Yesterday I had the most prominent flash of improved vision in my practice. It just blown my mind away, although I don't usually get excited at the flashes anymore. This one was crisp 20/20 and lasted very long, about 10-15 min. I could do anything (or do nothing) and it didn't go away. I thought I was actually cured until it faded away.
It was not equal in both eyes, but I believe if I stayed like this for a longer time, both eyes would sink to the equal relaxation. Also, there was a little double-image appearing and disappearing, but not making the entire image blurred. I didn't feel like my eyes suddenly relieved from muscular tension - this usually happens before the flash and is obviously due to a cruder level of strain. During the flash my eyes just felt perfectly comfortable, like they should be. No tears, stitching etc.
I have saved the relaxed and comfortable state of the mind that accompanied the flash. It reminded me of my childhood in a way, when I had perfect sight. I can now remember this state to help bring myself back to relaxation.
It looks like I have finally detected what exactly makes me relax and strain and so I can now just keep practicing without doubts. My flashes of improved vision have become oftener and deeper recently.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Psychoanalysis and Bates Method
In context of curing imperfect eyesight, I've found that it's not productive to try to analyze the subconscious and psychological issues that originally caused the strain to build up. It's just the upside-down way. First you should find the way to relax and only then you may discover the cause, but not in reverse order. The ways people strain are countless and knowing the original cause far ago in your childhood will hardly help you cure yourself now, but will more likely divert your attention from the real practice to things that no longer matter.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The Eye Muscles
Forget about the eye muscles. The problem is entirely in the mind. Beside the muscles receiving wrong control impulses from the mind and forcing the eye out of focus, there are also the illusions of imperfect sight, which are the largest defect of imperfect sight, and they are not connected with any muscles, only with the mental strain. As soon as you regain good mental control, the muscles will also be OK, no need to worry about them.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Procedures and Balancers - A Classification of Bates Techniques
I'd split all Bates techniques in two groups: "procedures" and "balancers".
The procedures are routines you do from time to time, several times a day. They are like first aid when you find yourself back in strain, and their aim is to bring you back into a more relaxed state, the best you can get at the moment. Procedures are: palming, sun treatment, sway (also known as long swing) and playing with the Snellen test card.
The balancers are the little tricks you keep doing all the time, when you are more or less relaxed, to prevent building strain and deepen the relaxation further more. Their aim is to dodge your mind and distract it from trying to control the eyes. Balancers are: noticing things moving, shifting, central fixation, remembering black period, imagining things seen clearly, breathing, blinking softly.
Start with the procedures and then proceed to the balancers.
The procedures are routines you do from time to time, several times a day. They are like first aid when you find yourself back in strain, and their aim is to bring you back into a more relaxed state, the best you can get at the moment. Procedures are: palming, sun treatment, sway (also known as long swing) and playing with the Snellen test card.
The balancers are the little tricks you keep doing all the time, when you are more or less relaxed, to prevent building strain and deepen the relaxation further more. Their aim is to dodge your mind and distract it from trying to control the eyes. Balancers are: noticing things moving, shifting, central fixation, remembering black period, imagining things seen clearly, breathing, blinking softly.
Start with the procedures and then proceed to the balancers.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Central Fixation Is Simple
I'm finding recently that I've used to over-complicate my understanding of central fixation, and it should be taken more literally. At the beginning of Chapter XI of his book, Dr. Bates gives quite a mundane explanation, namely, there are more cells and they are tighter packed closer to the central pit of the retina. It means simply less resolution and less brightness on the periphery. That's how to "notice the objects not directly regarded as seen worse". No need to introduce the ambiguous "less attention" thing.
The mind, of course, compensates for this effect, so that people with normal sight think they see the entire field equally well and bright, but when their attention is called to it, they become aware of their central fixation. My wife has got perfect sight, and when I asked her it she admits that she cannot see the neighbor letters on the Shellen card in equal detail and blackness, she answered: "Actually, I can't see them at all." It left me wondering about how something that a woman with normal sight would call "can't see at all" can be permanently used by me as my only way of seeing...
