On-Site Solutions on Sight
A man is getting along on the
road to wisdom
when he begins to realize that his opinion is just an opinion.
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This page aims to give an explanation of specific vision
challenges, their possible causes (also see nutrition),
and their possible natural solutions. The natural eyesight solutions presented below
have been gathered from a combination of my own experience, from students'
experiences, from the writings of Dr W.H. Bates, from various colleagues in the field of Natural Vision
Education or from other health professionals who I personally know.
We are all unique beings, and what works for one may not always have
the same effect on someone else, so please keep this in mind and also
please read the disclaimer. Click on any underlined
text for more information about a subject, or scroll down the page. |
Cataracts
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| Cataracts | |||
| In his Better
Eyesight Magazines Dr Bates describes many cases of cataracts that
are cured by his relaxation techniques. In the January 1921 issue
he states: "It is quite evident from the foregoing facts that the
cause of cataract (other than traumatic) is strain, and I have found
much other evidence, both clinical and experimental, to the same
effect. ... In experimental animals I have produced cataract
by operating upon the external eye muscles in such a way as to increase
their pressure, and have then relieved it by cutting these
muscles." In the June 1926 issue there is a similar story, where he describes the creation of a cataract in a rabbit's eye. The cataract remained so long as the pressure was maintained on the muscles on the outside of the eyeball. When the pressure on the eyeball was released, the cataract disappeared. Bates continues: "If cataract can be produced in a rabbit's eye experimentally, one would expect the same thing to occur in the human eye. Treatment which relieves pressure on the eyeball is always beneficial. It is very interesting to discover that all cases of uncomplicated senile cataract have been benefited by relaxation or rest, at first temporarily, later more continuously or permanently." In "How to improve your sight" Margaret Darst Corbett (a Natural Vision Educator trained by Dr Bates) describes how a student who reduced his cataracts through relearning natural vision habits, was examined by an eye doctor with an ophthalmoscope. In one eye the cataract had cleared completely, in the other a small amount of cloudiness remained, but, when the man took a better breath, it cleared the lens! Each time he remembered to breathe well, the sediment dissipated, each time he held his breath, a little murk clouded the lens once more. If cataracts react to relaxed natural vision habits and optimal breathing like that, then they must be caused by tense vision habits and inefficient oxygen supply due to tense breathing muscles. Instead of waiting for the cataract to 'ripen' and replacing the lens with an artificial one, you could be relearning good vision habits and optimal breathing and thereby save your eyes! More recently, Peter Grunwald, a vision educator from New Zealand also made the connection between the eyes and breathing. He writes in his book 'Eyebody' that the lens is connected with the diaphragm. He believes that cataracts can be linked to a collapsed or rigid chest. Obviously, a cataract operation does not address such corresponding breathing problems. The solution is found in combining natural vision improvement and optimal breathing development. To receive an e-book (40 standard size pages, in PDF format) with extensive information on how Dr Bates used his methods in the treatment of cataracts, please make a donation of US$15.00 or 12.00 to Visions of Joy. Please send a quick email also, and mention that you are ordering "The Bates Method View of Cataracts" e-book See also: Cataract, glaucoma and other eye disorders; Prevention and cure with proven natural methods 
a book from 1973 by John H Tobe. |
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| Computer Eye Strain | |||
| When you work with computers a lot, you
may notice that your eyes tire out quicker. In order to see better at
the computer, all the information given on See
Better applies, i.e. Relax, Blink, Breathe, and use Central Fixation,
which is the awareness that only a small detail in the center of your
field of vision can be seen best. The rest of the screen, as well as your
peripheral vision, is seen with less clarity. Staying awareness of
your peripheral
vision while working at the computer will greatly help your eyes relax, as will the purchase of Stress Away
