Ординатура / Офтальмология / Английские материалы / Relearning To See_Quackenbush_2000

the idiosyncrasy of the mind which makes one object a pessimum and another an optimum. It is also impossible [for me] to account for the fact that an object may be an optimum for one eye and not for the other, or an optimum at one time and at one distance and not at others. Among these unaccountable optimums one often finds a particular letter on the Snellen card. One person, for instance, was able to see the letter К on the forty, fifteen and ten lines, but could see none of the other let­ ters on these fines, although most people would see some of them, on account of the simpUcity of their outlines, better than they would such a letter as K.

Pessimums may be as curious and unac­ countable as optimums. The letter V is so simple in its outlines that many people can see it when they cannot see others on the same fine. Yet some people are unable to distinguish it at any distance, although able to read other letters in the same word, or on the same line of the Snellen card. Some people again will not only be unable to rec­ ognize the letter V in a word, but also to read any word that contains it, the pessi­ mum lowering their sight not only for itself but for other objects. Some letters, or objects, become pessimums only in partic­ ular situations. A letter, for instance, may be a pessimum when located at the end, or at the beginning of a line, or sentence, and not in other places. When the attention of the person is called to the fact that a letter seen in one location ought logically to be seen equally well in others, the letter often ceases to be a pessimum in any situation.

A pessimum, like an optimum, may be lost and later become manifest. It may vary according to the light and distance. An object which is a pessimum in a moderate Ught may not be so when the light is increased or diminished. A pessimum at

twenty feet may not be one at two feet, or thirty feet, and an object which is a pessi­ mum when directly regarded may be seen with normal vision in the eccentric fieldthat is, when not directly regarded.

For most people the Snellen card is a pessimum. If you can see the Snellen card with normal vision, you can see almost any­ thing else in the world. People who cannot see the letters on the Snellen card can often see other objects of the same size and at the same distance with normal sight. [TQ emphasis.] When letters which are seen imperfectly, or even letters which cannot be seen at all, or which the person is not conscious of seeing, are regarded, the error of refraction is increased. The person may regard a blank white card without any error of refraction; but if he regards the lower part of a Snellen card, which appears to him to be just as blank as the blank card, an error of refraction can always be demon­ strated, and if the visible letters of the card are covered the result is the same. The pes­ simum may, in short, be letters or objects which the person is not conscious of see­ ing. This phenomenon is very common. When the card is seen in the eccentric field it may have the effect of lowering the vision for the point directly regarded. For instance, a person may regard an area of green wall­ paper at the distance, and see the color as well as at the near point; but if a Snellen card on which the letters are either seen imperfectly, or not seen at all, is placed in the neighborhood of the area being regarded, the retinoscope may indicate an error of refraction. When the vision improves, the number of letters on the card which are pessimums diminishes and the number of optimums increases, until the whole card becomes an optimum.

A pessimum, like an optimum, is a man­ ifestation of the mind. It is something asso-

dated with a strain to see, just as an optimum is something which has no such association. It is not caused by the error of refraction, but always produces an error of refraction; and when the strain has been relieved it ceases to be a pessimum and becomes an optimum.

Right-brain/left-brain experts may now be able to explain some of the "unaccountable" observations mentioned by Bates. Looking to the left activates right-brain characteristics, and looking to the right activates leftbrain characteristics. See Figure io-5: "Vision." An optimum is anything that promotes correct vision habits. A pessimum is anything that promotes incorrect vision habits. The process of improving vision involves the transformation of objects or thoughts we now regard to be pessimums into optimums. Opti-

mums are relaxing.

Again quoting from Perfect Sight Without

Glasses:

THE FUNDAMENTAL P R I N C I P L E

Do you read imperfectly? Can you observe then that when you look at the first word, or the first letter, of a sentence you do not see best where you are looking; that you see other words, or other letters, just as well as or better than the one you are looking at? Do you observe also that the harder you try to see the worse you see?

Now close your eyes and rest them, remembering some color, like black or white [or anything else that is relaxing] that you can remember perfectly. Keep them closed until they feel rested, or until the feeling of strain has been completely relieved. Now open them and look at the first word or letter of a sentence for a fraction of a second. If you have been able to relax, partially or completely, you will have

Chapter Twenty-Two: Reading—For A l l A g e s

a flash of improved or clear vision, and the area seen best will be smaller....

