For direct vision work, I have mainly just been relaxing in a chair and looking around in open focus for about 15 minutes at a time.  Sometimes I put up my Snellen chart when doing this, but often I just look around at objects in my room.  For some reason, the most interesting thing to try to see is the reflection of my floor lamp on the blank screen of my TV.  I can usually clear up the image of the lamp to a decent amount, but I haven’t seen it clear yet.

I also have downgraded the glasses I use.  I have about 5 pairs of glasses I’ve ordered from Zenni Optical of varying strengths.  Basically, I use one for far distance seeing/driving and one for close work.  Anyway, I feel comfortable enough now to move down both pairs.  The distance pair is -3.75 D and lets me about 20/40.  The close pair is -3.00 D and lets me see about 20/80.  While I would like to be able to do everything without glasses, I at least like that these glasses are much lower than my last prescription, which was -5.75 OD and -5.50 OS with astigmatism corrections.

Also related to glasses is that I might be getting a conventional eye exam some time soon.  I am in a transition phase right now with my health/vision insurance coverage.  Currently I am included in the plan with my parents as this is the least expensive route.  However, I am done with school, working full time, and wanting to move to my own place in less than a year.  Therefore, I will be switching either to my own health insurance or maybe to none in the next several months. My mother suggested/told me that I should get an eye exam sometime soon while I’m still on their plan; I haven’t gotten a professional eye exam in about 2 years.  Since I haven’t been successful in finding a better job with health insurance yet, there’s a good chance I’ll go get the eye exam within a few weeks.  I’m not really worried about the exam as I think my visual acuity readings should be at least the same and probably lower than last time.  However, I don’t like that a new pair of glasses (likely too strong) will be purchased as a result even though insurance will pay for some/all of it.  Oh well.

As for my plans to reach further vision improvements: right now I will just try to wear my glasses less often (wearing the lowest prescription possible when I do)  and practice open focus with the chart most/all days for at least 15 minutes.  I hope all the other vision improvement bloggers have been doing well.

• L 1/7
• R 1/7
• B 1/7, I saw the “E” on the 4 line pretty clearly.

6/29 Palm, flash, sway

• L 1/7
• R 1/4
• B 1/4

6/30

• L 1/7
• R 1/7
• B 1/7

7/6 I noticed that I usually discern the letters better if I take my first impression of each one as opposed to looking at one letter for a length of time until it clears.

• L 1/7
• R 1/7
• B 1/4

7/9 My vision seemed to naturally clear by the end of the session.

• B 1/4

Well, I finished up the rest of June and then was busy with all of my 4th of July related events.  From this point forward, I plan on using the chart most days but won’t be upset if it’s not every day.  While it was good for discipline reasons to use the Snellen each day in June, there were days where I really had to force myself to use it.  I don’t feel that those days were too productive overall.  So, I will use the chart as much as possible, but I won’t force myself to use it.

I also noticed on the last two days recorded how my vision seems to clear up naturally.  For example, when I just looked at the letters on the chart quickly instead of analyzing exactly what they were to achieve 100% accuracy, I usually saw better.  Also, my vision seemed to clear up by the end of the session on it’s own, especially after I stopped trying to clear it.  These two observances mainly point out to me Bates’ main message for how to see clearly: see without effort.  While I may feel that moving my eyes around a letter instead of just looking at one part should be helpful, or that thinking hard about why a letter on the chart is an “E” instead of an “F” will create greater accuracy, my visual acuity really is the clearest when I’m not trying to clear it.  Furthermore, in the three or so times that I’ve had amazingly good clear flashes, I was not consciously doing anything to improve my vision at those times other than not wearing glasses.

I guess what I need to do whether I’m practicing with the chart or just doing things without my glasses is create a condition where my body and mind aren’t as likely to strain and then let my vision clear naturally through patience.  While I will still use Bates techniques such as palming and flashing, I will try to separate the muscular effort required for them from the mental effort that causes/results from my poor vision.  I feel that my vision journey will now focus on changing my mind’s actions in regard to seeing clearly and seeing in general.

• L 1/4
• R 1/4
• B 2/15

6/21: Quick check of default visual acuity.

• L 1/7
• R 1/7
• B 1/7

6/22: Palming, flashing, swaying.  My trapezius had been sore for a few days; I’m pretty sure it was from the stress of school finals.