software, available through Visions of Joy and through stressaway.com. Another great program that reduces computer eyestrain is SwingWindows (free download!). Set it for a small, slow, circular or oblong motion, and imagine that motion continuing even when you switch SwingWindows off! Good posture will reduce neck tension and improve breathing. Looking away from the screen on a regular basis will give your eyes a change of focus, which they'll appreciate. Having your computer near a window will allow for more distant focusing when you look up, while any movement outside may distract you from that strained habit of staring at the screen with tunnel vision... NOTE FOR I-MAC USERS WHO SUFFER FROM COMPUTER EYESTRAIN: The following is something I read in 'The flat-screen iMac for dummies', and it may or may not apply to other Mac computers, so check this for yourself. "Text on your iMac's screen generally looks extra smooth, as though everything you type has been professionally typeset. That's because the Mac OS-X slightly blurs the edges of every letter. But at smaller type sizes, some people feel that this text-smoothing business actually makes text less readable. If the smoothing bugs you... there's an option to turn it off for font size X (your choice) and smaller. You'll find this option in System Preferences, General." And you thought your eyes were causing the blur... it may just be that 'smooth' display! |
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| Dry Eyes | |||
| In Dr Bates' days (1920s) dry
eyes were not a problem, at least he never wrote about dry eyes at
all. This surprised me, considering how common it is nowadays;
just look at the variety of eye drops for sale to remedy all these dry
eyes! Of course contact lenses were not in use at that time, nor was laser surgery, and I guess they did not have airconditioning either. These three may be the biggest factors in causing dry eyes, especially if the blinking rate is below average. Before you try any eye drops, check if you are blinking regularly or if you tend to stare a lot. A return to regular relaxed blinking may be all that's required. You are probably not suffering from an eye-drop deficiency.... Ensure that you drink plenty of water, that you obtain enough essential fatty acids from your diet, and eliminate or reduce the intake of caffeine and alcohol (which dehydrate the body). Under air-conditioning or in heated rooms or cars, the eyes will want to blink even more to overcome the drying effect of the air. A good yawn here and there may help too! |
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| Floaters | |||
| Floaters are spots in the visual field that seem to
move around in the field of vision. Most people see some
floaters when looking at a uniformly bright surface, like a bright blue
sky or a sheet of white paper on which the sun shines.
According to Dr Bates, "this is because most people strain
when they look at [bright] surfaces of this kind. The specks are [only]
seen when the eyes and mind are under a strain, and they always
disappear when the strain is relieved. If one can remember a small
letter on the Snellen test card by central fixation, the specks will
immediately disappear, or cease to move; but if one tries to remember
two or more letters equally well at one time, they will reappear and
move." There are various other opinions on how floaters are caused, one of them is that there is debris floating in the vitreous humour (center of the eyeball) which throws shadows on the retina. This means general toxicity of the body is the problem, which may be solved by a cleanse in the form of a juice-fast or water-only fast. As for nutrition; floaters may be related to a deficiency in Beta Carotene, Vitamins C and E, Calcium, or Copper. To receive a booklet (15 standard size pages, in PDF format) with information on how Dr Bates used his methods in the treatment of floaters, please make a donation of US$10.00 or 8.00 to Visions of Joy. Please send a quick email also, and mention that you are ordering "The Bates Method View of Floating Specks" e-book. |
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| Glaucoma | |||
| Glaucoma is the name given to
various eye problems that lead to damage of the optic nerve, which
results in loss of vision. There are said to be a variety of
causes, amongst which are high intra-ocular pressure, high stress
levels, genetics, digestive problems, use of various drugs including
anti-depressants, and extreme nearsightedness or extreme
farsightedness. Such causes need to be addressed, obviously, and
therefore each case will require a different approach. For people
who wish to aid the healing process with natural methods, a variety of
treatments come up when searching this topic on the internet.
