Reading Fine Print, Close Vision, Night Vision, Astigmatism

[ClarkNight]

Reading fine print, shifting on tiny parts of close objects keeps your close and reading eyesight clear. Prevents, cures presbyopia, Myopia, astigmatism by activating perfect convergence, accommodation, saccades and other eye shifting, perfect central-fixation, keeps the eyes lens and eyeball in easy movement, hydrated, nourished and RELAXED.

http://cleareyesight-batesmethod.info/id23.html
http://cleareyesight-batesmethod.info/id35.html

Night vision;
http://cleareyesight-batesmethod.info/id19.html

Astigmatism correction; http://cleareyesight-batesmethod.info/id40.html

Close Vision;










Night Vision;



Astigmatism;






Seeing Eyecharts Clear and Astigmatism Chart;

[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.

[ClarkNight]

Fine Print

When people are able to read fine print with perfect sight at six inches or further, the white spaces between the lines are seen or imagined whiter than the rest of the card. The ability to imagine the white spaces between the lines to be very white is accomplished by the memory of white snow, white starch or anything perfectly white, with the eyes closed for part of a minute. Some patients count thirty while remembering some white object or scene with the eyes closed. Then, when the eyes are opened for a second, the white spaces between the lines of black letters are imagined or seen much whiter than before. By alternately remembering something perfectly white with the eyes closed and opening them for a few seconds and flashing the spaces, the vision or the imagination of the white spaces improves. One needs to be careful not to make an effort or to regard the black letters. When the white spaces between the lines are imagined sufficiently white, or as white as they can be remembered with the eyes closed and with the eyes open; then, look at the black letters, see them clear, the black letters are read without effort or strain, or without the consciousness of regarding the black letters.
The Thin White Line
Many people discover that they can imagine a thin white line where the bottom of the letters comes in contact with the white spaces. This thin line is very white, and the thinner it is imagined to be, the whiter it becomes. When it is imagined perfectly, the letters are read without the consciousness of looking at them and the vision or imagination of the white is very much improved. This thin white line can be imagined much whiter than any other part of the page, and is more easily imagined or seen than any other part. Of course, the eyes have to shift from the thin, white line to the letters in order to see them, but the shifting is done so readily, so continuously, so perfectly that the reader does not notice that he is constantly shifting. When the vision of the thin, white line is imperfect, the shifting is slow and imperfect and the vision for the letters is impaired. The memory or the imagination of the thin, white line is usually so easy, so perfect and so continuous that everything regarded is seen with maximum vision. Patients with cataract who become able to imagine this thin, white line perfectly, very soon become able to read the finest print without effort or strain, and the cataract always improves, or becomes less. Patients with hypermetropia, astigmatism, squint, diseases of the retina and optic nerve are benefited in every way by the memory or the imagination of the thin, white line. Reading fine print with perfect sight benefits or improves all organic diseases of the eye.
Another reason Dr. Bates has the person remember, imagine and look at the white spaces, white line is that: white functions as/with ‘light’, and activates the eyes retina. For this reason there are eyecharts with white letters printed on a black, blue… background. They are easier to see and relaxing especially for patients with low vision.

