Bates Method

The Bates Method is based on the research and studies of William H. Bates, an ophthalmologist who practiced in the early 1900’s. As an ophthalmologist he saw that when he prescribed glasses and people wore their glasses, their vision got worse rather than better. To him, that was not a healing solution. If broken bones can heal, cuts can heal, and people recover from cancer, then it stands to reason that our visual system can heal.

Bates began a quest to find out how the human visual system works and how to restore it. He found that many of the known facts about our visual system were not truly facts.  They were theories that became ‘facts’ without research. He did extensive research to find out how people with optimal visual systems differed from those that did not.

Using his own method Bates corrected his presbyopia (‘middle aged’ far-sightedness) and died with perfect vision. His work and case studies are captured in the newsletters that he wrote which are available (see resources).

In summary from his newsletters:

In order to use our vision correctly all day long, it is necessary that we:

1. Blink frequently. Staring is a strain, and always lowers vision.

2. Shift constantly from one point to another seeing the one point best and all the other parts around it less clearly. (centralizing)

3. Both the eyes and the head are moving all day long. Imagine that stationary objects are moving in the direction opposite to the head movement.

The importance of practicing certain parts of the routine habits at all times, such as blinking, centralizing and imagining stationary objects to be moving in the direction opposite the head movement is emphasized. The normal vision does these things subconsciously, and the imperfect vision must at first practice them consciously until they become subconscious habits.

Q. What are the worst things for the eyes?  A. Staring and straining to see.

Q. What are the best things for the eyes?    A. Shifting and blinking.

Natural vision improvement is possible!  It’s simply a matter of understanding the habits and principals of perfect vision and doing them all day every day. 

I have compiled a list of books on vision improvement as a resource.