely prevalent when researching improved eyesight), Chinese

Lycium, Ginkgo, Chrysanthemum and Hawthorne Berry will help toboost the eyes ability.

This seems fairly logical when we consider all of the extremely potentand useful nutrients contained in these plants.

A final treatment, the use of Homeopathic Tissue Salts, is a more

aggressive approach to improving vision. Here, low doses ofcombinations of stronger elements such as Reta Grav or Cadmiumare systematically applied to the eyelids over a period of 6 months.Once again, the aim is to boost circulation in and around the eyeitself.


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Acupuncture

The ancient Eastern practice of acupuncture has grown in popularityacross the world over the last few years, and is another example ofalternative medicine that may be used to enhance eyesight.

It involves the insertion of needles into various points in the bodywith the belief that the needles will clear certain blockages of cruciallife energy that flow throughout the body, maintaining well-being.

In the case of eyesight, there is a specific point on the foot that canbe manipulated to improve sight. It is believed that this point on thesole of the foot correlates to the elimination of a kidney blockage,which is in turn responsible for clarity of vision.

Acupuncture also has the general benefit of stress relief, and as wehave already witnessed, stress relief and relaxation have a direct andprofound effect on our ability to see well.

These forms of treatment definitely deserve our attention and, whencoupled with the methods suggested above, can only help us to livemore relaxed, healthy lives. And ultimately, that will help our tiredeyes to start seeing things anew.


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Games and Ideas: Training your eyes on the go

Modern times are frantic, and relaxing our eyes may seem like a taskthat simply takes too long. Luckily, there are several quick fixes thatcan be done anywhere to help begin the process of healing.

Eye Aerobics

For those of us who work in front of computer screens, it is mostvaluable to stretch, test and relax our eyes regularly so that we canavoid stasis and fatigue. Eye aerobics, also called eye yoga, involves aseries of simple exercises that can help restore vision and combat thenegative effects of excessive exposure to a screed.

The most common exercise involves shifting focus. Here, you simplyfocus on a distant point for a period of ten seconds, and then look

directly ahead again. This can be repeated three to five times. Ittrains the eye to focus more quickly, and also ensures that themuscles required doing so focus more easily when need be.

Similar exercises involve rapid blinking, as well as shutting the eyesand moving the eyeball up, down, left and right. All of these aredesigned to strengthen the key muscles groups.

Occipital Massage

The part of the brain that is responsible for the functioning of theeyes is the occipital lobes, which are located at the back of the brain,towards the spine. A great tension reliever is to gently massage ones


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neck at the base of the skull. This will ease tension in the spine, andstimulate the occipital lobes so that they wake up enough toenhance vision. Once again this is ideal for those of us stuck in anoffice, or excessive traffic!

Games

We all need to take time to unwind, but why not improve your visionwhile you do? Video games have been proven to improve motor co-ordination and vision by sharpening the players focus and attentionspan. Several internet resources are available for games that can helpto train focus, range of ocular motion, and so forth.

The solution is clear - it is possible to improve your eyesight fromhome! A healthy diet, plenty of exercise, and even alternativemedical treatments can all help to protect our eyes. The simple tipsgiven above are fast and easy to implement, and can be carried outby absolutely anyone, regardless of age or standard of vision.

We are only given one pair of eyes, and with these ideas, it is easy toprotect them against laziness, the sun, our unhealthy lifestylechoices, and bogus treatment plans.


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Chapter V: Specific Tips for Common

Visual ProblemsDefective eyesight is acquired through bad habits and stress. Whileglasses and corrective lenses temporarily improve bad eyesight, theircontinued use actually encourages the eyes to maintain poor vision.The eyes become reliant on a crutch to see things clearly.However, it is possible to improve eyesight without the use ofglasses and/or contacts.

When persistent tension and strain tighten the muscles around theeyes, a disturbance in vision occurs. Normal eyes never try to see, asthe act of seeing is passive. If they can't view something, they moveon to something they can properly see without exerting unneededpressure.