Stories From The Clinic

Presbyopia

By Emily C. Lierman

I have recently had a few cases of presbyopia which were cured in a short time. One was a woman sixty-three years of age who did fine sewing for her livelihood. She had worn glasses for more than thirty years and during the past two years her eye specialist found it difficult to fit her with glasses correctly. She had purchased her last pair the day before she came to me, and told me they made her so nervous and irritable that she could not possibly wear them more than half a day.
Her vision for the distance was normal, 15/15 with each eye separately. I gave her a small test card to hold, which has the Fundamentals by Dr. W. H. Bates on the opposite side and asked her to read what she could on it. She held it at arm’s length and said that she knew there was some kind of print on the card but could not tell what it was. In despair she looked at me and said, “I fear you will have a hard time getting me to read this.” I gave her the small booklet containing the microscopic type and also a small card with diamond type. I placed the booklet at the lower part of the Fundamentals card and the diamond type card in the center. She was told to hold these about twelve inches from her eyes and not to worry about reading the print. The patient looked at me in a blank sort of way wondering how it was possible to cure presbyopia in this manner. As she was optimistic, it was easy for me to treat her. She was willing to believe that I could do for her what had been done for others whom she knew had been cured by Dr. Bates. I told her to look at the small white spaces between the lines of print in the booklet, close both eyes and remember the white spaces. She could remember them white with her eyes closed. I told her to open her eyes and again look at the white spaces. She said they appeared whiter than they had the first time. Again I told her to close her eyes and remember the white spaces and to open them in less than a second, look at the white spaces of the diamond type card, close her eyes and remember the white spaces; then for just a second to open her eyes and look at the white spaces of the Fundamentals card. I told her to keep this up while I was out of the room and left her to herself for almost a half hour. Before leaving I warned her about trying to read the print, telling her that she was to flash only the white spaces. When I returned she looked at me very much frightened and said “What am I to do, I cannot help but tell you the truth, I can read this Fundamentals’ card.” I noticed that she held the Fundamental card eight inches from her eyes instead of twelve. She read one sentence after another for me.
I told her to be careful about staring at the type, and be sure to look at the white spaces directly below the sentence she was reading instead of at the letters. (Modern teachers state to look at the white spaces, remember/imagine the white spaces clear, pure, bright glowing white, then, when the eyes are relaxed; look directly at the black letters and read the words. Trying to read by looking at the white spaces while seeing the words in the peripheral field is diffusion, the opposite of central fixation and causes strain and unclear vision. Always look directly at the object you want to see clear and shift, move the eyes upon it. After reading a sentence of the Fundamentals card she would shift to the white spaces of the blue booklet and then to the spaces of the small card and back again to the Fundamentals card. The treatment lasted about one hour. I told her to telephone me the next day and let me know if she had forgotten what I had directed her to do. She called, and said that she was able to read some of the Bible type as well as all of the print on the Fundamentals card. Having read my book before she came for treatment, she knew that staring produced much discomfort and realized that she should blink frequently. Her knowledge of the benefits of blinking helped her to be cured more quickly than the usual case of this kind. The last time that she telephoned she reported that her sewing was much easier to do. She has entirely discarded her glasses and promises never to wear them again.

The second patient was a man fifty-eight years of age, a bank teller. He had heard of a bank president who had been cured by Dr. Bates. Then he obtained my book and Dr. Bates’ book, “Perfect Sight Without Glasses,” from the public library. He understood the directions described in each book, but there were times when he was unsuccessful in getting good results, so he came to me for help.
His sight was tested for the distance and he read 15/30 with each eye separately, although he saw some of the letters double. He complained of headache and pain in the back of his eyes, especially while working. He was then directed to palm and to imagine that he was adding accounts. He said it caused more strain and discomfort in his head and eyes. He said that it would be impossible to palm during business hours. I told him that it would not be necessary, that there were other things that he could do to prevent his headaches and eyestrain. I taught him to blink and shift all day long like the normal eye does in order to keep the eyes relaxed and in good condition. He was told to remember something perfectly, easily and without effort. He said he could remember the ocean with the tide coming in and that every seventh wave was the largest. Knowing the game of football helped him to imagine the size, color and shape of the ball. All these little details which improved his memory helped to relax his mind while his eyes were closed.
After ten minutes, he was instructed to stand with his feet about one foot apart and sway his body to the right and then to the left. As the window was close by, I directed him to look off in the distance and notice objects moving with his body, eyes and head, while things up close seemed to move opposite. He said he was hoping I would let him do that for quite a while because the bad headache he had just before coming to me, was disappearing.
Then I told him to keep up the swing, looking out of the window and then toward the test card. As soon as he saw a letter I told him to look away, keeping up the swing all the while. This time he read 15/10 with each eye separately. When I gave him the Fundamental card to read, he could see only sentence No. 2. All the rest of the card was very much blurred to him. Again I directed him to stand and swing and notice distant objects moving with his eyes and body, while things close appeared to move opposite.
I then had him sit in a chair with his back to the sun and told him to remember the sway of the body with his eyes closed. In a short time he began to practice again with the Fundamental card, and this time he read up to No. 8 by imagining the white spaces whiter than they really were. I watched him as he tried to read further and when he began to read the small type, he stopped the blinking unconsciously and stared at the print. I noticed that his forehead became wrinkled and that he squeezed his eyes almost shut to read. (Squinting) I stopped this and asked him to close his eyes quickly and tell me how he felt. He had produced a strain that caused his head and eyes to ache. I reminded him that by squeezing his eyes and staring and making an effort, a strain had been produced. While his eyes were covered with the palm of one hand, he remarked, “Now I realize what I must do all day long to see without straining.” I told him that when patients found out for themselves that staring brings on tension and pain, they are cured much more quickly than others who do not realize this fact. He was cured in three visits.

