The theory that eyeglasses are not the best solution for helping your vision has been around since the late 1800s. Eye exercises have a much longer history. Ancient and modern practices alike offer solutions to ease tired eyes. Advocates say that with persistence and regular practice, you can radically improve your vision and even eliminate your need for eyeglasses. Eye exercises are not a replacement for conventional medical care.
Types
Traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, includes eye exercise movements and acupressure point massage that Chinese children learn in school to help keep their eyesight sharp after a day spent studying, according to Tina Chunna Zhang, internal martial arts champion, qigong master and author of "Earth Qi Gong for Women." In the West, most eye exercises are based on the Bates Method. In the late 1800s, Dr. William Bates, an opthamologist practicing in New York State, noted that some people's eyesight improved spontaneously. In the course of his attempts to discover why, Dr. Bates created his series of eye exercises.
Causes of Poor Vision
Bates believed that bad vision arose from strain, which is engendered by modern environmental and cultural conditions. In addition to general stressors like pollution and poor light, the modern urban environment aggravates eyes by not providing broad vistas that allow you to stretch your field of vision, according to Meir Schneider, founder of the Movement for Self-Healing technique and author of "Movement for Self-Healing." Schneider, who was legally blind, used exercises based on the Bates Method and recovered his eyesight.
Theory
Bates based his method of eye exercise on the idea that glasses offer only a quick fix for nearsightedness or farsightedness. Noting that glasses do not correct the underlying condition, and indeed, that many people who wear glasses suffer from gradual deterioration of their vision, Bates sought to teach people to use their eyes correctly and naturally. The hallmark of the Bates method is relaxation. Learning how to relax allows the eyes to work in a balanced manner, harmonizing them with the parts of the brain that interpret what you see. Bates method exercises allow the visual system to eventually achieve a state of balance, according to the website Seeing, the online home of the Bates Association.
Techniques
The Bates method includes several key techniques, many of which are similar to exercises of ancient yogis and Chinese sages, notes Cybele Tomlinson, a yoga teacher in Berkeley, California, writing on the Yoga Journal website. In palming, you cover your eyes lightly with the palms of your hands and visualize the color black in order to rest your vision. Massage involves warming your hands by rubbing them together, then lightly rubbing the brows and the upper face. Other methods include blinking quickly and lightly, and shifting, in which you switch the focus of your vision quickly from one detail to another, always in a relaxed fashion.
Controversy
Bates exercises are not appropriate for every kind of eye problem, argues Ian Grierson, professor of opthamology at the University of Liverpool and author of "The Eye Book: Eyes and Eye Problems Explained." In particular, children who squint might require interventions like glasses, an eyepatch or surgery if they are to avoid developing double vision or amblyopia, a condition in which the brain learns to suppress sight in the weaker eye. According to conventional opthamological wisdom, visual weaknesses like long- and short-sightedness are almost entirely genetic, and therefore can neither be increased or decreased by exercise or glasses.
References
- "Earth Qi Gong for Women"; Tina Chunna Zhang; 2008
- "Movement for Self-Healing: An Essential Resource for Anyone Seeking Wellness"; Meir Schneider; 2004
- Seeing: The Bates Method: How Does the Method Work?
- Yoga Journal: 20/20 Vision Quest
- "The Eye Book: Eyes and Eye Problems Explained"; Ian Grierson; 2000