If your trouble is with distant instead of near vision, use the same method with distant letters.

From Chapter XVII of Perfect Sight Without Glasses, Bates writes the following:

According to accepted ideas of ocular hygiene, it is important to protect the eyes from a great variety of influences which are often very difficult to avoid, and to which most people resign themselves with the uneasy sense that they are thereby "ruining their eyesight." Bright lights, artificial lights, dim lights, sudden fluctuations of light, fine print, reading in moving vehicles, reading lying down, etc., have long been considered "bad for the eyes," and libraries of literature have been produced about their supposedly direful effects. These ideas are diametrically opposed to the truth. When the eyes are properly used, vision under adverse conditions not only does not injure them, but is an actual benefit, because a greater degree of relaxation is required to see under such conditions than under more favorable ones...

... [If] persons with imperfect sight practice centralization, they become accustomed to them [i.e., the adverse conditions] and derive great benefit from them

The universal fear of reading or doing fine work in a dim light is, however, unfounded. So long as the light is sufficient so that one can see without discomfort, this practice is not only harmless, but may be beneficial.

... fine print cannot be read in a dim light and close to the eyes unless the eyes are relaxed, whereas large print can be read in a good light and at ordinary reading distance although the eyes may be under a

strain. When fine print can be read under adverse conditions, the reading of ordinary print under ordinary conditions is vastly improved—

FACTS VERSUS THEORIES

were very much tired by a trip downtown during which they were not called upon to centralize upon small objects.

Better Eyesight magazine, May 1923:

Reading fine print is commonly supposed to be an extremely dangerous practice, and reading print of any kind upon a moving vehicle is thought to be even worse. Looking away to the distance, however, and not seeing anything in particular is believed to be very beneficial to the eyes. In the fight of these superstitions the facts contained in the following letter are particularly interesting:

"On reaching home Monday morning I was surprised and pleased at the comments of my family regarding the appearance of my eyes. They all thought they looked so much brighter and rested, and that after two days of railroading. I didn't spare my eyes in the least on the way home. I read magazines and newspapers, looked at the scenery; in fact, I used my eyes all the time. My sight for the near point is splendid. I can read for hours without tiring my eyes. I went downtown today and my eyes were very tired when I got home. The fine print on the card [diamond type] helps me so much I would like to have your little Bible. [Bates gave many students a card with diamond type print, and a photographic reduction of the Bible printed in type smaller than diamond.] I'm sure the very fine print has a soothing effect on one's eyes, regardless of what my previous ideas on the subject were."

It will be observed that the eyes of this student were not tired by her two-day railroad journey, during which she read constantly; they were not tired by hours of reading after her return; they were rested by reading extremely fine print; but they

Question: Why are books for small children printed in large type?

Answer: Because Boards of Education have not yet learned that it is a strain for anyone to look at big print and a relaxation to read fine print.

Better Eyesight magazine, June 1923:

Question: ... Does age make any difference?

Answer: ... No, age does not make any difference.

Better Eyesight magazine, September 1923:

Question: If fine type is beneficial, why do they print children's school books in large type?

Answer: For the same reason that people wear glasses—Ignorance of the proper way.

Better Eyesight magazine, April 1928:

Question: I have attained normal vision, but after reading for a while, my eyes feel strained. Would you still consider I had normal sight?

Answer: If your eyes feel strained you are not reading with normal vision.

The reduced-size paragraphs on the next two pages are provided so you can practice reading small print.

"Вит I FEEL LIK E I AM STRAININ G

WHEN I REA D SMAL L P R I N T "

When the sight is imperfect, there is always a strain involved—by definition. The practice of reading small print may feel like a strain when relearning centralization. This is because the person with imperfect sight has learned to diffuse.

A person who argues that reading small letters is harmful logically needs to agree that the eyes are being harmed every time a per­ son has their sight tested by an eye doctor, because the person is often asked to read the smallest ]ine. Similarly, people who have their vision tested at the California Department of Motor Vehicles are asked to read small let­ ters in the distance. Certainly these activities would not be allowed if reading small size let­ ters was believed to be harmful.

