Reading Fine Print, Close Vision, Night Vision, Astigmatism

[ClarkNight]

BETTER EYESIGHT
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE PREVENTION AND CURE OF IMPERFECT SIGHT WITHOUT GLASSES

December, 1919

THE IMAGINATION CURE

When the imagination is perfect the mind is always perfectly relaxed, and as it is impossible to relax and imagine a letter perfectly, and at the same time strain and see it imperfectly, it follows that when one imagines that one sees a letter perfectly one actually does see it, as demonstrated by the retinoscope, no matter how great an error of refraction the eye may previously have had. The sight, therefore, may often be improved very quickly by the aid of the imagination. To use this method the patient may proceed as follows:

Look at a letter at the distance at which it is seen best. Close and cover the eyes so as to exclude all the light, and remember it. Do this alternately until the memory is nearly equal to the sight. Next, after remembering the letter with the eyes closed and covered, and while still holding the mental picture of it, look at a blank surface a foot or more to the side of it, at the distance at which you wish to see it. Again close and cover the eyes and remember the letter, and on opening them look a little nearer to it. Gradually reduce the distance between the point of fixation and the letter, until able to look directly at it and imagine it as well as it is remembered with the eyes closed and covered. The letter will then be seen perfectly, and other letters in its neighborhood will come out. If unable to remember the whole letter, you may be able to imagine a black period as forming part of it. If you can do this, the letter will also be seen perfectly.
Imagine the letter is composed of many black periods and shift from period to period (part to part) on the letter.

Fine Print

By W. H. BATES, M.D.

THE photographic reduction of the fine print can be used with great benefit to patients suffering from high degrees of nearsightedness. At first it has to be held at a certain close distance from the eyes and cannot be seen so well if placed an inch further or an inch nearer. When read easily or perfectly the white spaces between the lines appear much whiter than they really are and the card seems to be moving from side to side or in other directions, if one takes the trouble to notice it. The eyes are blinking frequently and this is also usually an unconscious act.
More perfect rest or relaxation of the eyes is obtained by reading this fine print perfectly than by doing some other things. By alternately looking at the large letters of the Snellen Test Card at five or ten feet or further and reading the fine print close to the eyes, one can obtain flashes of improved vision at the distance. By practicing, these flashes become more frequent and the letters are seen more continuously. The method is to be highly recommended because it seems to be one of the best methods of improving the distant vision. (Fine print also improves close vision.)