• L 1/7
• R 1/7
• B 1/7

6/23: Palming, flashing, swaying.  I had drank some wine earlier; I wasn’t drunk, but I was physically relaxed.  I thought it would be interesting to see if my chart readings were changed because of this.  However, my readings were the same, which supports that mental relaxation is the true solution to poor visual acuity.

• L 1/7
• R 1/7
• B 1/7

6/24: Palming, flashing, swaying.

• L 1/10
• R 1/10
• B 1/7

6/25: Palming, flashing, swaying.

• L 1/7
• R 1/7
• B 1/7

6/26: Palming, flashing, swaying.

• L 1/4
• R 1/7
• B 1/4

6/27: Palming, flashing, swaying.

• L 1/7
• R 1/7
• B 1/7

Well, I’ve been doing the same type of chart practice sessions for the last few days with a couple variables added in.  One was the default visual acuity check on 6/21.  I thought this reading would be lower than the others since I didn’t utilize palming, flashing, or swaying, but my readings were the same as the other days when I did use those techniques.  Second, I was physically relaxed on 6/23 from drinking some wine, but, again, my readings were about the same as the other days.

What have these two things taught me?  My eyes can improve to a visual acuity of 1/7 fairly quickly, and physical relaxation is not the main cause of my imperfect vision.  As further support of the latter point, on days 6/20 through 6/22 my upper back was sore (I believe it was caused by stress as my exercise and stretching routines were fairly consistent), but I still had readings in the 1/7 range.

So, what do I need to do to continue improving my visual acuity?  The two solutions I can think of are to use additional relaxation techniques and to practice with the chart for longer periods of time.  In regard to the first solution, I already am using the Bates techniques that have been the most beneficial for me.  While I may incorporate other techniques as I feel led, I do not think I should focus on this solution.  Concerning the second solution, I definitely think I should be practicing longer.  Most of my above readings, and the readings from earlier days, were acquired in Snellen practice sessions of no more than 10 minutes.  While I think I should aim for 30 minute sessions for the best results, I will at least try to use the chart for 20 minutes each day.

Moreover, I think I should probably structure my sessions so that I don’t become too bored and stop early:

• Start with 5 minutes of palming.
• Practice in front of the chart using palming, flashing, swaying, swinging, etc. for about 10 minutes.
• Finish with 5 minutes of palming.

This will be a general guideline, and I may increase/decrease the length of the palming or chart sections depending on how I feel each day.  However, I will still aim for around 20 minutes total time.  I remember Jacob Liberman recommended palming before and after using the vision meditations in his book, and this seems like a good way to continue my vision improvements into the rest of the day.  I’m looking forward to further improvements in my vision.

• L 1/7
• R 1/7
• B 1/7

6/13: Palming and alternate flashing.

• L 1/7
• R 1/7
• B 1/7

6/14: Palming and alternate flashing.  The right eye seemed to clear up easier than the left.  I noticed my body was too rigid about half way through the practice, so I started swinging and swaying to loosen up.

• L 1/7
• R 1/7
• B 1/7

6/15: Palming, flashing, swaying.

• L 1/4
• R 1/7
• B 1/7

6/16: Palming, flashing, swaying.

• L 1/7
• R 1/4
• B 1/7

6/17: Palming, flashing, swaying.

• L 1/4
• R 1/4
• B 1/4

6/18: This was just a quick check of my visual state at the time.

• L 1/10
• R 1/10
• B 1/7

6/19: Palming, flashing, swaying

• L 1/7
• R 1/7
• B 1/7

• L: 1/7
• R: 1/7
• B: 1/7

6/8 Notes: I palmed then did alternate flashing again.  I felt that if I had spent more time relaxing in front of the chart I might have been able to read the 4 line (the lowest line on my chart).

• L: 1/7
• R: 1/7
• B: 1/7

6/9 Notes: I palmed and used alternate flashing.

• L: 1/10
• R: 1/7
• B: 1/10

6/10 Notes: I did not use any relaxation techniques this time.  I just did a quick check with each and both eyes to see what my default visual acuity was at the time.

