30 Day Trial - Eye Exercises

[Elfwing]

I've been short sighted ever since I was about ten or eleven. When I was five years old my best friend had glasses and I thought it would be cool to have some too. Oh man, I was wrong.

My first memory of actually being myopic was being in a shopping center with my parents when I realised I couldn't read a sign about... thirty or forty metres away, perhaps? I remember Dad kneeling beside me and talking to me about it as we stared at that blurry sign. A few months after, I got my first pair of glasses.

My vision deteriorated very rapidly after that. I remember needing a new pair as soon as six weeks after getting new lenses. My parents were very annoyed by this and would wait it out, forcing me to squint at the blackboard - even while sitting in the front row of the class - until I'd get a new pair, three or four months after last having visited the eye doc's, and having a few blessed weeks of clear vision again.

It slowed down as I got older, until finally it stabilised when I got my last prescription renewed at the beginning of 2009, in preparation for a trip. For a year my vision didn't change at all, until I discovered a theory that myopia is caused by lots of near-focusing work - schoolwork, reading, etc - and that it's actually not genetic. Which would make sense, because my parents - both short sighted - are avid readers and I was one heck of a bookworm growing up.

Only, I didn't manage the eye strain and only half heartedly did the focusing exercises. I found out later that eye strain can make your vision worse - which it did. I'm in need of a new pair of glasses.

This time, however, because I need new glasses I've decided I don't really have anything to lose if the theory is wrong, or I stuff up the eye strain exercises and make my vision worse again. Because, well, whether it improves or not I'm going to need new glasses anyway, so I may as well do it now.

For thirty consecutive days I'm going to make a commitment towards doing each exercise. According to the web site I visited ( Eye Exercises, Improve Your Eyesight | Power Vision Program ), I only need to do each exercise for between 1.5 minutes and 3 mins each day depending on the exercise. There are some exercises for eye strain there, too. The site has a free .pdf and audio files, and quite a few exercises to follow.

One thing I see as an obstacle, though - the .pdf I read recommends ditching your glasses as much as possible, or at least using a lower prescription. However I do work on the computer all day, and the only other pair of glasses I have are too low a prescription to read the words on the screen without really straining my eyes (probably a major part of the reason my eyes got worse after the last attempt, too - I didn't take enough breaks to rest my eyes, either). So progress, if there's any, will be slow.

According to the testimonials I saw, progress can be seen within a few weeks. I'm taking them with a grain of salt either way, because this kind of thing seems too good to be true anyway - I'm just trying it because there's no reason, really, not to. Either way, I'll report how it goes. I'll be observant and keep my eyes peeled for any improvement, real or imagined. I doubt the 30 day trial might be enough to see any difference, so at the end of it I will probably extend it.

Until then, I'm posting this because I struggle with self discipline, meep! Knowing people are following along, if they do, will help me keep going.

Wish me luck.

[Elfwing]

Day 1:

Today I was watching the Tour de France with my parents. Last year I could see the TV perfectly well - I rarely watch TV - but this year I realised how difficult it was to see what was going on and thought I may as well give this a try again.

I did each exercise in the "Power Module", the core which focuses on focusing and improving nutrient flow into the eyes. After doing "Squeezing" my eyes felt rejuvenated - for the last five years or so I've had a lot of problems with dry eyes, especially because of a lot of my computer use, so that helps. I also did "Palming" at the end of it to relax my eyes.

I put my timer on for an hour, and at the end of each hour I'm going to take a break to do some focusing, squeezing and palming, as an attempt to compensate for all that computer usage. I'm definitely not going to wear my glasses away from it, however, except when watching TV.

So day one's going okay so far, but the early days are always the easiest, yes?

[InterfaceLeader]

I'll be following this trial with interest - my own eyesight is terrible, and I'm sure it will be worse again when I go to the opticians on Thursday. I've had one person tell me she fixed quite extreme short-sightedness by these kind of eye exercises (while she was driving without glasses too!) so you never know.

I was a bookworm growing up too, and now I work on computers all day

[Elfwing]

Really? That's great to hear! I've been looking up accounts of people who seemed to have healed their eyes, and yet each time it seemed like the person was either selling something or was some anon online, and I didn't find that very reliable. I'm glad to hear that somebody actually knows somebody else who's had success.

My short sightedness is very severe, too - not as bad as my brother's or father's, but enough that if I hold something half a foot away from my face it blurs. I feel blind whenever my glasses aren't on.