THE MENACE OF LARGE PRINT

If you look at the big "C" on the Snellen test card (or any other large letter of the same size) at ten, fifteen, or twenty feet, and try to see it all alike, you may note a feeling of strain and the letter may not appear perfectly black and distinct. If you now look at only one part of the letter, and see the rest of it worse, you will note that the part seen best appears blacker than the whole letter when seen all alike, and you may also note a relief of strain. If you look at the small "c" on the bottom line of the test card, you may be able to note that it seems blacker than the big "C." If not, imagine it as forming part of the area of the big "C." If you are able to see this part blacker than the rest of the letter, the imagined letter will, of course, appear blacker also. If your sight is normal, you may now go a step further and note that when you look at one part of the small "c" this part looks blacker than the whole letter, and that it is easier to see the letter in this way than to see it all alike.
If you look at a line of the smaller letters that you can read readily, and try to see them all alike-all equally black and equally distinct in outline-you will probably find it to be impossible, and the effort will produce discomfort and, perhaps, pain. You may, however, succeed in seeing two or more of them alike. This, too, may cause much discomfort, and if continued long enough, will produce pain. If you now look at only the first letter of the line, seeing the adjoining ones worse, the strain will at once be relieved, and the letter will appear blacker and more distinct than when it was seen equally well with the others.
If your sight is normal at the near-point, you can repeat these experiments with a letter seen at this point, with the same results. A number of letters seen equally well at one time will appear less black and less distinct than a single letter seen best, and a large letter will seem less black and distinct than a small one; while in the case of both the large letter and the several letters seen all alike, a feeling of strain may be produced in the eye. You may also be able to note that the reading of very fine print, when it can be done perfectly, is markedly restful to the eye.
The smaller the point of maximum vision, in short, the better the sight, and the less the strain upon the eye. This fact can usually be demonstrated in a few minutes by any one whose sight is not markedly imperfect; and in view of some of our educational methods, is very interesting and instructive.
Probably every man who has written a book upon the eye for the last hundred years has issued a warning against fine print in school books, and recommended particularly large print for small children. This advice has been followed so assiduously that one could probably not find a lesson book for small children anywhere printed in ordinary reading type, while alphabets are often printed in characters one and two inches high. The British Association for the Advancement of Science does not wish to see children read books at all before they are seven years old, and would conduct their education previous to that age by means of large printed wall-sheets, blackboards, pictures, and oral teaching. If they must read, however, it wants them to have 24- and 30-point type, with capitals about a quarter of an inch in height. This is carefully graded down, a size smaller each year, until at the age of twelve the children are permitted to have the same kind of type as their elders. Bijou editions of Bible, prayer-book and hymnals are forbidden, however, to children of all ages.1
In the London myope classes, which have become the model for many others of the same kind, books are eliminated entirely, and only the older children are allowed to print their lessons in one- and two-inch types.2
Yet it has just been shown that large print is a strain upon the eyes, while the retinoscope demonstrates that a strain to see at the near-point always produces hypermetropia3 (commonly but erroneously called "farsight"). We should naturally expect, therefore, to find hypermetropia very common among small children, and it is. Of children eight and a half years old in the public schools of Philadelphia, Risley4 found that more than eighty-eight per cent were hypermetropic, and similar figures may be found in all statistics of the subject. The percentage declines as the children become older, but hypermetropia, or hypermetropic astigmatism, remains at all ages the most common of all errors of refraction. Hypermetropia is, in fact, a much more serious problem than myopia, or nearsight. Yet we have heard very little about it, for the specialists have concluded, from its prevalence and its tendency to pass away or become less pronounced with the growth of the body, that it is the normal state of the immature human eye and therefore beyond the reach of preventive measures. It is true that many young children are not hypermetropic, but this fact is easily disposed of by the theory that the ciliary muscle alters the shape of the lens in such cases sufficiently to compensate for the shortness of the eyeball.
The baselessness of this theory, as well as the relation of large print to the production of hypermetropia, may be demonstrated by the fact that the condition can be relieved, and has been relieved in numerous cases, by the reading of fine print, combined with rest of the eyes. A child of eight was cured in a few visits by this means. Yet according to the British Association she should not, at this age, have been allowed to read any type larger than 12-point, with capitals more than an eighth of an inch in height. Many grown people have been cured of hypermetropia in the same way, and in all forms of functional imperfect sight the reading of fine print, when it can be done with comfort, has been found to be a benefit to the eyes. Even straining to see fine print is sometimes a benefit in myopia. Large letters are not a strain if central fixation, shifting are applied. Avoid diffusion, eccentric fixation.