My third case of presbyopia, which took the longest time to cure, was a music teacher forty-nine years of age. It was very hard to convince her that I could benefit her.
Her vision for the test card with each eye was normal, 15/15. When I gave her the Fundamental card to read, she was quite positive that she would never read any of it without her glasses. I gave her a “Better Eyesight” Magazine and told her to look at the title. She said that she could see it, but that the type was blurred as she held it at arm’s length from her eyes.
She was told to close her eyes and palm with one hand and remember one of the letters of the test card that she had read at fifteen feet. Then, in less than a moment’s time, I told her to remove her hand from her eyes and look at the white spaces of the Fundamental card. She did this a few times and then began to smile. She said the print was beginning to clear up, but that it soon faded away and she became unable to read it again. When I told her to avoid looking at the type, she laughed. Immediately I became convinced that this was the way she read her sheet music. She looked directly at the notes and lowered her vision by staring. By closing her eyes and remembering white spaces, then opening them and looking at the white spaces, words began to clear up and she became a very different person. When she was successful in doing as I directed, she read up to No. 3 of the Fundamental card. I saw her once a week for more than a month before she was able to read the entire Fundamental card, eight inches from her eyes. She was told to place the small black test card on the piano near the sheet music and to frequently flash a letter of the card; then read her music. In this way she was cured. All patients cannot be treated in the same way, no matter what trouble they may have with their eyes. Eyestrain has a great deal to do with the mind and the Bates Method has surely proved it.
It is ok to look directly at the print as long as the eyes shift on it. Shifting, central fixation, blink. Avoid staring, squinting, effort to see clear.
Flash – two meanings:
1 = To look at, shift on a object quickly for a ‘fraction of a second’ and then close the eyes to avoid giving the eyes, mind a chance to use strain, effort to see. For that fraction of a second the letter is often clear and with practice the letter remains clear longer.
2 = A flash of clear vision lasting a fraction of a second or longer to minutes, hours, weeks, permanent .)



Case History

January 14, 1927
Mr. Robert C. Fager,
38 South 17th St.
Harrisburg, Pa.

Dear Sir:
In reply to your letter of the 11th concerning Dr. Bates’ book “Perfect Sight Without Glasses,” I would like to say that after reading this book about five years ago and practicing the methods outlined in the book, I was able to lay aside my glasses which I had been wearing more or less for twenty-one years. I have not used my glasses since that time and have noted no bad effects, in fact, I have continued to feel better and gain in weight until I am now, at forty-two years of age, better than I ever was.
I still have some slight astigmatism in my right eye, but feel that if I would really take the time and trouble to practice Dr. Bates’ methods more thoroughly, I would easily overcome this difficulty.
When I used to wear glasses, I would get headaches in a few minutes time if I tried to read without them. Since learning Dr. Bates’ eye exercises, I have had no trouble reading as long as I wanted to without any headaches.
If you have had no operation on your eyes, I feel sure that you can obtain normal vision if you will conscientiously practice the methods described in Dr. Bates’ book.

Sincerely yours,
W. J. DANA,
Professor of Experimental Engineering,
North Carolina State College of
Agriculture and Engineering.


Questions and Answers

Q - In case of illness where one is unable to practice with the Snellen test card or stand up, what method is used?
A - Blink frequently and shift your eyes constantly from one point to another. Turn your head slightly from side to side on the pillow or close your eyes and think of something pleasant, something that you can remember perfectly and let your mind drift from one pleasant thought to another.

Q -The sun shining on the snow darkens and almost blinds my vision. What is this caused by, and how can I obtain relief?
A -This is caused by a strain and can be relieved by practicing blinking, shifting and central fixation all day long. Notice that stationary objects appear to move in the direction opposite to the movement of your head and eyes. Notice that the trees or other near objects move opposite while the horizon or distant objects move with you.
Poor nutrition, drugs, some herbs, can impair the eyes adjustment from light to dark, dark to light.

Q - Does wearing rubbers for any length of time hurt the eyes?
A - Yes, it does not give the blood an opportunity to circulate properly.

Q - It is very hard for me to think in terms of black and white. Is there some other method which is just as beneficial?
A - Yes, letting your mind drift from one pleasant memory to another will accomplish the same results.

Q - Is it necessary to practice with the Snellen test card if you follow the method otherwise?
A - Yes, it is advisable to keep up your daily practice with the test card for at least a few moments. This will improve your memory and the memory must be improved in order to have the vision improve.

[ClarkNight]

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

APRIL, 1929

Questions And Answers

Q - Which is the best method of obtaining relaxation?
A - The object of all the methods I recommend is relaxation. Some patients obtain more benefit from the practice of one method than another.

Q - When palming and remembering black, is it advisable to keep the image stationary and to keep the same image, or is it just as good to shift from one object to another?
A - When palming and remembering black, one should imagine everything remembered to be moving and not stationary. It is necessary to shift from one image or from one object to another.

Q - How long is it necessary to read the test card before obtaining benefit?
A - Some patients by palming and resting their eyes have obtained benefits in a few minutes.