• L: 1/15
• R: 1/15
• B: 1/10

6/11 Notes: I practiced a little longer with the chart this time.  I also used a new technique based on Bates principle of shifting.  I did not make a conscious effort to accurately shift my eyes up and down or side to side, however, as that has not been beneficial in the past for me.  What I did though was just quickly and subtly wiggle my eyes vertically or horizontally while looking at one letter on the chart.  I’m not sure how to explain the difference between this and the more effort-driven shifting I described, but the bottom line is it helped me to see the letter better.

• L: 1/7
• R: 1/7
• B: 1/4

On my latest reading I saw 1/4 which is approximately 20/80.  This is very good news to me as this is the strength that my close distance glasses allow me to see.  Once I am able to see with 20/80 visual acuity most of the time, I will not need my close glasses anymore and will only really need distance glasses for driving.

My plans for the next few days are to keep using the relaxation methods of palming and alternate flashing as these are the most beneficial to my vision.  I will keep practicing at 1 foot from the chart until I can read the 4 line with little difficulty.  Then, I will move back to 2 feet and probably start practicing on the 10 line again.

• L: 1.5/10 -1″
• R: 1.5/10 -1″
• B: 1.5/10

6/4 Notes: I did not palm beforehand.  I used the flashing technique.

• L: 2/30
• R: 2/30
• B: 2/20

6/5 Notes: I palmed for a few minutes before, and I used the flashing technique.

• L: 2/30
• R: 2/20
• B: 2/20

6/6 Notes: I palmed for 1 minute immediately before measuring my right eye.  I used flashing and relaxing as my means of reducing strain.

• L: 1/10
• R: 1/15
• B: 1/7

I think I learned more about how palming affects my eyesight during these practices.  In the sessions where I palmed beforehand, I usually palmed for a few minutes in a location different than where my chart is hanging up.  I would then walk over to the chart and start my practice with only my left eye.  However, on 6/6 I checked my right eye first.  This seems significant to me since for all of my readings in June, my right eye saw the same or slightly better than my left eye.  However, on the last day my left eye saw better.

When I am flashing, relaxing, and checking the resulting acuity with one eye, I cover the other eye with one of my hands.  I am sort of doing one-handed palming while I’m using the other eye.  Based on my usual readings (L<R), I thought my right eye just had a slightly better visual acuity (which is further interesting as all the glasses I’ve been prescribed in the past that used different lenses had more correction for my right eye- indicating that the right eye was weaker ).  However, my latest reading showed my left eye to be better.  I am starting to think that my eyes have very similar acuities, but the one that is palmed longer (that I checked second) does better.

Also, I tried to be aware of how my eyes saw after palming.  They seemed to see things in a softer way, but there were brief clear flashes mixed in.  I think this is partly why I had better readings on 6/6; I palmed in front of the chart and used it immediately after opening my eyes.  The softer, clearer vision I have after palming doesn’t last too long though, and I think that it only lasts as long as I stay in the relaxed state I had during palming.  So, in the future I will do my palming directly in front of the chart so that I can use my eyes in a relaxed way once I open them.  With more practice and maybe palming for longer, I hope to extend the length of the relaxed, clearer state.

• L: 1/10
• R: 1/10 plus 1″
• B: 1.5/10

I practiced for a longer time today and I could definitely see better in flashes.  The main method I used to improve my vision was flashing by just closing my eyes or with palming.  While palming relaxes me more on its own, closing my eyes without covering them is more effective when I’m using the flashing technique.  During the clearer moments, I was surprised (in a good way ) at how clear and distinct the letters became.  I will definitely be using the flashing method again, and I look forward to having clearer and longer-lasting flashes.

Before I get to my chart numbers, I want to describe the lighting conditions in the room where I hang up the chart.  There is no window to bring in sunlight, so I only have artificial lighting.  One of my sources of light is a ceiling fan/light combo which uses three weak 40W light bulbs.  The bulbs are white, not clear, and are enclosed in a yellow/tan frosted glass hemisphere- overall the ceiling light is dim and isn’t easy to read with.  The other light source is a floor lamp which sits next to my chair and table that my computer is on.  The floor lamp has one 100W white bulb; I use this lamp whenever I’m reading something.  With my testing environment described, I’ll now go on to my quick chart practice today.