Stories from the Clinic

No. 60. Two Cases of Cataract

By EMILY C. LIERMAN

SO many times I have been asked, "Is it really possible to cure cataract by Dr. Bates' Method?" I can prove that it is. In the March, 1920, number of "Better Eyesight," I wrote about a case of cataract under treatment at the Harlem Hospital Clinic. This case was a woman seventy-three years old who was determined to be cured without an operation. In October, 1916, she had visited another dispensary where an operation was advised. The doctors there told her however that she must wait until the Cataract was ripe before the operation could be performed. Later she heard about Dr. Bates curing cataract without an operation, and tried out the method as well as she could all by herself. In March, 1919, she visited Dr. Bates in his office, and he helped her.
This woman made her living by mending clothes in an orphanage, so we were glad to treat her in the Clinic where she did not have to pay. Three days a week she came, no matter how bad the weather was.
On her first visit she read the forty line at four feet from the test card, then her vision blurred. She knew just what to do, and I did not have to tell her to palm. Just once she peeped at me through her forgers and said, "I'll fool the other doctors yet. My eyes won't have any cataract if I keep this up." She had a way of smiling out loud, and she still has. Her disposition has not changed a bit in all the time I have known her.
Recently she came to the Clinic to see me. In the room were two school nurses, and a young man who were there to observe the cases under treatment. I was not so sure that my dear old lady had retained her improved vision, because I had not seen her for a year or more. I placed the test-card eight feet from her eyes and she read every letter correctly up to the fifteen line without the aid of palming. At times she read 10/10 after resting her eyes with the aid of palming and blinking.
The test I made this day was the best yet, because she read a strange card which she had never seen before. Then I placed her in the sun and gave her the doctors fine print card, which she held six inches from her eyes. She looked at me in a funny way, and said, "Oh, I can read that easily." Then she proceeded to read the diamond type to the amazement of the others in the moot.
Some day I am afraid the little lady will get into trouble. Whenever she sees a child in the street wearing glasses, she gets very much excited.
Recently she stopped two women with a child on the street and found fault with them because the little girl, three years of age, was wearing glasses. "Why don't you take that child to my doctor; he can cure her without glasses!"
Those who know our dear old lady can very well understand her good intentions, but how about the mother and friend of this little girl? They must have thought at first that she was of unsound mind. The women treated her kindly and accepted the "Better Eyesight Magazine" which she offered them.
We had another case of cataract under treatment at the Clinic, a man sixty-three years old. He had to have someone to lead him when he fast came, which was less than a year ago. After his fourth visit to the Clinic he was able to travel by himself.
When Dr. Bates examined him with the retinoscope on the first day, he could see no red reflex in either eye. I gave him a test card which he held very dose to his eyes, and after he had palmed for a little while and imagined he saw the test card moving opposite to the movement of his body, he could make out the big C of the card at two inches from his eyes, but it looked very much blurred to him. Before he left the Clinic that day he became able to read several lines of the test card, and the letters cleared up which, of course, gave him a great deal of encouragement. What helped him so quickly was that he was quite sure we could improve his sight. He did exactly as he was told. Keeping up that steady swing of his body while standing, slow and easy, without any effort, stopped the staring, or prevented it. Palming and imagining his body was moving were a rest and relaxation to him also.
After he had been coming for a month or more, he became able to read all the letters of the test card, as he held the card very close to his eyes. Three months later he was able to read the large letters of the card two feet away, and the ten-line letters of the bottom line at three inches from his eyes. Always when he came, which was every Saturday morning, he had something encouraging to tell us about his eyes. The signs in the sub-way on his way from Brooklyn became more clear and distinct. He was able to dodge people in a crowd. At the present time, even people with normal vision have to be mighty careful to avoid injury both in the street and in the subway.
It is now about ten months since this patient first came for treatment, and on his last visit he read very fine print at three inches from his eyes, and saw the fifty-line letters more than a foot away. His vision improves by practicing with print much finer than diamond type, and his jolly disposition is also a great help.
It is a great relief to be able to say to a Clinic patient when he first comes to us: "You are welcome here for treatment, no matter where you live." At the Harlem Hospital Clinic, the authorities there turned away many poor souls who needed treatment of their eyes. Each district has a free hospital, and those who lived in another district were not admitted. While it was pitiful, it had to be so, because we could not take care of them all.
Here in our office also, we have to limit the number of patients treated in the Clinic, so we can only take care of patients who have no source of income, or who are sent to us by physicians.

Strain

By EMILY A. MEDER

WE are often awed by the almost uncanny wisdom of the philosophers and teachers who lived centuries ago. After extensive experiments and research work, our scientists discovered certain properties in a drug, which proved invaluable during the War. It was later found out that this property had been used as an every-day remedy in Japan for centuries. It is well known that India possesses the secret of cures for various diseases, which our scientists would be glad to know of.
Dr. Bates has made the important discovery that all cases of defective sight are caused by strain, tension or rigidity of the eye and mind. There are a great many people who refuse to accept this fact, although their imperfect sight, and perhaps other troubles are due to this cause.
Read what one Chinese Sage wrote about strain many, many years ago:
"In love or in hate, rigidity is final; in art fatal. Elasticity means life in the plants and flowers and trees, and in the wings of a bird, as in the mind. When the sap goes from the branches, they become rigid, and the storms break them down. When the artist's mind closes against the new ideas that are the mind's strength, as the sap is the trees, the brain becomes rigid, and arid, and neither philosophy, poetry nor painting can be produced thereby.
"Rigidity and death are synonymous."