However, learning the Bates Method of relaxed seeing is often overlooked
as an option. This is perhaps understandable, as some vision
educators teach a series of eye exercises that do not necessarily induce
relaxation of the visual system. However, the Bates Method, when
practiced correctly, can help relieve pressures and has had case
histories of improving vision. The following quote comes from the December 1920 issue of Better Eyesight Magazine, and was written by Dr W.H. Bates: "One of the worst cases of glaucoma I ever met with came to me on Feb. 2, 1920. The patient was sixty years of age, and his vision in the right eye or better eye was only 20/100, with marked contraction of the field on the nasal side. In the left he had only light perception. The eyeballs felt as hard as the glass shell of an artificial eye, which, technically, is tension plus 3. The glaucomatous excavation of the optic nerve was so marked that it seemed as if the whole nerve had been pushed backward. The patient had been under treatment a long time, but had received no benefit. On March 2, after swinging and palming, the vision of the right eye was 20/20- while that of the left was 20/100 in the eccentric field. On March 4, the field of the left eye had improved, and by alternating the universal swing with palming he became able, for short periods, to read diamond type with the right eye at six inches. This was twelve days after he had begun the treatment. On March 7, he flashed 20/40 with the left eye, and by the aid of the universal swing read fine print at five inches with the right, while the field of both eyes was normal. For the first time in several years he became able to see the food on his plate. Previously he had had to be fed, which was very humiliating to him. He also became able to go about without an attendant, to attend to his correspondence at the office, and to read his letters without glasses. At this point he stopped the treatment against my advice, and I have not seen him since. He was greatly helped by the universal swing, which he practiced all day. The truth about glaucoma is that it is a functional neurosis caused by strain, and as such is curable. You can produce hardness in a normal eye by having the patient strain to see, and you can soften a glaucomatous eyeball by relief of strain. These changes are so rapid that no change in the contents of the eyeball could account for them. I therefore concluded, before I had any experimental evidence of the fact, that they were due to muscular action." To receive an e-book (26 standard size pages, in PDF format) with information on how Dr Bates used his methods in the treatment of glaucoma, please make a donation of US$15.00 or 12.00 to Visions of Joy. Please send a quick email also, and mention that you are ordering "The Bates Method View of Glaucoma" e-book See also: Cataract, glaucoma and other eye disorders; Prevention and cure with proven natural methods
a book from 1973 by John H Tobe. |
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| Keratoconus / Conical Cornea | |||
| When the front part of the
eyeball becomes conical in shape, it is called conical cornea or
keratoconus. This can be a very painful condition and can distort
vision greatly. It often begins as astigmatism or myopia before
progressing to conical cornea. In 1922 Dr Bates discovered that
the relaxation methods he used could drastically improve the condition,
with the variable swing found to be especially effective. The
wearing of glasses for even short periods of time would make the
condition worse again. To receive an e-book (23 standard size pages, in PDF format) with information on how Dr Bates used his methods in the treatment of conical cornea, please make a donation of US$12.00 or 10.00 to Visions of Joy. Please send a quick email also, and mention that you are ordering "The Bates Method View of Conical Cornea" e-book |
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| Light - Full spectrum / sunlight | |||
| Sunlight is perhaps the most important
nutrient for our eyes. John Ott made some amazing discoveries years ago,
about how plants will not grow healthy if part of the full spectrum of
light is missing. He tested his theories on animals and the results showed
a variety of adverse health reactions in different types of artificial
light. He concluded that it wasn't the artificial light itself that was
harmful, but the lack of the rest of the light spectrum caused
health problems. When he replaced the artificial lamps with full spectrum
lamps, healing took place. He then brought full spectrum lamps into classrooms
and observed hyperactive children become eager students. Natural sunlight taken in through our eyes and skin helps us stay healthy, it helps keep a bunch of health problems at bay. Glass filters out part of the full spectrum of sunlight. We can get natural sunlight into our eyes by simply being outdoors without glasses or contacts, there is no need to look directly into the sun at all. If you can't yet walk around without glasses, at least take them off while you sit outside in the sun. For more information on full spectrum light, read this interesting article on mercola.com. And here is a page explaining the effect of sunlight on eyes, which does away with the myth of Galileo going blind from observing the sun. |
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| Light - Sensitivity to bright light | |||
| John Ott recounts in Health
and Light an interesting experiment. The researcher fitted a person
with one UV-blocking and one UV-transmitting lens. Indoors, the pupils
of the person's two eyes appeared the same. Outdoors, "under
natural sunlight, there was a marked difference. The pupil covered with
the ultraviolet transmitting lens was considerably smaller. This would
seem to indicate that the photoreceptor mechanism that controls the
opening and closing of the iris responds to ultraviolet wavelengths as
well as visible light." Ott then continues, "When the
ultraviolet wavelengths are blocked from entering the eye, the pupil
remains larger than it would normally be and the visible part of the
spectrum would then seem brighter. This could explain why some people
feel a greater need for dark glasses." Most contact lenses are made of UV blocking plastic. Contact lens wearers are therefore likely to want to wear sunglasses. I'm told that O2 Optix makes disposable contacts without UV protection called 'focus daily', so if you do need to wear contacts, it may be worth switching to those until you can get back to clear vision naturally. Glass blocks UV, so even standard glasses should be taken off outdoors for some 'UV breaks'. From personal experience I've concluded that sunglasses do more harm than good. Whether they are made of glass or plastic, they trick the pupils into staying open wider than they should, which can cause eyestrain, and they create increased light sensitivity by dulling the pupil contraction response.