Haven't done day 2 yet - I forgot to actually take off my glasses when playing with my ferrets, d'oh! But yesterday I did notice that sometimes, when holding my watch about a foot and a bit away from my face, that the "12" would go in and out of focus sometimes. At one point it was actually very clear. I wouldn't say it's success, but probably a natural fluke of focusing that I haven't ever noticed before. Still, it's promising, because at least it seems to imply that sight isn't fixed.

[ginkgo]

What is the total time investment for this daily. I read about one where you had to take 2 hours daily to exerise your eyes.

[Elfwing]

The exercises I follow take 21 minutes each day. But if you're really dedicated and do numerous exercises each day, I wouldn't be surprised if it reached two hours. However I think that if you do 21 minutes each day, it may take longer, but it would be more convenient in the short term. For one thing, I certainly don't have the attention span to do it for 2 hours straight and given how weird my eyes feel after 21 minutes, I think it might make things worse if I do that. (But I'm not a doc, I'm just going by an estimate here.)

Day 2:

Done day 2's exercise just now. I found myself squeezing my eyes a lot out of habit which I think is a good thing!

Some things I've noticed - it may just be me, but the 12 on my watch seems to be clearer today? Could just be wishful thinking, but I thought I'd make a note of it. If I am right, it'll show for sure in a few days anyway.

I haaaate conducting, but I'm doing it!

Today I followed what the .pdf actually recommended. Yesterday I misread and just went through the list of exercises, but today I noticed that the list which includes the time taken for each exercise was ordered differently, and saw that in fact some exercises must be repeated. So today I actually did it properly!

I'm really unsure about what to do about my glasses when I'm at the computer. For two days in a row now, my glasses ache my eyes when I put them on and look at the comp unless I turn my head and focus on a distance - could it be that for a few minutes, they're a little too strong for me? It's counterproductive to continue to wear them, but I *hope* that I'd be able to change my eyes enough to wear my old ones, but they're so old - I haven't worn them since I was twelve - that I'd have to lean right close to the computer or whatever I'm doing - reading, drawing - to be able to see, and between making this experiment go nowhere and doing my back in leaning way too close to the compuer, I'd choose the former.

But I just remembered I DO have another pair of glasses - the last ones I had just before my eyes stabilised temporarily. I just don't know where they are. So I'm going to hunt for them and they should be okay with the computer.

I felt a bit cross-eyed after today's exercises, but palming fixed that.

[Lamusa]

Do a google search on Pinhole glasses. They take a little getting used to but they help your eyes focus and they are good for when you are using the computer. I only use them at home, though.

I've tried eye exercises on and off and I'v definitely seen some good results but then I fall back into my old habits again and "forget" to do the exercises. I find that sometimes when I am upset that I don't see as well as I do when I feel okay. But it certainly is possible to really heal your eyes. I remember waking up some time ago startled at how clear I could see and for how long it lingered. the clarity comes and goes but I notice that it lasts a little bit longer at times. Good luck with your trial!

[newmark]

Originally Posted by Elfwing

The site has a free .pdf and audio files, and quite a few exercises to follow.

Where is the free pdf? I can't see it anywhere.

[Elfwing]

I just looked at the site again - it looks they charge for it now. I got it a few months ago when it was free.

[Elfwing]

Day 3:

Almost forgot to do them due to a mix of sleep deprivation and plain forgetting.

I still haaaate conducting. It's when I hold an object (my watch) at arm's length and wave it around, following it with my eyes.

I noticed today that the numbers on my watch have been clearer because of the liquid in my eyes after squeezing my eyes - blinking usually makes the 12 blur again.

I do have something interesting to report, though - since today's exercises, I've been getting headaches wearing my glasses at the comp! O_O That has to say something, surely? I've never had that happen before. Taking my glasses off and/or palming gets rid of the headaches, until I put them on and start reading again.

I really, REALLY need to find that '08 pair, because that old pair I do have aren't good enough to use at the comp. Aargh!

[TimDineen]

Are you still continuing with this? I have poor eyesight as well and I'm extremely interested to see if you are able to get some significant change out of this.

[Elfwing]

I'm definitely continuing, but I've missed two days. Let's just say that self discipline is not my forté. I'm actually quite proud of myself for doing today's even though I didn't feel like it.

