To see is to believe: Better vision without glasses
February 5, 2002 | 12:00am
For someone who has been wearing glasses for almost 30 years, the promise of vision improvement without surgery is totally liberating. So many people have been convincing me to try laser surgery. "But what if something goes wrong," I always say. Nay, I would not risk the only pair of eyes I have. Never mind if I have to wear glasses and contact lenses all my life.
Having said that though, I often wonder how great it would be to wake up one morning with a 20-20 vision. I do not have to squint my eyes and grope for my glasses by the bedside before I can see clearly. Is it really possible?
Natural vision improvement was conceived by an American ophthalmologist, Prof. Dr. William Horatio Bates, who was considered a genius. He pioneered the operation for relief of persistent deafness (a technique still in use today). He also discovered the existence of a suprarenal capsule extract later commercialized as adrenaline.
His initial disappointment with conventional ophthalmology came when his patients did not improve and in fact got worse vision by wearing prescription lenses. He gave up his lucrative practice and buried himself in research. He found out in his research that the refractive state of the eyes was not constant, it changes depending on one’s moods and emotions. He confirmed that mental strain and tension would increase refractive error while relaxation would decrease it.
So holistic approach applies to perfect vision as well! Bates maintained that the eyes and mind work together harmoniously to give good eyesight. His book Better Eyesight without Glasses was published in 1920.
The Bates Method is a natural program of vision improvement consisting of techniques that alternately relax and stimulate the muscles of the visual system. Other objectives include the elimination of mental stress and the improvement of brain/eye coordination. The main strategy is to restore the natural, correct habits of seeing, lost through strain and tension resulting from misuse of the eyes.
If you strain to see, you tense the eye muscles. They do not move freely and the retina becomes desensitized. Nobody need explain that to me because that’s exactly what I do when I do not have my glasses or contacts.
Relaxation of the eyes does not mean staring into space; on the contrary, it means using the eyes properly with full attention but without strain.
Two relaxation methods for the eyes were recommended: Palming and Color Days.
To palm is to cover your eyes with your hands but with no pressure on the eyeballs. Cup your hands slightly over each eye with the fingers partly interlaced on your forehead. You should not allow light as much as possible to enter the eye. Close your eyes.
The proper positions for palming are necessarily the most relaxing. You can sit comfortably with your spine straight on a dining chair. You can support your elbows with a cushion. You can also lie down with a few books under your head, knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
There is no set rule on how long you should do palming. Try five minutes, then build it up comfortably to 15. You can also pause for a few seconds each day (15 perhaps) palming!
The other fun technique is the Color Day. One is instructed to choose a color upon waking up. Let us say, green. You now spend the whole day looking for that color. If you are to busy and forget about it, take a Color Walk and spend some time looking for green. Let the color come to you, do not strain looking for it (remember this is part of the relaxation technique).
When you see the color, be aware of the color and not the form. Focus on the experience of receiving the color – the form by which it is made apparent is not important. Change the color each day of the week.
This is the name of the program on the natural methods for recovering clear eyesight developed by Leo Angart based on the philosophy of Bates. Angart threw away his glasses in 1993 after wearing them for 20 years. He developed a treatment program that restored his 600-grade aided eyesight to perfect clear vision in two weeks.
Angart, who is from Denmark, has maintained his 20/20 vision since and has enhanced his vision program with the latest research findings and techniques. He has conducted his vision workshop all over the world including Manila, where classes were held recently at Martha’s Vineyard Center along Estrella Street in Makati.
Previous participants of the Manila classes gave great reviews. Said one, ""Fun-tas-tik! I removed my eyeglasses (reading) after two hours of lecture!" Monika Cruz of NLP Philippines is quick to warn though that this is no magic technique. A lot of practice and eye exercises have to be continued to gain improved vision.
Leo Angart will have a special session for kids as well. This will be held on Feb. 9 and 10. Seminar fee is P1,200 per child (between five and12 years old). Easy-to-learn exercises will be taught, which when practiced for 20 minutes each day will bring back a child’s normal perfect vision.