Eyes with imperfect vision strain to see things. This causes poorvision. The moment an eye actively tries to see, it instantly stops

having perfect vision. However, teaching the eye muscles to relaxthrough a series of visual exercises can reverse many common sightdisorders.

If you gradually decrease the amount of time spent relying on glassesand corrective lenses and perform certain exercises, your eyes willbecome less dependent on external sources to correct their field ofvision.

These exercises are based on the Bates' method of alternative

therapy, which is aimed at improving eyesight without outside aids.Bates attributed almost all vision dysfunction to the habitual strain ofeyes. He believed that the sense of sight is acquired in childhoodthrough unconscious self-instruction.

However, stress and life-pressures cause the eye muscles to tighten,which in turn, cause a variety of vision disorders that we commonly


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fix with glasses. As adults, to keep perfect vision, we have toconsciously focus on various relaxation techniques.

If these techniques are used in conjunction with a good diet and aphysical fitness routine, all common and basic eyesight problems willgradually show signs of improvement.

PalmingThis is the most basic technique used in eyesight improvementwithout the use of corrective lenses. It was at the very top of Bates'list of things you can do to naturally help your vision. Palming helpsteach the muscles and eyes to relax and stop overly straining.

While simply shutting your eyes brings about relaxation, palmingintensifies this to a deeper state of relaxation by calming your visualsystem and bringing about awareness of muscle strain. The increasedstate of darkness brings forth a state of increased relaxation. Somepeople even see temporarily improved vision instantly.

Step 1:

Sit or lie on the floor or in a chair, and prop your elbows up on acomfortable surface. Make sure you maintain good posture.

Step 2:Close your eyes, and cover them with the palms of your hands. Crossthe fingers of one hand over the fingers of the other on yourforehead. Make sure not to apply pressure on your eyelids. You wantto block out as much light as possible, but you absolutely do notwant to exert any pressure on your eyeballs.

Step 3:

Ideally, you should see perfect blackness. This signifies a state ofrelaxation. If you happen to see light, a kaleidoscope-like effect,colour, or movement, you are still tense. However, don't purposelytry to see the blackness. This will actually cause more strain, and itwill take longer to get back to the state of seeing absolute darkness.


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As a general rule, the worse your eyesight is, the more vivid,persistent, and numerous the disturbances in your field of visionwhile palming will be. It is impossible to see perfect black withoutperfect vision, because only with perfect vision, will your mind be atrest. Once you achieve perfect blackness, your sight will bepermanently better.

Step 4:

The more you do this and the longer you practice palming, the morelikely you are to train your eyes to reduce muscle tension. This, inturn, will produce better vision. It is the most effective when used inconjunction with the following methods.

BlinkingOf course, everyone blinks and needs to blink. It's an unconsciousact. However, if you consciously focus on blinking more often, youreyes will be healthier.

It's an oft overlooked act that keeps your vision fresh and allows youto keep your focus for longer periods of time.

However, when you do things, such as working on the computer orwatching television, you blink at a much lower rate, especially whenyou are intently focused on something in particular.

If you consciously blink every few seconds, you will notice that youreyes feel less strained and more relaxed. If you try not blinking forextended periods of time, you will notice that your eyes feel heavyand that your focus is out of whack.

Furthermore, when you blink, you're giving your eyes very briefmoments of darkness. This makes your eyes ready to take in newinformation. Also, vision after moments of rest is at its best. Thesethings both reduce strain easily and completely naturally.


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So, make sure you carry out frequent, effortless blinking. This notonly lubricates and cleanses your eyes; it also rests and relaxes themuscles around your eyes. It helps reduce muscle strain. However,blink naturally. Do not squeeze your eyes shut forcefully.

SwingingThis is a whole body exercise that relieves stress, fights fatigue,improves vision, and increases the mobility of your eyes. Batespostulated that one cause of poor vision is the increasing rigidity ofthe eyes, which can occur with age.

The act of swinging helps break the habit of rigid staring and aims tomake the eyes more mobile, and therefore, your vision better.

Step 1:

Stand looking straight ahead and keep your feet approximately 12inches apart.

