vision

[Charles Long]

Anyone know of any natural therapies to improve vision? I'd like to be able to ditch my glasses for good if it's at all possible.

Charles Long

[Coach Hurst]

Hi Charles,

Check out the book

'Improve Your Vision Without Glasses or Contact Lenses'

by The American Vision Institute

I have had good results with it.

Hope it helps.

Ryan Hurst

[bob_stra]

I was on a supervised version of the Bates Method for abt six months. This is where they give you a set of graded exercises to do, along with reducing the strength of your glasses by 25%. The theory is, this will better coordinate / "strengthen" your eyes.

The Good:

I started out with 20/120 (Ie: what normal sighted person can see at 120 metres, I can only see at 20) Gradually improved 20/80, sometimes even 20/40 without glasses. Also, due to the meditative practices, I learnt a few (startling) things about myself. Little stuff, but important none the less.


The bad:

The time investment in large. It isn't something you can just "pick up" - you really have to go into it heart and soul. Also, be prepared to have your vision fluctuate. (My sight would fluctuate like mad between 20/120 and 20/40, day to day). Somedays it will be outstanding, others horrible, depending on what you ate, your mood, etc. You really need to become familiar as to how / what affects your sight and how/what to do abt it.

The most difficult part is the emotional stuff that this kind of training brings up. There is a large component of introspection and meditation. So all the things you haven't "seen" abt yourself (pardon the pun) rise to the fore.


I quit in the end - my heart just wasn't in it / didn't have the time to do the work. Plus I was sick and tired of my vision going up & down, never being quite sure if my sight had improved or whether it was all in my head.

PS: The optometrist mentioned that the few patients who had gone thru this THEN had gone on to have the LASIK surgery had better results than those that hadn't. Apparently, laser corrected eyes can regress after a few months in some cases. I dunno whether I believe that, but I pass it on for your pondering.

You can find details of this program here: -

http://www.beyond2020vision.com/home

The cost was around U$500, including monthly counselling session, 2 changes of prescription and all materials. But that was in 1998, in Australia, and I suspect the prices have gone up since then.

[James Boelter]

I had a friend who was interested in this - she went with 'The Yoga Of Perfect Sight', or a similar program. She gave up after a few weeks for a couple of reasons:

1) As Bob reported, the introspection and emotional issues seem to be very hard to deal with. She mentioned flashes of rage, anger, despair, hopelessness...all the things that are associated with loss of control.
2) What originally attracted her to the program was the idea of 'spiritual improvement leading to vision improvement'. Then she realized that the Dalai Lama has been wearing glasses for most of his adult life. :shock: She figured that if he couldn't be bothered to meditate to improve his vision, then who was she to think she could do better? (Not neccessarily a valid logical chain, but you can see the link).

[Charles Long]

'Improve Your Vision Without Glasses or Contact Lenses'
Ryan Hurst

Thanks, Ryan. Next time I go shopping on Amazon, I'll look for it.

Charles Long

[Charles Long]

Thanks, people. I'm not into meditation instrospective thing and I don't think I could make the kind of time committment you mentioned, Bob. Not to mention the fact that I live in a small rural community and that type of supervised service isn't available here anyway.

I keep hearing commercials on the radio for "The See Clearly Method" but don't want to spend my hard earned money on it unless I know that it has actually worked for people other than the ones doing the commercials. I've seen other home programs like the Cambridge Institute and those pinhole glasses but I'm skeptical and was hoping for some personal testimonies from some who have spent money on this stuff.

Let's see...I can buy The See Clearly Method or a clubbell. Decisions, decisions.

Charles Long

[JasonE]

I used to be an optician nationally licensed by the American Board of Opticianry. In the U.S., a licensed optician works with Optometrists and Ophthamologists to determine the best approach to correcting your vision. Ideally, the optician will transmit that information to the lab that makes your glasses / supplies your contacts and follow up by fitting them on you and making sure they work.

The difference between a licensed optician and an unlicensed one is that a licensed optician has had to meet a national standard of expertise, demonstrated in professional practice and via a proctored written exam... while an unlicensed optician doesn't have to do more than be hired and trained (or not) by their employer. :shock:

That being said, I've worked with many thousands of patients with a wide variety of vision disorders. Many turned to surgery to improve their vision, as most were unaware of alternatives. Of those that were aware of alternatives, few had actually tried meditative methods, eye exercises, or dietary changes. Of those who had, I don't recall anyone that ever completely overcame their vision impairment completely, though a few reported some improvement. :)

While a great many factors can influence how your vision changes over time, there are only a few (that I am aware of) which could be directly impacted by meditative practices, eye exercises, or dietary changes:

1. Changes in Blood Pressure - This can be caused by chronic stress conditions, fluctuations in hormone output, and all kinds of other medical conditions. Of course, poor diet may also play a large role.