It takes time to unlearn incorrect, strained ways of seeing. Ultimately, only centraliza­ tion and movement are relaxing.

A TEMPORARY LOWERING OF

COMPREHENSION

Some students comment that they experience a lowering in comprehension while practic-

ing the correct vision habits during reading. This is common. Usually, a person does not think about how they are supposed to read. While improving sight, how to read with cor­ rect vision habits requires some conscious attention. This can temporarily diminish, to some degree, comprehension while reading.

As the habits of natural vision become more automatic, the comprehension increases again. Also, you can read for longer periods of time when you have relaxed vision habits.

Tip: To practice natural vision habits with­ out comprehension, turn your book upside down, and move your nose-pencil through the lines for half a minute or so. Remember abdominal breathing and frequent, soft blinking.

Palm and rest if you become tired while reading.

l i g h t i n g a n d r e a d i n g

Many people believe reading small print and reading in dim light is a strain to their eyes. Parents often tell their children they will ruin their eyes if they read in bed at night using a flashlight.

If a person strains to see in dim light, his sight will lower. Similarly, if a person strains to read small print, sight will lower. Bates dis­ covered that the only way a person can read small print in dim light is by relaxing and using correct vision habits.

When first improving vision, a student can use bright light while reading. Bright light usually gives the student better acuity because of the pinhole effect. The better sight will allow the student to be more relaxed as she improves her sight. This relaxation supports faster improvement.

As vision improves, the intensity of light can be lowered. The vision will be less clear

5 Point

course, appear blacker alsa If your ught is normal, you may now go a ttep further and note that when you look at one part of the smalt **c" thi* part look* blacker than the whole letter, and that it » easier to &ce the letter in this way than to see it all ahke

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 unpov4ible. and the effort will produce discomfort and, perhaps, pain. You may, however, succeed id 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 fane, 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 repeal these experiments with a letter seen at this point, with the same results. A number of letters seen equally well at one tune 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 ahke, 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.

i b t t l o M t l f * p*n bU<A«r thai-, (h rwt el*the letter, tte pr.if,rc4 letter » JL<* course, appear Ы'Осег ei*o ff yo«r wj^rt оогтл! you тлау r*r* go a itep forth' r end rv4e Utat when you took el one p e n of ibe wr-11 "c" iK« p a r t ^^A* bbtker Алл the wbote letter, япй »hat it it еэдег to «ее Ibe letter in О» »ay Our to tee il aU alike

ff you look at a Ime of tt№ ftfluller letten that you can read readily, яа4 try to tee them all ahke—all equally Ызск and equally d it net ic outbae—you wjj ргоЬаЫу find it to be impotable, and Ihe effort will produce discomfort and. perhaps pain You may, however, succeed in teeing two or more of tbera alike Thii. too, may cau«e much diuomfort, and if continued long enough, will produce pain. If you now look at only the firrt letter of the line, seeing the adjotrung ones worse, ihe stram will at once be relieved, and the letter will appear blacker and more dtttind than when it was aeco equally well with the other*. If your sight« normal at the near-point, you can repeat these experiment! with a letter seen at tin* point, with the same result*. A number of letters seen equally well at one tune will appear l e u black and leu distinct than a single letter seen best, and a

large letter will seem less black and distinct than a small one; while id 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 Ihe strain upon the eye. This fact can usually be demonstrated ш 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.

for a period of time because of the larger Pupil size. As the vision continues to improve, the light can be lowered further.

When vision is normal, the pupil size has mUch less of an effect on acuity (assuming, of course, lights at night are sufficiently bright to activate the cones in the fovea).

N E A R PRINT FOR FARSIGHTS;

FAR PRINT FOR NEARSIGHT S

In general, farsights strain their vision more when seeing close objects, like reading a book. Bates said that straining to see close objects produces farsightedness. So, farsights are learning to relax their vision when regarding close objects.

Nearsights strain their vision more when seeing distant objects, like reading a street sign. Bates said that straining to see far objects produces nearsightedness. So, nearsights are learning to relax their vision when regarding far objects.

Reminder: Wear reduced glasses only if they are essential. Remember to practice correct vision habits when wearing reduced glasses.

