In the early 1900s, Dr. William Bates was a prominent New York eye surgeon. He left his position as a hospital ophthalmology instructor when he became increasingly despondent with standard hospital practices, because he found many conventional treatments to be conflicting with his own hands-on experiences. He pursued his experimental ideas and devised a series of exercises to help improve vision without prescribing glasses. In 1920, he published a book titled "Perfect Sight Without Glasses."
Swinging
The swinging method involves choosing two different points of an object to focus on. Take a card, and draw on it the letter "N." Shift your gaze from the highest point of the letter to the lowermost point, and swiftly back to the highest point. As you continue to shift your gaze, you will possibly notice that the letter begins to fluctuate, or it may appear to swing up. This may take a little practice, however, if after two or three sessions you cannot see the letter moving, this is a sign of eye strain.
Color Focusing
To color focus, when you begin the day chose a color. As you go through your day, focus on objects of your chosen color. The idea is not to focus on the shape or form of the object, but rather solely on the color. Each day chose a new color to focus on. This simple game can help improve your vision.
Palming
Palming was a method devised by Dr. Bates to improve relaxation, decrease eye strain and improve the eyesight in general. To palm, you need to sit or lie in a relaxed position, and cover your eyes with the palms of your hands. Cross your fingers on your forehead, and for optimal effects, do not apply pressure to your eyes or the surrounding areas. Adjust your fingers so light cannot filter through. When you have blocked out the maximum amount of light possible, close your eyes.
Because your eyes are closed, and there is no light present to stimulate the optic nerve, you would expect to see an expanse of pure black darkness, however, this is rarely what will be seen. You are more likely to experience an imperfect blackness, or a kaleidoscope of various colors and shapes.
According to Dr. Bates, the condition of your eyesight will depend on the colors and shapes you see; the better your eyes, the more "perfect black" will appear in your imagination. If you see many colors, your eyesight has deteriorated, or you have another condition that needs addressing.
With practice, after focusing on a tiny area of sheer blackness to begin with, many patients are able to achieve a perfect black, or an almost perfect black. This indicates true relaxation has been accomplished, and any eyesight deterioration will have improved.
When starting out, practice palming for 10 minutes, twice a day. Gradually increase your daily allotted palming time to a schedule that is comfortable for you.