2. Deterioration of "muscular" tissues in and around the eye - While they may not all qualify as proper "muscles", there are tissues that contract and relax, affecting the shape of the eye, the lens, and the dilation of the pupil. Some meditative and "gazing" exercises can strengthen some of these structures to result in vision improvements.

This will take some time, but apparently can result in some improvements depending on the nature of the vision impairment. For example, simple myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness) are caused by the cornea (lens) focusing incoming light such that it would come to a point either in front of or behind the retina, rather than directly on it as it should. A simple change in the curvature of the eyeball or of the lens (or both) could suffice to correct these conditions. The "muscular" tissues in and around the eye manipulate the curvature of these structures to adjust your focus at different ranges. Gazing exercises may be sufficient to correct this. :shock:

Other common conditions such astigmatism and presbyopia are not so easily corrected. Astigmatism is a condition that prevents the light entering your eye to come into focus properly at any point, generally due to irregular curvature of the cornea. Presbyopia is a condition resulting from decreasing elasticity of the cornea, making it much easier to see at one range but difficult for your eyes to refocus on another range. These conditions are generally difficult to treat without surgery. In most cases contacts or glasses are required anyway, though surgery can reduce the strength of the prescription required.

3. Metabolic disorders/conditions/changes - Eyesight is often adversely impacted by diabetes and pregnancy, but other major changes in your blood chemistry may also result in positive or negative visual acuity. It is particularly important for people experiencing major metabolic changes to monitor their diet and be alert for changes in their vision. Proper diet and medical attention plays a strong preventive role for many people, but those already affected may be able to realize some improvement from proper nutrition.

All of the above notwithstanding, I do not claim any familiarity with the methods previously mentioned, i.e. The See Clearly Method, the Bates Method, etc. I have a very small amount of practice with some Yoga gazing exercises that I learned out of a book.

It may well be worth investigating some of the methods already mentioned by others, but be realistic: If you have a strong prescription or a visual impairment other than simple myopia or hyperopia, you probably won't be going without glasses or contacts. On the other hand, you may be able to reduce the strength of your prescription.

For everyone on these boards, I would like to offer the caution that prolonged computer use, particularly in an overly-dry or air-conditioned environment, is commonly detrimental to vision. If you must spend a great deal of time in front of a computer (as I commonly do), take a few moments to look around and focus on things much further away from time to time as you are working. This will help maintain the elasticity of your corneas and help maintain your visual health. 8)

[dave_rusin]

Jason,

Do you know anything about ortho-keratology? If so, what is your opinion about this approach?

Thanks for sharing your insights!

[JasonE]

Do you know anything about ortho-keratology? If so, what is your opinion about this approach?

Ortho-K takes specialized training and equipment that I didn't have, so my practical experience is nil.

Based on my other experience and training, the treatment method makes sense and is pretty safe, especially compared to the old RK (Radial-K) methods that preceded laser treatments. If you don't like what's happening with Ortho-K, it's reversable.

Ortho-K is fairly costly, but for children and others experiencing rapid vision changes it is just about the only corrective method available for moderate myopia and mild astigmatism other than glasses or regular contacts.

The RGP (Rigid Gas Permeable) contact lenses used in Ortho-K are similar to the "Hard" contacts that were all the rage before the disposable "Soft" contacts came into popular use. If you haven't worn "Hard" contacts before, I guarantee you it will take some getting used to. Some people never got comfortable with RGP contacts and few people under the age of 35 have ever worn them. You will need to be very careful about putting them in and taking them out, and you should certainly keep an extra set handy in case you lose or damage one. Because the lenses are reshaping your cornea, be prepared for some mild discomfort.

Proper care and maintenance of the RGP contacts will be mandatory. If you can't be bothered to use only the correct cleaning methods and solutions, you can do some damage. Would you use a muddy finger to dig an eyelash out from under your lid? The same thing applies to RGP lenses. Clean them every day with the proper solution and method, or you'll find yourself wishing you had. RGP lenses are higher maintenance than typical soft lenses, but they can last a long long time if treated right.

With Ortho-K, I understand that results may vary but the risks are pretty minimal. In the end, it's between you and your eye doctor.