6/1 Notes: I palmed for about 5 minutes before I used the chart.  I did this around the middle of the day after I had returned home from school.  I was only using the weak ceiling light when I practiced with the chart today.  My readings reflect how far back I could see the letters on the 10 line and identify them with 100% confidence.

• Left eye: 1/10
• Right eye: 1/10
• Both eyes: 1/10

The right eye and both eyes measurements might have been slightly further back than the left eye, but they were all pretty close.  While I’m not really too pleased with these measurements, my room wasn’t very bright and I haven’t used my Snellen in a long time.  Also, the measurements were done quickly.  I probably had all three in about two minutes.

For future practice sessions, I want to see how turning on my floor lamp will affect my readings; the room would obviously be brighter which should make it easier to read the chart.  Also, I want to practice for a longer time with the chart as opposed to just glancing at it.  Looking at the chart quickly will only tell me the condition of my vision.  If I take my time and use relaxation methods such as palming, flashing and swaying, I should have better measurements and will be teaching my eyes/mind how they can see more clearly.  I hope my daily practice will lead to permanent improvements in my visual acuity.

(+) The main positive aspect I noticed as I read through this book was how many good vision improvement books, websites, vision teachers, and other sources Marsh used to support and supplement his points.  This included ideas and descriptions of Thomas Quackenbush, Jacob Liberman, Peter Grunwald, Antonia Orfield, Meir Schneider, and David Kiesling from the Imagination Blindness website (along with many others).  This was obviously possible because of how recently the book was written (copyright is 2007).  Furthermore, I could tell how much Marsh had researched vision improvement, how interested he was in learning about it from a variety of people and sources, and how much vision improvement had been integrated into Marsh’s mind.  Additionally, the foreword was written by Thomas Quackenbush which, although I don’t agree 100% with Quackenbush’s approach, lends credibility to Marsh as a vision improvement teacher and author.

(+) The book was organized in a logical, flowing way.  The first part of the book describes the problems, stresses, and strain that lead to vision problems.  The second section describes how one can prevent and reverse the problems described in part one.  Part three then expands the discussion to the problems with vision treatment in the conventional optometric methods.  This layout reminds me of Bates’ original book, which used a similar format.

(+) Marsh incorporated a variety of methods to reduce physical and mental strain.  These included Bates basic techniques, the Alexander Technique, massage therapy, trigger points, and many other therapeutic systems.  While Marsh of course couldn’t describe all of these therapies and techniques in thorough detail, it is good to see all of the techniques and systems that can help improve your vision within one book.  One could easily pick one of the therapies mentioned in the book and do further research on books and local therapists that teach that therapy method.

(+) It is clear that Taoist teachings are a major part of who Doug Marsh is and how he lives his life.  However, Marsh mainly drew upon his Taoist beliefs by using quotes from the Tao Te Ching to introduce and support his main vision improvement ideas.  The Taoist ideas did not overshadow the Bates principles and vision improvement information.  Additionally, I think the Tao Te Ching quotes Marsh used complemented Bates’ vision principles very well.  Marsh put much thought into which quotes were chosen for his book.

(+) I can tell that Marsh understands the Bates method at a deep level as he did a good job at describing Bates’ core NVI findings in four points: 1) no refractive state of the eyes is permanent 2) if mental strain leads to an effort to see, one’s vision will be imperfect 3) perfect sight is obtained through relaxation 4) since the normal eye has good vision habits at all times, one with imperfect sight must practice the correct vision principles consciously until they become an unconscious habit.  These four points describe the underlying problem of imperfect eyesight (mental strain) and how one can have perfect sight (removing the mental strain through relaxation).  As an aside, I also liked how Marsh differentiated between stress and strain; stress is something that negatively affects the person while strain is the person’s reaction to the stress.  I think Bates also used this distinction in his writings.

(-) There weren’t any glaring negatives that I saw with this book.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how well this book was written and how much I enjoyed reading it.  While there are many ideas and methods described for obtaining mental and physical relaxation, I think Marsh was just going along with Bates’ belief that one needs to try as many vision improvement techniques as possible and continue using the ones that are beneficial for you.  There were so many other things in this book that were interesting such as Marsh’s explanations of how the mind, body, diseases, emotions, etc. are connected and influence each other.  I definitely plan on buying a copy of this book someday as it will take multiple readings to understand all that Marsh wrote at a level that I can effortlessly apply the ideas to my daily life.  However, I know that reading this book more times in the future will contribute to my vision improvement journey in a positive way.