The eyes have perfect sight when they are relaxed. It is not difficult; when there is an absence of strain, the eyes do nothing. They don't squint, or stare or try to see.
When the eyes are relaxed, the body is relaxed, strain disappears, and the truth of Dr. Bates' discovery is proven.
Remember—Rigidity, strain and death are synonymous. Be relaxed!


Clinic Reports from London

We have heard from several of our English correspondents praising the work done by the "Better Eyesight League of Great Britain and Ireland." We are pleased to publish a few of Mr. Price's reports. Notice that all cases are accepted, including those with little perception of light, which have to be led into the office. A history of the progress of these severe cases proves the usefulness and need of this work.

A MAN BLIND IN ONE EYE FOR MANY YEARS

THIS is the case of a man who has endeared himself to all of us. He is a match seller in the gutter of one of our streets and partly because of his curly hair and partly because of his sunny smile (he is an Irishman) we have christened him Curly. There are occasions when his cheeriness is of great assistance to the other patients.
His vision when first tested was 10/60 with the right eye and nothing whatever with the left. He had no perception of light in the left and said that he had not had for many years, and was told at the hospital that it was quite gone and nothing could be done.
His vision has improved to 10/50 and the left eye is much better and has quite a good perception of light. His near sight has improved more than his distant.
(We are in hopes that Capt. Price can send us a further report of Curly's progress.)

BLIND FOR FIVE YEARS

(This case should encourage those who have only slight perception of light.)
A few weeks ago there was lead into the Clinic a man of 65 who told us he had been blind for five years and the doctors at the hospital had told him nothing more could be done for him, as his case was hopeless.
On testing his sight we found the right vision 3/80 and the left vision only just perception of light.
He was eager to know if we thought he could be helped and listened attentively while he was being told how to palm and how to strengthen his eyes by splashing them with cold water. He started right away palming and was left to amuse himself in this way, while other patients were attended to, and afterwards he said his eyes felt rested and much easier. He was asked what he was to do at home during the week to see if he had remembered the directions given to him, and then went home in a very hopeful frame of mind.
The following week he came along and looked rather more cheerful and was very excited to tell us that he thought he could see a little with the blind eye. Both eyes were tested, the right one was now 3/60, and with the blind eye he could see the big C, the 200 line when the Chart was held close.
Two weeks later we held the Clinic in another room and we were amazed to see him walk boldly in alone. He was looking much better and very proud of himself. He had been under the doctor's care for the last two or three months as he was generally run down, and this week he was delighted to tell us that he had caught his doctor napping. His doctor had greeted him one morning by saying how much better his eyes were looking, how much brighter and more alive. "Yes, because I am having treatment for them," said our friend. He told the doctor of the treatment, whose reply was that it was rubbish and could not possibly do any good. "Well, you said yourself how much better they were looking, and they must look very different for you to notice them and remark on them, and besides I can see more than I did."
He continues to be very much in earnest and is now able to see 3/30 with the right eye, and can read the 40 line quite easily close up to the other eye which previously had only perception of light.

A MAN WHO HAS WORN GLASSES FOR 60 YEARS

This man without his glasses was very helpless. He had no vision at all with the right eye, just perception of light, but very slight. The left eye was such that he could read with difficulty the 60 line at 6 inches. In three weeks the vision with both eyes was improved, so that at 6 inches he could read the 20 line comfortably and the 15 line with difficulty. The right eye is better but the improvement is not so marked as that of the left. It is a great joy to help this man, he is so grateful for the smallest thing that one does, and his childlike faith and obedience is something rarely seen. The reason he has made so much progress in so short a time is due to the fact that he cooperates willingly and with pleasure and is really interested in getting his sight.
One notices that on the whole people with slightly imperfect sight are not sufficiently interested in getting their sight normal to take much trouble. If it could be done for them they would not mind; but they do not like to bring it about themselves. The continuous relaxation practiced by those with imperfect sight is a joy to see and they are well paid for it.