Day 6:

Skipping two days is going to have a poor effect on the results - that is, IF I get results - but if I'm going to improve my vision I need as many days as possible. As I said, self discipline isn't a strength of mine, but I'm trying.

In any case, I changed something today - there are a couple of exercises where it's recommended you focus on a distant object and try to make out a detail, like a tree or a building - so I used a pillow across the room. Only, I'm half blind and can't make out any details aside from colour differences, and at some point in the PDF it actually recommends, you know, using something in which you can see a detail even if it's faint.

So instead of using a pillow across the room for the distant focusing exercises, I'm using a water bottle on my desk. It's making it easier. I'm doing it for conducting, as well, which I still dislike but isn't so annoying now I'm getting used to it.

The headaches went away on day four - I'm not entirely sure it IS eyestrain. Because the headaches came back as soon as I started chewing gum again on day four and stopped when I spat it out, but later that afternoon I was able to chew some just fine. (I like my gum!) So I'm a bit puzzled there.

My eyes settled over those two days but feel weird to look at the comp again now I've done some more again.

No luck finding my old pair. D'oh.

A real problem I'm starting to see is that when I'm doing the exercises, I zone out a bit. I have a very short attention span, so I'm deliberately concentrating. I'm not always successful, but it's something I hope I'll get better at over the trial.

Again, the 2 on my watch today - well. It didn't get clear, but I could see details I couldn't before, little flashes of semi-clarity. Still too early to know what this really means.

I keep squeezing, too, which stimulates the tear ducts - if my eyes are moist and I get into the habit of squeezing often, that has to improve my eyesight if only for the fact that a film of moisture makes a subtle difference.

There it is for today. Let's see if I can manage to do another three days in a row, then I'll stretch that goal on for longer. I need to work on this self discipline thing. I almost gave up, but I can't get better at discipline if I give up, can I? It helps knowing there are other short sighted people following this, too. Accountability can be awesome, even if I hate it when I'm lazy.

[InterfaceLeader]

Interestingly, after my eye test on Thursday, I've found out my prescription has improved slightly It does go both ways!

Keep it up - just imagine how awesome having decent eye-sight would be!

[betlamed]

As for free exercises, I found this. I think I'll give it a try in the future. Maybe we could also amend the info there to include even more and better exercises - it's a free wiki, after all.

[AaronB]

I'm currently in the process of eliminating myopia in my vision. I used to need -3 to correct my vision, now I wear -1.5 with the same clarity. I used a process of gradual lens reduction because I was and still am way to damn lazy to do eye exercises. Along with my vision changes I noticed a personality change as well. Myopia is a way of dealing with reality, it's a mental construct imposed on vision. As we change the mental approach, vision responds instantly. I have also noticed many mornings where I will wake up and have perfect vision, but it usually only lasts up to an hour, then I will need glasses again.

I'm enjoying reading the two articles on nearsightedness here:

Healthy and Natural Help for Nearsightedness/Astigmatism | Beyond 20 / 20 Vision

I have decided that I will see with perfect vision without glasses. Once I decide something it always occurs in my reality. I like this forum because anything I say here I feel extra accountable to not blow off. The difficulty with myopia is that it requires a different way of perceiving the world. You can't take a myopic mindset and teach it to see without glasses. That's why people with multiple personalities require different prescriptions depending on what personality is currently being expressed. The good news is that if you change your mental processes the vision changes automatically, no exercises necessary.

[JamesKnochel]

About 5 years ago I started up with a new doctor who does a lot of hands-on work. After 2 or 3 appointments I noticed a testimonial letter in his waiting room about the unique approach to vision that the doctor uses.

When my appointment came I mentioned that I was wearing contact lenses. "Really? Let's see if they're right for you." He got behind me, directed me to close my eyes, and placed his hands on my temples. When he had located the bone that the eye muscles attach to, he told me to open my eyes. His response was instantaneous: "Oh my, these are totally wrong for you! We'll have to fix this too..."

If a person wears a prescription that their body doesn't like because it's too strong or too weak, it will strain the eye muscles in an attempt to change to level of focus. This strain can be felt by a person with sensitive hands.

As others have mentioned in this thread, the mental body has a lot to do with our perception of the world. My brother & I got our first set of glasses at the same time. The good doctor observed, "What was happening in your life that you didn't want to see?"

There's more, but you'll have to send me a private message.

-James