• Palming (Bates): This technique definitely makes my eyes feel more relaxed.  If I’ve been wearing my glasses for too long or I’ve been focusing too hard, my eyes will feel  better after palming.  However, my vision has never been significantly improved after palming.
• Long Swings (Bates): This method was somewhat relaxing mentally, but my vision was not improved afterward.
• Sunning (Bates): This method feels good on my eyes.  I enjoy the warmth of the sun and my eyes feel more relaxed after sunning.  While colors seem brighter after extended sunning, my visual acuity was not improved.
• Flashing (Bates): This method is simple and has improved my visual acuity temporarily.  When I’ve done flashing in front of the eye chart, the letters were clearer and blacker each time I opened my eyes.
• Sketch, breathe, blink (Quackenbush): I haven’t been able to simultaneously sketch, breathe fully, and blink often for any extended period of time, but I like the simplicity of these vision habits.  The sketching definitely helped me keep my eyes moving, but my visual acuity wasn’t really improved by focusing on these three habits.
• Open Focus (Liberman): This technique makes my eyes and body feel relaxed and improves my vision in a similar way to Bates’ flashing method.
• Energy Exercise (Angart): This technique is supposed to remove old energy and replace it with new energy/chi in your eyes.  I tried it a few times to see if it had any effect; my eyes, body, and visual acuity were unchanged afterward.
• String Exercise (Angart): While this exercise seemed like it should be helpful as you are gradually trying to push out your range of clear vision, it also had no effect on me.  It is supposed to work work like the progressive overload principle of increasing muscle strength.  Of course, Bates believed that poor vision was caused by mental strain not weak eye muscles.
• Coming and Going Exercise (Angart):  This was another stretching/strengthening exercise targeted at the oblique muscles of the eyes.  It also had no effect on my vision.
• Active Static Stretching (DeAngelis): While it felt somewhat good to stretch my eye muscles in all directions, this exercise did not improve my visual acuity.
• Contraction/Relaxation/Blinking (DeAngelis):  I don’t know why I practiced this exercise for such long periods of time in the past (sometimes for two straight hours).  The contraction/relaxation procedure is supposed to relax and gradually strengthen your eye muscles over time, increasing your visual acuity.  The exercise did not improve my vision, and it made my eyes feel very sore and uncomfortable.  Again, I don’t know why I practiced this technique more than once or twice.  I guess DeAngelis’ book was really convincing to me at the time.

Based on my above experiences, it seems the techniques that most improve my visual acuity are flashing and open focus; the methods that help my eyes/body relax physically are palming, sunning, and long swings.  Since Liberman’s “seeing the flash” procedure of using open focus incorporates the flashing method, I’ll just work on practicing open focus as the main means of improving my visual acuity.  I’ll also use palming, sunning, or long swings when I feel compelled as a way to increase my level of relaxation.

I’ve reread about half of Liberman’s book Take Off Your Glasses and See, and I’ve learned many new concepts and ideas that I didn’t remember from the last time I read the book.  While Liberman teaches the goal of effortless vision by practicing open focus, Bates taught the goal of removing mental strain through the consistent practice of his vision improvement techniques (palming, shifting, sunning, etc.).  However, even half way through Liberman’s book, I can tell that he has the same endpoint as Bates: Liberman’s effortless vision/living is the exact same state as Bates’ central fixation of the mind.

The quick cures that were described in Bates’ writings, Liberman’s book, and other vision improvement books were almost always caused by some form of mental change; the people acquired a different perspective on how they thought about and saw the world around them.  While consistent practice of relaxation techniques may improve one’s vision to a great degree over time, I feel that 20/20 or better vision can only be obtained if one has some sort of mental shift as the people in my vision books did.  One needs to see the world physically and mentally as he did before his visual acuity started to decline.  Thus, I will mainly practice Liberman’s open focus technique as it improves my visual acuity and relaxes my mind, which leads to clearer thoughts and feelings overall for me.  I look forward to the positive changes a continuous state of open focus will have on my vision and mind.