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Bates methodBrief introductionThe Bates method is a system of natural vision improvement invented by William H. Bates, M. D. in the early part of this century. From his observations of patients who wear glasses, he came to a few conclusions. Eyesight can change, for either the better or the worse. Poor eyesight is caused by the strain to see. The way to better eyesight is through relaxation of both mind and body. Below, I shall detail the principal exercises of the Bates method. Practise them and you will be doing yourself a big favour. Scientific validityDespite its long history (and critics over the decades), no one has yet proven nor disproven the Bates method. To the best of my knowledge, there has been no long-term clinical trials on the Bates method. It may all sound very unsubstantiated and "alternative", but there has been thousands of anecdotal accounts of success. We must explore every possible weapon in the fight against the epidemic that is myopia. If there is a vision scientist or psychologist out there reading this, please propose a clinical study of the Bates method. The possible benefits are too big for us to ignore.
Ready to learn about the Bates method? Just go to one of the 5 main techniques listed below: Palming | Centralisation | Sunning | Swinging | Test card practice PalmingBackground and rationale"Palming" was originally a yoga technique. After Bates noticed its beneficial effects on the visual system, he "borrowed" it and incorporated into his system of vision improvement. Palming works by calming the visual system. Our eyes see by receiving light signals. If there were no light entering the eyes, one should expect to see nothing. Instead, in eyes with defective eyesight, there appears swirling patches of colours, creating pictures where there should be none. This is a symptom of the eyestrain causing defective vision. The act of palming makes people aware of the strain. The warmth from the hands helps relaxes the tense eyeballs. Some people claim to be able to the "inner energy" or "chi" emanating from the palms. I think we can safely dismiss those claims. How to doPlace your palms over your closed eyes, letting the fingers cross over at the forehead. Slightly cup your palms such that you are not pressingon the eyeballs. Feel the warmth of the hands radiate and diffuse gently into your eyeballs. Think of the most peaceful scene that you can imagine. Relax... A few things to note
The most important thing is to relax. Of course, one can't try to relax. The harder you try, the more tense you become. The trick is to imagine pleasant scenery such as floating clouds in a blue sky, a peaceful sunrise at the top of the mountains. Advantages of palming
Physical and mental relaxationAt the beginning, you may see swirling colours or grey patches. As you relax, you will notice the visual field becoming blacker and blacker. This is a sign that both your mind and body have relaxed, and your visual system is working harmoniously. Once you are able to achieve perfect blackness, clarity returns. Relieves eye strainDo it as often as you can, whenever you feel that your eyes are tired. Palming helps a lot in refreshing bleary eyes. Promote visual imageryWhile you are palming, you can visualise anything, as long as it doesn't cause stress. For example, you can visualise your plans for the today when you are lying in bed. Make the images as vivid and real as possible. Feel yourself getting drawn into the images that you conjure up in your mind. This use of visual imagery activates your right-hemisphere and may increase creativity and promote imagination. ( By the way, a left-right dichotomy of the brain is too simplistic as there are many overlapping areas of functions i.e. the left can take over for the right and vice-versa. )
Palming | Centralisation | Sunning | Swinging | Test card practice CentralisationThis is an exercise to promote correct use of the eye. More accurately, it should be named "vision habit" for the simple reason that you do this "exercise" throughout the day, not just during the session. According to the structure of the eye, there is a small point known as the fovea centralis. This is where vision is sharpest: in the middle of the visual field straight in front of you. By centralisation, one should focus one's visual attention at a single point in front of you. When looking at an object for example, look at it part by part; bit by bit. Trying to see the entire scene clearly simultaneously is going beyond the limitations of the physical eye, thus creating strain, which is suposedly the root cause of bad eyesight.
Focus at a single "eye", seeing only that one very clear and bright. Let all the other "eyes" become dull and soft. Move your gaze gently around the bright shining "eye". When you have accomplished this, focus on a different "eye". Now, this will become bright and colourful while others become dull (including the first eye you looked at initially). Have you tried the
exercise? The experience of seeing only the central part of the visual
field clearly is called "centralisation". Apply what you have learnt
here to all waking hours. Make it a habit and encourage correct use
of the eyes: an important part of vision improvement.
