Many people can confirm that special exercises for training the visual apparatus have helped them get rid of unpleasant eye problems. This is indeed possible, although doctors still recommend using proven correction methods - glasses or contacts. But it’s worth trying gymnastics. Restoring vision using the Bates method works 100%, the main thing is to understand the technique. The only thing you need to be prepared for is that quick results there won't be. Especially if the violations are serious.
A talented American ophthalmologist has developed a system that can improve vision. It is based on a theory that explains why refractive errors of the eyes occur.
Bates claims that the reason for this is pathological tension in the muscles that are located around the eyeball.
But in modern ophthalmology there is a different opinion on this matter. It is believed that only organic changes in the tissues of the eyes and in the lens provoke decreased vision. That is, the scientist’s methodology is completely refuted.
Fortunately, Bates has supporters who have tested for themselves how true and effective his technique is.
Manufacturers of glasses and lenses are interested in increasing consumer demand. The natural way They do not accept vision correction.
In addition, many ophthalmologists are confident that only the use of glasses, as well as surgical treatment will help the patient with eye diseases. And often when the patient comes for the next consultation, he is not advised to get rid of glasses, but, on the contrary, is prescribed corrective devices with a large number diopter.
Bates did not want to agree with similar situation. He was looking for an alternative so that he could give up glasses forever. And as a result, I came up with exercises that significantly increase visual acuity.
The scientist's method consists of two basic principles:
- Main factor, due to which vision deteriorates, is stress of a psychosomatic nature. If the psyche is tense, the eye will also be tense. This condition brings mental and physical discomfort, which, accordingly, provokes various pathologies of eye refraction. Therefore, a person has to deal with astigmatism, strabismus, myopia and farsightedness.
- The most important goal exercises - to achieve absolute relaxation of the eye muscles so that spasmodic phenomena are eliminated.
If gymnastics to improve vision is performed systematically, then:
- blood circulation is normalized;
- the muscle tone of the eyes will be restored.
Thus, after some time a person will be able to do without glasses altogether.
On initial stage excessive loads are excluded. This can lead to unnecessary strain and pain, which will affect the condition of the visual system. You need to start with the easiest steps possible.
Bates noted long ago that wearing glasses for recovery visual functions has virtually no effect. Moreover, over time the patient required stronger devices. And those who gave up glasses for a certain period of time claimed that there were noticeable improvements.
When the visual system is functioning normally, the eye muscles are relaxed. Therefore, the image on the retina is focused as it should be. To examine objects close up, the transverse muscles tense. And if you need to focus on distant objects, they will relax, and the longitudinal muscles will become tense. It turns out that when the transverse muscles are tense for too long, myopia occurs. With farsightedness, the opposite principle applies.
Bates managed to come up with exercises that actively train the eye system, and patients get rid of glasses.
Development by psychoanalyst G. A. Shichko
The Bates method, as already mentioned, has many followers, who, in turn, continued to work on a unique discovery. For example, the result of the work of Professor V. G. Zhdanov was the merging of two methods - the practice of Bates and the practice of the psychoanalyst Shichko.
It is worth considering in more detail the features of the Shichko technique. The scientist was sure that during the period of night rest, programs that are harmful to health could be destroyed. To achieve this result, you need to write self-hypnosis in your diary immediately before falling asleep, aimed at improving the condition of certain organs. Shichko argued that when what you want takes shape in the form of written words, it comes true faster. Words spoken, read, or simply heard do not have such power.
The Shichko method involves actions that consist of recording specific phrases. In other words, the person programs the recovery himself. Settings should not be shortcuts. You need to write in as much detail as possible.
For example:
- “I constantly feel that my vision is improving”;
- “I can see quite well even the most small items, located around” and so on.
The Shichko-Bates technique is quite popular. Professor Zhdanov's lectures are attended by many students. Zhdanov has no doubt: without practice according to the Shichko method, Bates gymnastics will give practically no results.