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 have noticed when I palm that my eyeballs hurt from the pressure. When I loosen this tension the light filters in.
A - Palming is done correctly with the fingers closed and laid gently over each eye, using the palms like a cup. If this is done properly there is no pressure and the light is shut out.

Q - Is there a possibility of palming wrong? I can obtain some benefit, but later I feel strained.
A - Palming may be done properly or it may be done wrong. Read the chapter on palming in my book.

Q - Should children read microscopic type?
A - Yes. Reading microscopic type is a benefit to the eyes of both children and adults.

Q - Dr. Bates says that in reading fine print one should look between the lines. Is this not contrary to the principles of central fixation? To see the print best, should one not look directly at it?
A - One can look between the lines and shift to the black letters with central fixation. Look directly at the letters when reading them.

Q - When I look at an object and blink, it appears to jump with each blink. Would this be considered the short swing?
A - Yes. You unconsciously look from one side to the other of the object when blinking.

Q - After palming for ten minutes or longer, my eyes are rested, but I feel sleepy.
A - The palming is not perfect. Try imagining stationary objects to be moving when you palm.
Shift on the objects in the imagination.

Q - My eyes feel fine after I palm and let my mind drift on various black objects. However, the period is more difficult.
A - Perfect mental pictures of ordinary objects means a perfect mental picture of a period. To try to see is an effort or strain, and produces defective vision. Shift on the period in the imagination.

Q - Should I think only of a black period when palming? Should I imagine my body swaying and the period moving?
A - If it requires an effort for you to think of a period, you should not try to do so. It is just as beneficial to let your mind drift from one pleasant thought to another. When one remembers a period, it should be imagined to be moving from side to side. (as the eyes, mental visual attention is shifting on it.)

Q - Should one always imagine stationary objects to be moving in the opposite direction?
A - When one is riding in a train, one should imagine that telegraph poles and other stationary objects are moving in the opposite direction. When one is walking on the street, he can imagine when looking down, that the pavement is coming toward him; when he looks to the right or left, he can imagine that objects on either side are moving opposite. The object of this is to avoid the stare.

Q - Will you please describe the long swing?
A - The long swing is accomplished as follows: Stand with the feet about one foot apart, turn the body to the right - at the same time lifting the heel of the left foot. The head and eyes move with the body. Now place the left heel on the floor, turn the body to the left, raising the heel of the right foot. Alternate.

Q - How do you practice the variable swing?
A - Hold the forefinger of one hand six inches from the right eye and about the same distance to the right, look straight ahead and move the head a short distance from side to side. The finger appears to move.

Q - What is central fixation?
A - Central fixation is seeing best where you are looking, and worse where you are not looking. That is, when you look at a chair, for instance, do not try to see the whole object at once, look first at the back of it, seeing that part best and other parts worse. Remember to blink as you quickly shift your glance from the back to the seat and legs, seeing each part best in turn.

Q - How much time should I devote to palming each day?
A - The more time one devotes to palming, the quicker will results be obtained, provided one practices correctly. Palming should be practiced for five, ten, fifteen minutes or longer at a time. Some patients obtain more benefits from practicing palming for short periods of time at more frequent intervals.

Effects during healing, reversal of Presbyopia, Cataract... By Clark Night

A; When first reading fine print up close; if its very blurry, it (or any object up close) can appear to shake around, like jelly when you shift on it. Its due to the eyes shifting movement being tight, large due to eye muscle tension. One eye might see the object smaller or bigger. (one eye has more tension in its muscles, its shape, convergence-divergence is imperfect) A small area of the far outer sides of the vision can appear dark and shaky (like the jelly) when looking very close. Similar to the way sinus pressure on the eyes can cause temporary lights or dark spots. It is harmless. Its from the muscles trying to work correct and changing the eyes shape and movement to normal. Some people report clear-like moving, swirling visual images or white after images of the print and white spaces between sentences when they look away from the close print to the distance. Headache when looking very close.

All of this is the circulation returning, debris, waste being removed from the eyes, the lens returning movement and hydration, normal nutrient flow and; the eye muscles, outer and the inner lens muscle releasing their tension, aligning and the eye changing back to normal healthy shape. Complete and balanced convergence, divergence, accommodation, un-accommodation returning. Perfect left and right eye alignment.

All these visual effects disappear as the vision improves. I experienced all these when I was curing my presbyopia. They disappeared and left me with very clear eyesight!

When the eyesight, eyes are not in advanced stages of blur, tension and/or when relaxation is quickly obtained in any degree of blur, most or all of these temporary healing effects are not experienced.
Neck, shoulder, head muscle tension also has an effect. So release that too.

Cataract reversal can be similar because both cataract and presbyopia involve the lens and its muscle being tight. This can also effect the eyes shape and outer eye muscles.