Another important thing I've been ignoring about central fixation is that it first should be practiced on a distance where I see best. It's a vain idea (though maybe more tempting) to start practicing first on distant objects, that are already seen poorly. I just can't see the difference between the objects directly regarded and not directly regarded, or the distance between them should become ridiculously large.
And central fixation is all about noticing the difference!
The mind, of course, compensates for this effect, so that people with normal sight think they see the entire field equally well and bright, but when their attention is called to it, they become aware of their central fixation. My wife has got perfect sight, and when I asked her it she admits that she cannot see the neighbor letters on the Shellen card in equal detail and blackness, she answered: "Actually, I can't see them at all." It left me wondering about how something that a woman with normal sight would call "can't see at all" can be permanently used by me as my only way of seeing...
Another important thing I've been ignoring about central fixation is that it first should be practiced on a distance where I see best. It's a vain idea (though maybe more tempting) to start practicing first on distant objects, that are already seen poorly. I just can't see the difference between the objects directly regarded and not directly regarded, or the distance between them should become ridiculously large.
And central fixation is all about noticing the difference!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
My Indoor Sun
Two weeks ago I bought a brilliant lamp for sun treatment indoors. Luckily, I no longer depend on the weather, which in winter is overcast 90% of time.
As Rishi advised, I chose a metal-halide (Hg-I) high intensity gas discharge bulb, OSRAM PowerBall HCI-T (see the specs), 150W, NDL (neutral day light), with good, even, white spectrum. The luminous intensity of this class of bulbs is about 10 times greater than that of the conventional halogen bulbs, not to mention the old incandescent bulbs. So, my 150W bulb shines like a 1500W halogen and it really makes my room look like a bright sunny day. Also, because this lamp is very energy-efficient and does not heat, I can leave it turned on all day long, so that my eyes are more relaxed at average.
I bought the bulb bundled with the LIVAL Hawk projector (see the specs), wide-flood (44 degrees) beam, and installed in on a ceiling track. I can move the projector and direct it where I like. The control gear is conventional, although it also ships with the full electronic control gear, I didn't want to wait for the next supply.
These are quite expensive toys. The projector is US $240, including the bulb which itself is about $40, and the 2m track and all its parts about another $40.
The following are my general impressions:
1. This projector, and all other projectors for such bulbs, look quite BIG. Mine is over 12 inches long and 11 inches wide. It was certainly not intended for home installation and I had pretty hard time convincing the salespeople that I knew what I was doing :).
2. The salesman also claimed that it's going to be too bright for a home room, but it appears to be absolutely OK for my purpose. The brilliant light casts contrasting shadows and the Snellen card looks like perfect black letters on a perfect white background.
Moreover, the light beam (44 degrees) is somewhat too narrow. If you want to flood the entire room with bright light, you may need two or three projectors. There have been also double-ended rectangular projectors with "very wide flood" beam, which I could consider as more appropriate, but I decided for the narrower spot light, because it fits better for sun treatment.
Compare with other home lights
3. The color of the light is pure white, meaning that the rest of home lights look like dingy yellowish candles. I wouldn't like to use other lights in the room while the projector is on.
4. The lamp does NOT utter any humming noise, as older gas discharge lamps I heard did, even though the control gear isn't electronic. What I do notice sometimes is that the light is slightly flickering. Not like fluorescent lamps with their nauseating 50 Hz vibration, you know, but there is a hardly noticeable shivering. I wonder if this is because the control gear is not electronic, or if it's a nature of the gas discharge .
5. The lamp does not ignite instantly and it takes about 2-3 min for the lamp to reach its working level of brightness and color. Also after turning off, it cannot be immediately turned back on. This inertia is due to the process of metal evaporation inside the inner capsule of the bulb. The lamp also lives longer if it's not turned on and off too frequently. By the way, the lifespan of this lamp is about 6 times longer that halogens.