In addition, additional activities will be needed:
- cleansing the body;
- therapeutic fasting;
- separate meals and more.
Shichko's method will work if you follow the rules constantly. After about 7 days, anyone will be able to stop using glasses. At least that's what the reviews say.
The Shichko system and Bates gymnastics will bring real results if certain factors are present:
- Improvement can be achieved if the decrease in visual function is explained stressful situations, and at the same time the structure of the eyes remains unchanged.
- Such treatment will be most useful for a person who has good suggestibility.
- To achieve results, you will need effort and systematic training.
The Shichko method, as well as Bates exercises, may not always completely restore vision. But the effect will still be noticeable.
List of exercises for the visual apparatus
Modern civilized life is distinguished by the fact that the psyche of any person is almost never relaxed. That is, eye diseases are caused not so much by working at a computer, but mental stress. To see visual organ you need to be at peace. Stress negatively affects the condition of the eyes because they become tense.
Special gymnastics will help get rid of existing refractive errors. You do not need to wear glasses to perform the exercise. Otherwise there will be no result at all.
Gymnastics, with which you can really improve your vision, involves the following actions:
- Palming. To completely relax, you need to cover your eyes from the light with your palms, while your fingers are crossed in the forehead. It is advisable to rub your palms before starting the exercise. Although even so a person will see some light images. Therefore, it is necessary to present any objects that are black in color. That is end result- black field. You can see it only when you can relax completely. Palming is recommended regardless of the time of day, especially in the evening. The duration of the exercise is 3-5 minutes.
- Memories. It’s easy to relax your psyche if you remember something very pleasant. These can be tastes, smells, sounds.
- Mental representation. Visual impairment is always accompanied by problems with visual memory and performance. But it will only be possible to imagine something if a person remembers. Therefore, the concepts are interconnected. When doing palming, you should imagine black objects (dress, hat, wardrobe, chair), while focusing with your inner gaze on each object for one second.
- Moving to the sides. Fixation of gaze at one point is poorly reflected in the state of the visual organs. For example, take a table that ophthalmologists use for checking. You need to look first at one letter, then concentrate on another letter in the same line. The first one should be less visible. So you should move your gaze further so that you get the feeling that the line is moving. You can achieve improvement with this action. With your eyes closed, you need to mentally swing the letter, which is black in color. It should be done so that there is no effort.
- Turns. Holding it in front of your nose index finger, you need to turn your head first in one direction, then in the other. You cannot take your eyes off your finger. You can perform an action with eyes closed, and the finger should touch the tip of the nose.
- Solarization. Gymnastics involves developing a habit of sunlight. Before class, you need to turn towards the sun. In this case, free turns of the head and the entire body are recommended. Once habituation occurs, one eyelid lifts for a short period of time. The gaze is directed downwards. Then repeat with the other eyelid. If tension occurs, you need to blink.
Sunlight is completely replaced by a candle or lamp. But the sun is, of course, better.
The proposed method will definitely be useful. It may not completely eliminate the problem, but it will prevent the situation from getting worse.
Many people begin to experience vision problems over time: these may be various disorders, such as , . Any person with eye pathology strives to get rid of it. Restoring vision is a completely doable task, and there is plenty of evidence of this. Those who have succeeded say with confidence: if you do eye exercises regularly, there really is an effect. Regular eye gymnastics significantly improves blood circulation in the tissues of the eyes, restores tone, which, as a result, improves vision so much that the patient gets rid of the need to wear glasses or glasses.
When performing eye exercises, you should adhere to certain rules. First of all, there is no need to immediately apply excessive loads - this will not only not improve vision, but will also cause severe overstrain of the eye muscles and pain. At the beginning of classes, it is advisable to perform light exercises, increasing the load over time.
The essence of the Bates method
The Bates method for improving vision is based on the fact that vision is directly related to mental stress. And exactly mental state leads to eye strain and nervous system. Bates's theory is to restore vision by regularly performing special exercises to train and relax the eye muscles.