Step 2:

Rotate your entire body to the left. When you do this, force yourweight onto your left foot, while allowing your right heel to come off

the ground. Try to keep your shoulders and neck straight. In otherwords, don't whip your head around. This should be a whole bodymovement.

Step 3:

Repeat Step 2 on your right side. Your eyes will now cover a 180-degree arc. Do not attempt to focus on any one thing, but at thesame time, don't glaze or blur your eyes. Practice passive relaxationand attempt to see the whole scene. You should see your scenerymoving in the opposite direction, if you are doing it correctly.

Step 4:

Do this routine about 30 times per minute. Try to do it 2 times everyday. If you do this technique before bed, it will also help prevent eyestrain during sleep.


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Figure 8This exercise also works on the mobility of your eyes, because like

swinging, the increased rigidity of the eyes and the tension of themuscle surrounding them are directly correlated to bad vision.

However, unlike swinging, the figure 8 method can be implementedand practiced more inconspicuously.

Step 1:

Imagine a large numeral 8 about 10 feet in front of your face. Now,

mentally, flip that 8 on its side.Step 2:

Slowly, trace the sideways, figure 8 with your eyes.

Step 3:

Do this for a few minutes. Then, reverse your tracing to go in theopposite direction. Also do this for a few minutes.

SunningWe all know that the sun is important for our health, as it createsimportant vitamin D. By sunning, we can also reduce our eyes'sensitivity to light and create more acute vision.

Bates postulated that direct sunlight is good for your eyes, which iscontrary to many beliefs. He believed that healthy eyes with perfectvision are not affected by the sun.

However, people with poor vision often have a hard time being inbright light, and the light often creates visual disturbances, such asseeing spots, for them. He also noted that these disturbances arealways temporary and don't create long-term damage.

However, to avoid the harmful effects of the sun on your skin, onlydo this exercise in the morning or early evening.


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Step 1:

Sit or stand in the direct sunlight with your eyes closed. Originally,

Bates said to keep your eyes open. However, he later changed thistechnique to only include closed eyes.

Step 2:

Let the sun penetrate your eyelids, and gently rotate your head fromside to side. Pretend like you are drawing a circle around the sun. Thishelps avoid strain from staring into the sun for too long. Ideally, youwant completely relaxed facial muscles.

Step 3:

Breathe deeply and focus on not squinting, as squinting tenses themuscles around your eyes.

Step 4:

Follow up a session of sunning with a few minutes of palming toreach a state of deeper relaxation.

Central Fixation or CentralizationThe center of your retina, the fovea centralis, is the area thatproduces the most acute vision. This means that your eyes only seeone part of an object sharply, and vision is dulled as it branches awayfrom the fovea. To compensate for this, when you look at an object,your eyes shift rapidly over the scene to create the illusion of clearlyseeing the entire object.

An eye with perfect vision accepts this shortcoming and shifts rapidlyand unconsciously to produce a sharp image. It never holds an imagefor more than a fraction of a second. However, an eye with imperfectvision tries to see the whole visual field at once, without taking intoaccount the anatomy of the eye.


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By attempting to instantaneously take in the entire visual field, theeye is subjected to a considerable amount of strain and tension. Thisstrain leads to even more visual dysfunction. Also, slow shiftingcreates blurred vision.

While any type of movement causes an error of refraction, in normalvision, the movement is so quick that this error is negligible; the morerapid the unconscious shifting of the eye, the more acute the vision.

To overcome this, you have to teach your eyes that it is acceptable toonly see one part of an object at a time.

Step 1:

An eye chart works perfectly for this exercise, but any pattern made

up of various similar parts will also work. Begin by focusing on one,individual letter. This letter will become clear and bright, while theothers are soft and dull.

Step 2:

Slowly move your eye around that one letter.

Step 3:

After you are finished, move your gaze to another letter. This letterwill now be vividly clear, while the others (including the one youprevious focused in on) will become faded into the background.