A cautionary note: a healthy diet and lifestyle play a major role in our
ability to deal with bright sunlight. Skin and eyes need to be well hydrated
and well nourished to function correctly. A diet high in junk
foods, fats, sugars, artificial ingredients and pesticides may cause major health
challenges including skin and vision problems.
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| Macular Degeneration (Wet / Dry / Diabetic Related / Age Related = ARMD) | |||
| The macula is a small circular area in the
center of the retina, it includes the fovea centralis, which gives us
our central and sharpest vision (see Central
Fixation). Macular degeneration means losing that central vision;
it causes seeing a black spot in the center and a dependency on peripheral
vision instead. It occurs more frequently after age 65. The vast majority of cases are slow-progressing (dry/nonexudative), while less than 10 percent are fast-progressing (wet/exudative). It mostly results from our lifestyle - poor diet (especially too much saturated fats), lack of exercise, poor breathing habits, and an inability to cope with stress. A 2005 study showed that smoking nearly triples the risk of ARMD. Read article about this. The Bates Method is known mostly for its effectiveness in overcoming functional vision problems, yet even many diseases of the eye have been relieved by it. For example, Dr Bates describes the following case in Better Eyesight Magazine of February 1930: "A woman from Washington came for treatment of disease and blindness of the central part of the right eye. The left eye was nearly normal, with good vision. She had been told that the right eye was inflamed to such an extent that it was probable that it would require a long time, many months, before the symptoms were relieved. When she moved her head and eyes a short distance from side to side, the test card five feet away and other stationary objects appeared to move in the opposite direction. But when her right eye moved to the left while her head was moved in the opposite direction, pain and imperfect sight were produced. The sway was practiced daily and in a few weeks her vision became normal in both eyes." The Bates Method is so effective at relieving strain and relaxing the visual system, that many eye diseases are greatly helped by it because circulation returns to normal when the muscles relax. In addition, I believe a good nutritional approach will be of great benefit, as well as a general healthy lifestyle and addressing any breathing challenges. The following is a case study of a man, age 56, who suffered from diabetic related macular degeneration. Laser surgery was recommended by his eye doctor. This man had diabetes for seven years when he began a healthy nutritional program recommended by Dr Joel Fuhrman, MD. After following Dr Fuhrman's dietary protocol for diabetes for six months, he lost sixty pounds, and was able to stop all his diabetic medications within the first month. By month three, his blood sugars had remained below 90 and he now is essentially without diabetes. At the following eye check with his ophthalmologist, all signs of degeneration to his eye had reversed themselves. His ophthalmologist was astounded and he canceled the scheduled laser eye surgery. He had never witnessed a case where reversal of the eye pathology occurred. Nutritional excellence combined with regular exercises is more powerful than medication at treating and protecting diabetic patients. (Copied from Health Science magazine, Summer 2005 issue, with permission from Dr Fuhrman.) For another example of overcoming macular degeneration naturally, please visit the website of Ray Amsterdam. His site presents a very detailed Case Study of his recovery through Ayurveda - subsequent to being told 'there is no treatment available to restore vision. The site includes full clinical data, a discussion section, and treatment contact details. |
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| Presbyopia | |||
| The word presbyopia is derived from Latin,
it means "old eyes". Some signs of presbyopia include the
tendency to hold reading materials at arm's length, blurred vision at
normal reading distance, and eye fatigue along with headaches when
doing close work. According to Dr Bates, the true cause of
presbyopia is a strain or an effort to see at the near point, or trying
to concentrate too long (which is a stare of sorts).
To cure presbyopia, Dr Bates recommended: For a complete overview of the
Bates Method for presbyopia, you
may order an e-book (49 standard size pages, in PDF format) with information on how
Dr Bates used his methods in the treatment of presbyopia. |
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| Stye on eyelid | |||
| A stye looks like a red bump on the eyelid.
Use towels to alternately apply hot and cold water to the
affected eye to stimulate circulation. A small amount of salt can
be added to the water. Make sure the temperature of the hot towel
is bearable, not burning the eyelid, and keep that hot towel on the stye
for about 30 seconds. Then briefly (a few seconds) apply a towel
dipped in cold water or ice. Alternate between the hot and cold 5
to 10 times. Gentle massage of the area (stimulating circulation
by pressure) may also be useful. A stye can be caused by a
turned-in hair from the eyelashes, in which case that hair will need to
be removed. |
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