Palming | Centralisation | Sunning | Swinging | Test card practice RationaleThe Sun is important for our health. Sunshine enables us to manufacture the Vitamin D that we need. Eyes that have been deprived of sunshine are pale and lifeless. Extreme sensitivity to sunshine is called photophobia. People who are sensitive to light and glare usually solve their problem by wearing sunglasses. But is that a long-term solution or just a stop-gap measure? Sunglasses prevent our eyes from getting adequate sunlight and causes even greater light sensitivity. The more we wear them, the more we are sensitive to light. Hence a vicious cycle develops. Benefits of sunningBates recommend that we sun our eyes. We can reduce our sensitivity to light and sharpen our eyesight. Many people have reported that their vision improve after sunning. If you are worried about the effects of ultraviolet radiation causing skin cancer or cataracts, you don't have to worry if you go by the following guidelines:
How to doClose your eyes and face the sun directly. Slowly move your head left and right to let the sunshine reach every part of your retina. Notice the sun moving in the opposite direction. Breathe deeply and slowly. After this, you can do a variation. Imagine that your eyes shoot laser beams. Using your "eye lasers", trace around the edge of the sun. First do in a clockwise direction, then change direction. After sunning, finish up the session by palming for about 2 minutes. RationaleBates postulated that one of the main culprits of bad eyesight is rigidity of the eyes. Staring is harmful for the eyes. The eye usually vibrates very quickly. This allows images formed on the retina of the eye to be sustained. If the retina is made motionless, either by injection of drugs or hard staring (try it for yourself if you are not convinced) , then visual images will fade and you will see an empty grey field instead. To break this habit of rigid staring, Bates used the technique of swinging to make the eyes mobile once again. There are a few variations of swinging:
In both techniques, the aim is the same. Try out the long swing to experience the feeling. Then you will understand. How to doStand wth your feet shoulder-width apart. Face the front and do not move the head nor the eyes throughout the exercise. Gently swing your entire body towards the left, lifting your right heel as you do so. Once you have turned 90 degrees, stop. Did you notice that the room seems to be moving? As you move left, it appears to swing in the opposite direction, in this case right. Now, gently swing towards the right, this time lifting the left heel but still keeping the foot on the ground. Stop once you turn 90 degrees. I know this can be a bit confusing (get your lefts and rights sorted out first!), but this is definitely worth the trouble to learn. Benefits
The swinging motion in the long swing loosens up the spine. The spine can store a lot of stress and tension after a hard day's work at the office. Do the long swing to un-creak those bones! But the main benefit comes from seeing the scenery move in the opposite direction. If you don't do it correctly, the view will appear to swing in the same direction! Properly done, this will encourage relaxation of the eye, enabling to vibrate in a smooth and relaxed fashion.
Tip for doing the swingDo not glaze your eyes nor look hard at the surroundings while doing the swing. Instead feel the illusion of the swing, let the world pass you by. When I first started doing the swing, I made the error of glazing my eyes, and focussed on nothing. I first realised this when I noticed double images during the swing, which meant that I was unconsciously crossing my eyes. So, do take note of this! Palming | Centralisation | Sunning | Swinging | Test card practice Testcard practice
RationaleOne of William Bates' recommendations was to let school-children practise reading eye charts every morning. He discovered that practice does make perfect. In one of his experiments, he discovered that practising reading eye charts improved children's eyesight. Some critics have pointed out that due to the "learning effect", people may have simply memorised each letter. However, it is not a matter of memorising the chart, as a different one was used during each eyesight examination. Bates concluded that the stress of the eyesight examination had a detrimental effect on one's vision. Through constant practice, one will get used to the testing procedure and approach the eye-test in a worry-free fashion. How to doGet yourself a small eyechart, preferably on a cardboard base. Look at a letter that you can see clearly. Go around the edges of the letter, slowly tracing the outline. Close your eyes and visualise the black letter for about 10 seconds. After that, repeat with other letters. Breathe slowly and deeply all the while. Finish up the eye exercise with a palming session. After regular practice, you will notice that the letters seem clearer and blacker. Yet some others have said this is due to the phenomenon of "blur interpretation". Any improvement in clarity is simply due to our own imagination. Well, try it out for yourself and draw your own conclusions.
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