Step 4:

Keep repeating. Once you have mastered this technique on an eyechart, start using it in everyday life. You need to train your eyes to beused the way they were designed to be used to avoid unnecessaryand harmful strain.

ShiftingLoss of vision correlates to loss of eye motion, so rapid eye-shifting isbeneficial for most eye conditions, including myopia, hyperopia,presbyopia, and astigmatism, especially.


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In this method, you are consciously mimicking the unconsciousmovement of the eyes around an object, which teaches your eyesthis specialized motion. Shifting can even benefit eyes with normalvision.

In this exercise, force your eyes to make a series of small shifts, whileyou consciously perceive different parts of an object. Don't gaze atthe object fixedly, consciously move your eyes around it as quickly asyou can.

While you do this, concentrate on seeing how different areas areperceived sharper than others. By consciously mimicking theunconscious shifting of the eye, you are training your mind to better

these movements.

Near-to-Far ShiftingThis exercise improves your ability to shift focus from near to faritems and vice versa, a process known as accommodation. It also

helps improve mind-eye coordination. Your eyes will better listen towhat your brain is willing them to do. This exercise also helps regainthe flexibility of the muscles around your eyes, and increasedflexibility leads to less strain and better vision.

Step 1:

Hang a photograph on your wall.

Step 2:

Hold your finger 6 to 12 inches away from your face.Step 3:

Focus in on the details of your finger. When you do this, you shouldsee the illusion of two photographs in the distance.

Step 4:


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Next, switch your gaze to the photograph. When you do this, you willsee 2 fingers in your foreground.

Step 5:

Repeat this process for approximately a minute or a minute and ahalf.

ZoomingThis exercise has the same premise as near to far shifting, but it doesnot require a photograph and is a more gradual method of working

on accommodation. Nonetheless, it also works on your ability toswitch your focus to and from objects and scenes at varying lengths.

By doing these exercises, your eyes' ability to accommodate will bevastly improved and the flexibility of your eye muscles increased.Both of these two things lead to less strain and therefore, bettervision.

Step 1:

Sit in a comfortable position. Make sure you always maintain proper

posture.Step 2:

Stretch out your arm as far as you can with your thumb pointing up inthe hitch hike position.

Step 3:

Focus in on your thumb while your arm is completely outstretched.

Step 4:

Slowly pull your arm closer and closer to your face. Keep your focuson your thumb as it moves closer and closer to your eyes. Bring it into approximately 3 inches away from your face.

Step 5:

Slowly pull your arm back out again. Continue to look only at yourthumb.


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Step 6:

Repeat this for a few minutes every day. You will soon find that youhave better focusing skills and stronger, more flexible eye muscles.

Eye MassageJust like full-body massages induce a state of much deeperrelaxation, massaging the eye muscles also reduces tension. We allknow by now that reduced strain naturally equals better vision. Thisis a simple way to relax the muscles around your face.

Step 1:

Start this exercise by taking 2 deep breaths.Step 2:

Sit with your knees shoulder width apart, in a comfortable positionand in a comfortable chair.

Step 3:

Put your thumbs below your eyebrows and above the inside cornersof your eyes. Place your fingers on your forehead. Put some pressureon your thumbs for about 4 breaths.

Step 4:

Use your thumb and index finger to massage the bridge of your nose.Press and squeeze with an upward motion. Repeat this action 4times.

Step 5:

Place your middle finger on your cheekbones directly below each

eye. Massage in a circular motion for 4 breaths.Step 6:

Massage your temples right below the eyebrows and level with theoutside end of your eyes. Next, place your thumbs on the inside endof the eyebrows and massage. Work your way around the eye area.Finish the massage right below the middle of your eye.


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While the previous methods universally help most common eyedisorders, there are some bonus exercises you can add to yourroutine to treat whatever particular ailment you suffer from.

MyopiaWhen an eye focuses on something familiar, it does not need tomake any extra effort to recognize the object. This reduces strain.Therefore, you usually see recognizable objects with greater acuity.