Compare with a 500Wt halogen (on the left)
6. I've made a simple calculation and it shows that on a small distance from the lamp (about 5 inches), its luminous intensity is equal to the sun. I don't I do stand that close to the lamp, but my feelings indicate that my calculation should be correct. It's really a very good substitute, whereas the 500W halogen project I used previously does not compare at all. The light spectrum resembles the sun also much closer. I even use the burning glass with the lamp, and it does not burn my skin :)
As Rishi advised, I chose a metal-halide (Hg-I) high intensity gas discharge bulb, OSRAM PowerBall HCI-T (see the specs), 150W, NDL (neutral day light), with good, even, white spectrum. The luminous intensity of this class of bulbs is about 10 times greater than that of the conventional halogen bulbs, not to mention the old incandescent bulbs. So, my 150W bulb shines like a 1500W halogen and it really makes my room look like a bright sunny day. Also, because this lamp is very energy-efficient and does not heat, I can leave it turned on all day long, so that my eyes are more relaxed at average.
I bought the bulb bundled with the LIVAL Hawk projector (see the specs), wide-flood (44 degrees) beam, and installed in on a ceiling track. I can move the projector and direct it where I like. The control gear is conventional, although it also ships with the full electronic control gear, I didn't want to wait for the next supply.
These are quite expensive toys. The projector is US $240, including the bulb which itself is about $40, and the 2m track and all its parts about another $40.
The following are my general impressions:
1. This projector, and all other projectors for such bulbs, look quite BIG. Mine is over 12 inches long and 11 inches wide. It was certainly not intended for home installation and I had pretty hard time convincing the salespeople that I knew what I was doing :).
2. The salesman also claimed that it's going to be too bright for a home room, but it appears to be absolutely OK for my purpose. The brilliant light casts contrasting shadows and the Snellen card looks like perfect black letters on a perfect white background.
Moreover, the light beam (44 degrees) is somewhat too narrow. If you want to flood the entire room with bright light, you may need two or three projectors. There have been also double-ended rectangular projectors with "very wide flood" beam, which I could consider as more appropriate, but I decided for the narrower spot light, because it fits better for sun treatment.
Compare with other home lights3. The color of the light is pure white, meaning that the rest of home lights look like dingy yellowish candles. I wouldn't like to use other lights in the room while the projector is on.
4. The lamp does NOT utter any humming noise, as older gas discharge lamps I heard did, even though the control gear isn't electronic. What I do notice sometimes is that the light is slightly flickering. Not like fluorescent lamps with their nauseating 50 Hz vibration, you know, but there is a hardly noticeable shivering. I wonder if this is because the control gear is not electronic, or if it's a nature of the gas discharge .
5. The lamp does not ignite instantly and it takes about 2-3 min for the lamp to reach its working level of brightness and color. Also after turning off, it cannot be immediately turned back on. This inertia is due to the process of metal evaporation inside the inner capsule of the bulb. The lamp also lives longer if it's not turned on and off too frequently. By the way, the lifespan of this lamp is about 6 times longer that halogens.
Compare with a 500Wt halogen (on the left)Monday, February 11, 2008
The Biggest Dilemma of the Bates Method
The biggest dilemma of the Bates method is that you want to change the way you use your eyes, yet you need to completely divert your attention away from your eyes. This may seem contradictory at first glance, but it means simply that you're still sticking to the wrong idea that the problem is in your eyes, while it is truly in your mind. The desire to influence your eyes is simply a wrong goal. Replace the wrong idea of doing something to your eyes with the right idea of leaving them alone and instead playing with your memory and imagination, and the situation will change dramatically. This replacement must happen not only in your rational belief, but also in the emotional attitude, and it always takes time. You should become sincerely MORE interested in imagination and memory than the eyes and current acuity of vision.
While I keep caring about my eyes, every Bates technique I do gets perverted and becomes its opposite. Let's take shifting for example. To move my eyes all the time is the WRONG way. The right way is to DO NOTHING with my eyes, step aside and wait. What's going to happen is that I will become bored in a second and my interest will go to another point, and my eyes will want to shift as well. Bingo! What I should do is just to not interfere with this natural desire. Feel the difference: the INTEREST comes first and the motor impulse comes last. Such shift always produces swing as well. This is very unlike the anxiety to keep moving the eyes all the time at all costs, which is even more strain.
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