The Elephant and the Fairies

By GEORGE GUILD

IT is a fact that few of us realize that we have never seen a fairy wearing glasses. Why shouldn't they wear glasses? Little boys and girls wear glasses. Little boys and girls like fairies, yet it is unheard of for fairies to imitate what other people do, and wear those dreadful goggles which spoil the eyes and faces of beautiful young children. Many a fairy has whispered in the ears of children that glasses are bad. Many a fairy has whispered into the ears of a mother that glasses were an injury to the eyes, with the result that mothers who enjoy the society of their children are troubled about the glasses.
One evening after everybody had gone to bed, the father of a family sat in his chair dozing, after he had read the evening paper. Many fairies came and whispered in his ears that glasses were bad for his children. He tried to argue the matter with them.
"Why shouldn't they wear glasses? The doctor says it does them good. They cost a lot of money, and my children are all the time breaking them. But if it does them good, why shouldn't they wear them?"
The fairies remonstrated with him and told him that he could not see with his eyes, he could not see with his mind, and that he was just as blind as the five men were who tried to describe an elephant which they had never seen.
"Well, tell me all about it," said he.
So one of the fairies perched herself on his right shoulder, and told him the story which illustrated how wrong some people can be.
Once upon a time many centuries ago, an elephant came to a small village where no person had ever seen such a creature before. Five blind men were coaxed with some flattery to give their opinion of the elephant.
One grasped the tail and declared: "The elephant is very much like a snake." The roar of laughter from the spectators upset him very much.
The second blind man leaned against the side of the elephant and said: "The elephant is very much like a high wall." The applause of the mob was tremendous.
The third handled one of the elephant's legs. "Yes,” he said, "The elephant is very much like a pillar." The applause which followed bothered him.
The fourth grasped one of the elephant's ears, and very solemnly asserted: "The elephant is similar to a fan." More applause and laughter greeted this opinion which also disturbed the blind man.
The fifth felt of the sharp pointed tusks, and said: "The elephant is very much like a spear." As an encore to the applause, he corrected himself and announced: "The elephant is like two spears."
The five blind men gathered together. The vigorous arguments of each blind man to prove that he was right and that all the others were wrong, amused the populace for some hours.
The world is full of blind people who have eyes and minds which do not see. The world is full of Good Fairies who teach us how to see with our eyes and minds.
The next morning the father told his wife all about his experience with the fairies, and when the children appeared for breakfast wearing their large rimmed spectacles, he saw how their eyes and faces were injured by them. His wife saw the same thing, and they both exclaimed in one breath: "Take off those horrid glasses, and never wear them again."
Then the little girl took off her glasses and dropped them in the waste-basket with a smile. The little boy dropped his on the floor and, with the heel of his heavy shoe, he smashed them into little bits, and laughed.
The father was astonished, and asked: "Why did you do that?"
The little boy laughed loudly, and cried: "Because I have got the best of the horrid things. They never did me any good. They hurt my eyes and kept me off the baseball team. I cannot tell you how glad I am to be rid of them."
The little girl also was smiling, and they soon were all smiling, and they have been smiling pretty much all the time ever since.


Report of the League Meeting

By DOROTHY MAITLAND

THE annual business meeting of the Better Eyesight League was held Tuesday evening, January 13th, at 383 Madison Avenue. We noted with regret the absence of the secretary, Miss Secor, who was ill. Miss Hurty conducted the meeting.
The treasurer's yearly report was made and accepted.
For the benefit of the visitors, Miss Hurty briefly outlined the work of the League and the part each loyal member takes in it. This is to improve his own vision and help others to improve theirs. The work with children was emphasized as being the most essential point in the League's work. Those in charge of children were asked to cooperate with the League in order to reach those children whose defective vision can be corrected at the start.
The nominating committee submitted the following list of officers for the ensuing year. The acting secretary cast a unanimous vote in their favor. The new officers are:
Miss May Secor, President.
Mr. N. A. Weiss, Vice-President.
Miss Mabel Young, Secretary.
Mrs. Wm. R. Marsden, Treasurer.