To put this to practical use, looking at a known object beforeswitching your gaze to something unfamiliar helps reduce visual

tension.When you have perfect memory of any sensory phenomenon, yourmind will be perfectly at rest. By remembering somethingcompletely, vision will be unconsciously improved, because when themind has perfect memory of an object, central fixation is achieved.

This is a visualization exercise.

Step 1:

Place a calendar on a wall directly in front of you. View this calendar

from a distance that makes the numbers just barely readable. Thisdistance will vary based on the severity of your nearsightedness.

Step 2:

Palm your eyes.

Step 3:

Start with the first number on the calendar (1), and shut your eyes.Visualize that number in your mind, then open and read the number.

Continue this process. Visualizing helps eyesight. Plus, eyesight isbest after you first open your eyes.

Step 4:

Read each number with both eyes, and then repeat the process whilealternating eyes. Work with your weakest eye, if you have one (mostpeople do), more than the other.


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Step 5:

Do this exercise for 15 minutes every day. Continue to move furtheraway from the calendar, and you will soon notice your visionimproving.

If you want to add yet another thing to your routine, work on rapidlychanging your focus from near objects to far objects and back again(accommodation). Games like tennis work perfectly for practicingthis technique.

Hyperopia and Presbyopia

Like in myopia, when an eye sees something it doesn't recognize, itstrains more. If it notices a familiar object, it does not make any extraeffort to focus in on it. Therefore, viewing a known object prior toviewing something unfamiliar helps reduce muscle tension aroundthe eyes, because we see largely with our mind and only slightly withyour eyes.

This technique is similar to the one used in nearsightedness, butadjusted for the symptoms of farsightedness.

Step 1:Place a small calendar about 14 inches away from your eyes, or closeenough to where you can just barely read the numbers.

Step 2:

Shift your gaze side to side over a single number, without trying orstraining to bring it into focus.

Step 3:

Close your eyes and visualize that number.Step 4:

Open your eyes, and focus on the number.

Step 5:


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Repeat this process for each number. At first, practice this routineusing both eyes. Then, go back and repeat the exercise, whilealternating eyes. Spend more time working with your weaker eye.

Step 6:

Do this for 15 minutes every day. Move the calendar closer to yourface as your vision progresses.

Astigmatism and Squint (Cross Eyes)If you see blurred images, distorted shapes, and or double images,relaxation techniques can help improve your vision and reduce strain.

Step 1:Sit facing a blank wall. Hold a ruler vertically, with the narrow edgefacing in, about a foot away from your nose.

Step 2:

Constantly blink, while you gaze up and down the straight edge ofthe ruler. Repeat this 6 times.

Step 3:

Following this, simply look up and down the wall without movingyour head. Repeat this 6 times, as well. When your eyes are focusedon the wall, you should see 2 rulers.

Step 4:

Alternate between the ruler and the wall for approximately 3minutes. Increase this time every couple of days. It also helps to palmbetween each drill, to return the tension around your eyes to statusquo.

While the previous methods help improve already-deterioratedeyesight, you should always take preventative measures to ensurethat your eyesight only improves, rather than relapses back to itsprior state.

When you read, make sure you always sit in a relaxed position withyour head completely upright. You want to keep your book, eReader,


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magazine, etc. parallel to your face and about 12 to 16 inches fromyour eyes.

Make sure you blink 1 or 2 times while you scan each line. Also,change your focus every few pages to reduce strain, and always tryto avoid reading when you are too tired.

When you watch television, make sure you are at least 10 feet awayfrom the screen, and don't completely turn off your lights. Your roomshould have a soft glow of light emanating from something otherthan the television set. Also, do not fixate your gaze on the TV; keepit constantly shifting. Also, make sure you blink frequently.

ConclusionVision is one of ourmost used senses. Itallows us to see our


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surrounding environment, and in turn, many things are built aroundthe act of seeing: art is created to be beautiful, fashion is designed tomake us more attractive or to stand out from a crowd, andarchitecture is not only functional, it's visually appealing.

Our sense of sight also allows us to read social cues and interactsuccessfully with other individuals. It gives us entertainm

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Perfect Vision Method