How eye muscles affect vision
William Bates worked at the junction of 19 and 20, and in the process he became disillusioned with the methods of restoring vision that existed at that time. After all, even those glasses that were correctly selected had to be replaced with stronger ones over time. At the same time, patients who have not used for some time optical correction, over time, they noted an improvement in vision.
The discovery of W. Bates was to clarify the essence of the influence on vision of the six extraocular muscles, which change the shape of the eyeball. By influencing these muscles, it is possible to change the focus. At normal vision all six muscles are relaxed, and the eye has a nearly spherical shape. Only in this case the image is focused clearly on.
When a person needs to look at a nearby object, the transverse muscles tense and the longitudinal muscles relax. The shape of the eye becomes more elongated, similar to a horizontal oval. When viewing distant objects, the transverse muscles relax, and the longitudinal muscles tense, and the eye becomes spherical. Thanks to this discovery, Bates established that myopia is a consequence of overstrain of the transverse muscles, and farsightedness develops when long-term stress transverse extraocular muscles. Therefore, to correct myopia, a person should strengthen the longitudinal muscles, and in case of farsightedness, the transverse muscles.
After this discovery, W. Bates developed a system of eye exercises that allowed him to train certain eye muscles. He took as a basis the system of the North American Indians, the main principle of which was to train some muscles and relax others.
Author of the method W. Bates
William Horatio Bates was born in New Jersey, New Jersey. He devoted his entire life to ophthalmology, and his discovery was a real revolution. There is little reliable information about Bates' biography. Medical education from Cornell and then graduated from the American College of Physicians and Surgeons. Then in 1885 he received academic degree and started practical activities. For a long time Bates worked as a physician's assistant at a hospital in New York, then as the chief staff physician at a psychiatric clinic. At the same time he practiced in other medical institutions, including in New York Hospital. He was a teacher of ophthalmology.
During the entire practical work Bates was interested in vision problems. In order to be able to engage in research in this area, he did not practice for six years. medical clinics, and only in 1902 he returned to work at the London Hospital. Since 1904 he led private practice, from 1910 - worked at the Harlem Hospital. Died in 1931.
Bates exercises to restore vision
To restore vision by strengthening the eye muscles, you must perform the following exercises sequentially.
Weak optics. First, the patient should replace his lenses or glasses with weaker ones. Bates recommended using optical aids that differ from those the patient currently uses for clear vision by 1-1.5 diopters.
Gymnastics for the eyes. It is very important to do proper gymnastics for eyes:
- raise your eyes up and down;
- look alternately left and right, then up and down;
- look down to the right, then up to the left;
- draw a rectangle with your eyes, first moving clockwise and then in the opposite direction;
- draw the dial with your eyes, stopping at the numbers 12, 3, 6, 9, then move in the opposite direction;
- draw a snake with your eyes, moving in one direction and then the other.
Each exercise should end with blinking your eyes, which helps relieve tension. In the first week of training, you should do a maximum of three repetitions. of this complex exercises.
Turns. This exercise must be performed with eyes closed and open, to the left and to the right side. You can hum a pleasant melody during the exercise, which will help you relax. There is no need to concentrate on anything. You need to make at least 70 turns.
Exercises with the sun. Turn towards the sun, close your eyes and roll your eyeballs. It is better to do this exercise at dawn or sunset. It is strictly forbidden to do this at maximum solar activity. The duration of the exercise is at least five minutes twice a day. If there is no sun, you can light a candle in the room. At the end of this exercise you should do palming.
Palming. You should close your eyes with your hands and imagine a deep black color without glare or colored spots. You should try to relax as much as possible. Palming needs to be done at least 4 times a day. The duration of the exercise is five to ten minutes.