In view of Miss Secor's absence, Miss Hurty continued as chairman for the evening.
Miss Hurty cited a case of a boy in her class last year who suffered with severe headaches. He received no special treatment but worked out suggestions with good results. He now claims Miss Hurty cured his eyes and relieved his headaches entirely.
Dr. Bates gave us an interesting talk on cataracts. He explained that although all imperfect sight is due to strain, each defect is caused by a different kind of strain. When one has cataracts the eyeballs become hard. Relaxation through swinging, a perfect memory or a perfect imagination softens the eyeball and the cataract disappears. Dr. Bates claims that nearly all cases of cataract are materially benefited at the first visit. Babies with cataracts have been cured when the mothers swayed them in their arms.


(Thumb/finger movement)

Have you learned to swing by means of your thumb? If not, try it now. Place your thumb and forefinger together and rub them lightly in a circular movement. When done correctly you will feel your whole body move and everything about you will seem to move. You know the value of this form of relaxation.
An instance was cited of a movie director who carried a large diamond in his vest pocket and unless he kept moving that diamond between his thumb and forefinger he could not direct his cast. The gentleman who related the case realized the significance of it as soon as the thumb movement was explained to him, and he was very glad to tell us about it.
Perfect sight is natural and a normal condition, and those who have bad vision sometimes instinctively do those things which help them and improve their sight.
The meetings are proving so helpful and officers so enthusiastic that we extend a warm invitation to all those who are interested in this work.


Helpful Hints from Correspondents

These are extracts from letters received from book readers and others. They might suggest new ways of improving your vision.

"I AM proud of my ability to eliminate headaches, fatigue and even nausea resulting from eyestrain. I formerly retired to my room when one of my severe headaches came on, and required the entire household to be absolutely quiet. Now, if my head or eyes pain, I go to my room, palm for a few minutes, swing the card, and feel rested. The headaches usually disappear when I am relaxed. Another discovery! The headaches only come when I do something wrong. The last one was caused by late shopping, rushing to put the house in order, and cooking the whole dinner myself. When I slowly did the long swing (with the broom in one hand and a duster in the other), I grew calm enough to greet my guests pleasantly."


"I was shocked to discover that I was a starer. I knew that Dr. Bates advocated blinking to prevent the stare, and thought that I blinked and shifted constantly. Upon watching myself, however, I found that I only blinked when I remembered to do it consciously. I have made it a rule now to blink my eyes at the end of each line. This compulsory rule is becoming easier, and I believe that it will become a good habit real soon."


Questions and Answers

Q—What is most helpful when one is dreadfully nearsighted and finds it almost impossible to see without glasses?
A—Practice palming as frequently as possible every day. Keeping the eyes closed whenever convenient for five minutes ten times a day is also helpful.

Q—I notice that my squint eye does straighten after palming, but reverts when I stop. How can I tell when and how I strain?
A—Avoid staring after palming and blink all the time. You can demonstrate that staring is a strain by consciously doing it for a few seconds.


Q—If glasses are harmful, how do you account for the benefit the wearer receives; also relief from headaches?
A—(a) Eye glasses are harmful because the benefit received is not permanent. (b) The mental effect of glasses helps some people, but the headaches are not relieved permanently and the vision is usually made worse.

Q—Why is fine print beneficial?
A—Fine print is beneficial because it cannot be read by a strain or effort. The eyes must be relaxed.
Fine print activates perfect central fixation with shifting.

Q—How can I correct the vision of my three-year-old son, who won't palm and doesn't understand it? He is far-sighted.
A- Make a test card with black letters on white paper. The letters to be composed of E's pointing in various directions. These are to be graduated in size, from about 3½ inches to a quarter of an inch. Have the child read them from 10 to 20 feet away. Have him blink constantly while telling in which direction the E's are pointing.