Here's a good link for information on this procedure. It's a little biased toward the procedure, but it provides excellent information with links to find practicing doctors that provide Ortho-K treatment.

http://www.ortho-k.net/orthok.htm

[dave_rusin]

Thanks Jason!

[Charles Long]

Jason,

I have simple myopia which isn't real severe and isn't very different than when I first got glasses at 21 (I'm 43 now). Maybe some eye exercises would help. Thanks.

Charles Long

[WarpedMind]

I've never tried it, but I heard of something called the "See Clearly Method". You might want to look into that.

[Jay76]

I have had glasses since i was 15 months old. I am 28 years old now. I am near sighted and was born with catoracts. The doctors don't want to touch the catoracts unless they move, which is ok with me, since I don't want a lazer going into my eye.

Being rasied on a not so good diet and my mothers diet was not so good. Reading about nutrttion and how cataracts formed because of lack of calcium in the diet and to much sugar based food.

I treid to not wear my glasses, since reading about Bates book, etc. but one needs to not wear them all the time and I cannot do that, since how would I live and go to work???????

I read Weston A PRices book and read all the info and have increased my Grass fed meats, butter, etc in my diet and I wonder if over the years my vision will improve because of this????? Dont know, time will tell.

:D

[somlor]

Some claim that "sungazing" can improve and even correct your eyesight.

http://www.rawpaleodiet.org/sungazing/
http://www.solarhealing.com/index.html
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/sungazing/

[JasonE]

This practice of looking directly at the sun to take in the sun's nourishment is commonly called sungazing, sun gazing, solar healing, solar gazing, sun staring, Sun Yoga, Surya Yoga and Solar Yoga, and practitioners are usually called solar gazers or sungazers. Recently, Hira Manek, an ex-engineer from India, has become quite famous for his ability to live on sunlight via sungazing.


Hira Ratan Manek (HRM), amongst others, have proven that a person can live just on solar energy for very long periods without eating any food . This has come to be known as the HRM phenomenon. The method is used for curing all kinds of psychosomatic and mental illnesses as well as increasing memory power and mental strength by using sunlight. One can get rid of any kind of psychological problems, and develop confidence to face any problem in life and can overcome any kind of fear including that of death within 3 months after starting to exercise this method. As a result, he will be free from mental disturbances and fear, which will result in a perfect balance of mind. Further, if he continues to apply the method for 6 months, he will be free from physical illnesses. Besides, after 9 months, he can eventually win a victory over hunger, which disappears by itself thereafter.


Hira Manek has indicated that he will be actively present on this group, helping to guide and steer folks thru the practice of sungazing. Hira Manek has not eaten solid food in over seven years, and lives almost exclusively on sunlight; he has been studied by major research universities and also by scientists performing research for NASA; all studies have supported and validated his claims and practices.

Hmmmm... for some reason, I had to fight down an urge to post this on www.Bullshido.com.

I have a deep distrust of this. It sounds more like Hira Manek is starting a new career than spreading age-old wisdom.

If anyone has practical experience with these practices, I am interested to hear what your experience has been. I can believe that greater exposure to sunlight may be beneficial in some ways, but the claims cited above... seem "a bit" fantastic.

[somlor]

Jason: Yeah it sounds pretty crazy. Get on the Yahoo Group if you are genuinely curious. Hira Manek pops in occasionally and there are people on there who claim to have been doing it for decades and who make no money or receive no benefit from speaking about their experiences.

As for Bullshido, I'm not sure why you would want to post this there considering that it's not a martial art claim and the Bullshido crowd are mostly about as subtle and open minded to anything outside of BJJ dogma as bricks. ;)

[Charles Long]

[
Hmmmm... for some reason, I had to fight down an urge to post this on www.Bullshido.com.

I had to read this twice. At first I thought you said www. bullshitto.com which is where I would be inclined to put it. I won't completely discount it as I don't know enough about it but I'm very sceptical to say the least.

Charles Long

[somlor]

Well considering that any respectable ophthalmologist would say that looking directly at the sun for mere seconds can potentially cause permanant damage and even blindness, claims that sungazing can actually reverse vision problems should be approached very very skeptically.

8)

[JasonE]

If the web sites I looked at had said anything at all about martial arts applications... I would definitely have posted it on the Bullshido forums.

Seriously, does anyone here really think that Sungazing will cure all manner of mental problems in 3 months, all physical ailments in 6 months, and relieve you of the need to eat regularly in 9 months?

It would be cool if it DID do all these things, but without major alterations to the physics underlying human physiology... it can't.