Eye patch. For more quick recovery vision, you need to make a gas bandage from a light-proof material. One eye should be covered with such a bandage and normal housework should be done. After half an hour, the bandage should be removed, palming should be done and a similar exercise should be repeated for the second eye. This exercise is very effective and is recommended to be performed frequently.
Opinions about the effectiveness of exercise are controversial. On the territory former USSR An active supporter of the Bates technique is physicist Vladimir Zhdanov. He combined the principles of the Bates system and the work of the Soviet physiologist Gennady Shichko. Therefore, in the literature you can find a double name for the method for restoring vision - Shichko-Bates.
Bates theory
The English ophthalmologist William Bates believed that visual impairment was the result of psychological imbalance and muscle tension. The eye experiences strain when closely examining objects.
Because of this, it is formed additional center activity in the brain and occurs psychological problem. Because over time it does not disappear, but worsens, and a spasm of the oculomotor muscles develops.
Therefore, the Bates method for restoring vision is based on influencing the muscles that provide movement of the eyeballs. Unlike traditional medicine restoring vision using the Bates method does not involve affecting the muscle that changes the curvature of the lens. This does not take into account age-related changes tissues of the organ of vision, various inflammatory and degenerative processes.
The Bates method involves avoiding the use of glasses and. IN as a last resort It is recommended to use a weak correction. The author believed that external funds for vision correction only worsen the process of accommodation and harm the eye, because the muscles do not contract and are not restored properly.
The Shichko method for restoring visual acuity is a complex of psychological attitudes. The Soviet physiologist believed that thoughts must be recorded on paper to improve vision. Before going to bed, the patient should write certain phrases, then perform Bates exercises and go to bed. During sleep, the necessary attitudes are formed, and vision improves.
The complex method of Vladimir Zhdanov combines the physiological component of eye training according to Bates and the psychological component in the form of Shichko training.
Indications and contraindications
Eye gymnastics by William Bates is indicated for the following conditions:
- age-related or congenital;
- myopia;
- amblyopia;
Improvement in vision without glasses should be expected after a few months of regular exercise.
- surgical intervention on the eyes within six months;
- (both acute and chronic).
Before starting vision restoration using the Shichko-Bates method, you should consult with an ophthalmologist. Retinal diseases in the early stages occur without pronounced clinical symptoms, and exercise can provoke a worsening of the condition.
Bates gymnastics to restore visual acuity includes several basic exercises that are suitable for each patient, as well as individual complex depending on the existing violations. Bates exercises are divided into passive and dynamic.
Passive exercises
Exercise of a passive nature consists of palming, mental imagery and recollection. It is aimed at relaxing the eyeball as a whole. The muscular system relaxes indirectly.
Palming
It is necessary to rub your palms against each other, lower your relaxed eyelids, but do not close your eyes too much. The palms are placed above the closed eyes so that the fingers are crossed at the bottom of the forehead in the form of a house.
The Bates method exercise should be performed in a calm environment, with even and calm breathing. Its goal is maximum relaxation, in which a person will see in his mind’s eye an absolutely black field without spots.
Need to achieve complete relaxation, this will take 4–5 minutes. Palming is a simple exercise that can be performed as soon as eye fatigue becomes noticeable. It is especially useful to perform it before bed.
Memories
The situation is the same as in the previous exercise. The eyes are closed, but without the overlap of the palms. A person must concentrate and imagine some calm sound (the sound of water, birdsong) or a pleasant smell (butter dough, cinnamon), or taste (coffee, chocolate).
Any option will do, but the memory should be pleasant, not stressful or annoying. After a few minutes, a person will see a completely black field as a result of complete relaxation of the eyeballs, which is what was required to be achieved.
Mental image
Aimed at increasing the ability of the brain and eyeballs to completely relax. 2 options for performing the exercise have been developed.
The first involves palming, during which you need to imagine any black objects in your field of vision and fixate them for 1–2 seconds.