According to Monika, the increased reading, television, and computer work kids are subjected to nowadays cause severe eye strain. "Continued eye strain weakens the vision. Glasses are prescribed and while they enable the child to see clearly, they just make the problem worse," she clarified.
"Glasses act as a crutch – they do the focusing for you – which means that the eye muscles don’t get used as much as they normally would. Consequently, they become weaker and you eventually have to buy a new set of glasses with a higher grade. This cycle repeats itself through adulthood until you can no longer see without glasses," she expounded.
This special class for children is limited to the first 20 only.
Natural, non-invasive techniques like this that work on building our ability to see clearly should be welcomed with an open mind. Since it is natural, it is certainly worth a try. Yes, effort is required, but anything that lasts requires work, right?
E-mail: mylenedayrit@yahoo.com for comments and suggestions.
Having said that though, I often wonder how great it would be to wake up one morning with a 20-20 vision. I do not have to squint my eyes and grope for my glasses by the bedside before I can see clearly. Is it really possible?
His initial disappointment with conventional ophthalmology came when his patients did not improve and in fact got worse vision by wearing prescription lenses. He gave up his lucrative practice and buried himself in research. He found out in his research that the refractive state of the eyes was not constant, it changes depending on one’s moods and emotions. He confirmed that mental strain and tension would increase refractive error while relaxation would decrease it.
So holistic approach applies to perfect vision as well! Bates maintained that the eyes and mind work together harmoniously to give good eyesight. His book Better Eyesight without Glasses was published in 1920.
The Bates Method is a natural program of vision improvement consisting of techniques that alternately relax and stimulate the muscles of the visual system. Other objectives include the elimination of mental stress and the improvement of brain/eye coordination. The main strategy is to restore the natural, correct habits of seeing, lost through strain and tension resulting from misuse of the eyes.
Relaxation of the eyes does not mean staring into space; on the contrary, it means using the eyes properly with full attention but without strain.
Two relaxation methods for the eyes were recommended: Palming and Color Days.
To palm is to cover your eyes with your hands but with no pressure on the eyeballs. Cup your hands slightly over each eye with the fingers partly interlaced on your forehead. You should not allow light as much as possible to enter the eye. Close your eyes.
The proper positions for palming are necessarily the most relaxing. You can sit comfortably with your spine straight on a dining chair. You can support your elbows with a cushion. You can also lie down with a few books under your head, knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
There is no set rule on how long you should do palming. Try five minutes, then build it up comfortably to 15. You can also pause for a few seconds each day (15 perhaps) palming!
The other fun technique is the Color Day. One is instructed to choose a color upon waking up. Let us say, green. You now spend the whole day looking for that color. If you are to busy and forget about it, take a Color Walk and spend some time looking for green. Let the color come to you, do not strain looking for it (remember this is part of the relaxation technique).
When you see the color, be aware of the color and not the form. Focus on the experience of receiving the color – the form by which it is made apparent is not important. Change the color each day of the week.
Angart, who is from Denmark, has maintained his 20/20 vision since and has enhanced his vision program with the latest research findings and techniques. He has conducted his vision workshop all over the world including Manila, where classes were held recently at Martha’s Vineyard Center along Estrella Street in Makati.
Previous participants of the Manila classes gave great reviews. Said one, ""Fun-tas-tik! I removed my eyeglasses (reading) after two hours of lecture!" Monika Cruz of NLP Philippines is quick to warn though that this is no magic technique. A lot of practice and eye exercises have to be continued to gain improved vision.
According to Monika, the increased reading, television, and computer work kids are subjected to nowadays cause severe eye strain. "Continued eye strain weakens the vision. Glasses are prescribed and while they enable the child to see clearly, they just make the problem worse," she clarified.
"Glasses act as a crutch – they do the focusing for you – which means that the eye muscles don’t get used as much as they normally would. Consequently, they become weaker and you eventually have to buy a new set of glasses with a higher grade. This cycle repeats itself through adulthood until you can no longer see without glasses," she expounded.
This special class for children is limited to the first 20 only.
Natural, non-invasive techniques like this that work on building our ability to see clearly should be welcomed with an open mind. Since it is natural, it is certainly worth a try. Yes, effort is required, but anything that lasts requires work, right?
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