The second option is possible using a table to test visual acuity with letters. At a distance of 2.5-5 meters from the poster, you must select any letter in the line. Both eyes are closed, the traditional version of palming is done, and the letter appears completely black. Once the process is complete, the letters next to the selected one will be visible more clearly.
Dynamic exercises
Improving vision without glasses using the Bates method with passive exercises alone is impossible. Active complex movements include central fixation and movement, large and small turns, blinking and flashing, solarization.
Central fixation
Involves examining an object or letter in such a way that the center or corner is clearly visible, but the surrounding space is a little blurry. Gradually you need to reduce the size of the objects in question.
Moving
Aimed at restoring the functioning of the eye muscles using smooth, calm movements. To begin with, 3 repetitions are enough, as the results appear, their number increases. It is easy to imagine and perform all the movements using drawings. The number of movements of each type is 10–12 per approach.
Exercises include the following movements:
- moving the gaze down and up;
- eye movements to the sides (left and right);
- diagonal - from right top corner to the lower left and vice versa;
- drawing a virtual square with your gaze: from the left corner to the right - down, from the right corner to the left - up;
- drawing a diagonal inside the square (from the bottom left corner up - from the top corner diagonally down, also on the right);
- circular eye movements in a clockwise direction;
- drawing “teeth” - the eyes move up and down.
After completing each movement of the eyeballs, you need to blink vigorously.
Turns big and small
A large turn is a movement of not only the eyes, but also the head, as well as the upper limbs. Accordingly, small turns are movements only with the eyes.
Small turns can be performed this way. Place a finger or pen in front of the nose. They move their eyes to the right and left so that the gaze glides over the object, but is not fixed on it.
A similar technique is used when performing a large turn - the gaze glides, but is not fixed. During this exercise, a person stands, his head and outstretched arms move simultaneously. These eye exercises are performed at least 70-75 times.
Flashes and blinks
Blinking is a protective reflex that allows the eye to relax. Improving vision using the Bates method involves conscious blinking, which prevents fatigue visual analyzer when looking at objects.
The exercise can be performed in several ways:
- stand in front of the mirror and examine your right and left eyes alternately, blinking after each time;
- sit next to the vision test table, look for 4–5 minutes at the bottom 4 lines, where the letters are clearly visible, and then blink;
- move slowly from hand to hand small item(ball, toy), with each throw the eyes blink.
The task with flashes is somewhat more difficult. His task is to be able to see an object clearly without prolonged and close examination. To perform it, you need to look at some object casually for no more than a second. Then close your eyes, palming, and imagine this object as clearly as possible. Flashing should be done indoors and outdoors, with sunlight and in low light conditions. The eye must learn to adapt to any conditions.
Solarization
The most difficult exercise, causing greatest number comments from doctors. It involves direct exposure to sunlight.
Solarization involves several actions:
- Stand in the bright sun and close your eyes, breathe evenly until your eyes adapt to the bright light, then carefully lift the eyelid of one eye with clean hands, looking down (not at the sun), repeat with the second eye.
- Position yourself on the corner of the house so that half of your body is in the shade and the other half in the sun, slowly turn your head from side to side so that both eyes fall into the shadow and bright light.
- Continuing to turn your head, open one eye and glance at objects, then make several turns so that open eye looked straight at the sun.
After solarization, prolonged palming is required. If the slightest discomfort appears, stop the exercise.
Result
All proposed exercises are aimed at strengthening the muscular system, which is effective for patients with certain vision problems. Such people really begin to see better with daily long-term training. At the same time, improving vision according to Bates is a technique that is not recognized official medicine and causing a lot of controversy among doctors.
As Bates argued, improving vision without glasses is available to everyone. But his gymnastics, like Shichko’s method, do not take into account the dystrophic and degenerative processes occurring in the eyes, for example, with glaucoma and retinopathy. For patients with these diseases, exercise can only cause harm. Therefore, before starting gymnastics, a consultation with an ophthalmologist is required.
Useful video about the Bates method