T H E W H I T E G L O W !

See Figure 22-5: The White Glow! From Perfect Sight Without Glasses:

The normal eye usually sees the background of a letter whiter than it really is. In looking at the letters on the Snellen card it sees white streaks at the margins of the letters, and in reading fine print it sees between the lines and the letters, and in the openings of the letters, a white more intense than the reality. People who cannot read fine print may see this illusion, but

less clearly. The more clearly it is seen, the better the vision; and if it can be imagined consciously—it is imagined unconsciously when the sight is normal—the vision improves. If the lines of fine type are covered, the streaks between them disappear. When the letters are regarded through a magnifying glass by the eye with normal sight, the illusion is not destroyed, but the intensity of the white and black is lessened. With imperfect sight it may be increased to some extent by this means, but will remain less intense than the white and black seen by the normal eye.

With normal sight, there is a white glow that appears around black letters on white paper. There is also a thin white stripe along the inside borders of a white page. The insides of the letter "O" appear to be whiter than the rest of the paper because of the glow in the inside edges of the letter "O" directed inward toward the center of the letter.

This white glow creates a higher contrast

tauten the black letter and the white paper. Much of the visual system functions by con­ trast and edges. (Imagine everything in the world was the same shade of gray.This would be \ery boring!)

Like the three-dimensional quality of nor­ mal vision, and the sense of the oppositional movement, the perception of this "glow" along edges diminishes with incorrect vision habits and wearing corrective lenses. The white glow returns when the student relearns natural vision habits. Almost all of my stu­ dents have seen this white glow during vision dasses.

Upon seeing the white glow around letters during a vision class, one of my students told the class how he had lost his normal eyesight: During the first two years of high school, he had normal vision. One day, he stopped read­ ing a book and began to think about the let­ ters on the page. He noticed the letters had white glows around them! Assmriing that let­ ters should not have white glows around them, he began to strain his eyes to get rid of this effect. Soon after, his vision became blurred and he was given prescription glasses for the first time.

The memory of how a person interfered with normal vision habits often returns when improving eyesight naturally.

Note: Do not move your attention below a sentence you are reading. Some teachers and books advocate moving along the white

stripe that appears just below the ba^elirc of a sentence. (This "white stripe" is created by the merging of the bottoms of the white glows of all of the letters along the baseline of the sentence.) Do not move your nose-paintbrush along this white stripe while reading. To do so would be a form of diffusion. Painting this white stripe with your nose-paintbrush when you are not reading is OK.

M O R E B Y BATE S O N R E A D I N G

From Perfect Sight Without Glasses:

The fact is that when the mind is at rest nothing can tire the eyes, and when the mind is under a strain nothing can rest them. Anything that rests the mind will benefit the eyes. Almost everyone has observed that the eyes tire less quickly when reading an interesting book than when perusing something tiresome or dif­ ficult to comprehend. A schoolboy can sit up all night reading a novel without even thinking of his eyes, but if he tried to sit up all night stadying his lessons he would soon find them getting very tired.

There is no strain present when correct vision habits are used.

Better Eyesight magazine, March 1925: "Blink consciously, whenever possible, espe­ cially when reading."

And, remember to take frequent breaks.

—William H. Bates

A CHILD'S N A T U R A L E Y E S I G H T —

A PRECIOUS G I F T

Bates was especially interested in teaching children to improve their sight. A child can be shown how to improve her sight before the incorrect habits become deeply ingrained— as they have become for many adults. The progression of blurred vision can be reversed relatively quickly with most children.

From Better Eyesight magazine, July 1920:

All parents should be told that they have it in their power to prevent and reverse defects of vision in their children and at the same time to improve their health and increase their mental efficiency. The same message should be carried to teachers and school boards.

Better Eyesight magazine, August 1920:

The atmosphere of the average classroom is extremely irritating. It makes the children nearsighted, farsighted and astigmatic.

Persons of all ages have been benefited by this educational process of relaxation; but children usually, though not invariably, respond much more quickly than adults. If they are under twelve years of age, or even under sixteen, and have never worn glasses, they ... [usually return to normal vision]

... in a few days, weeks, or months, and always within a year, simply by reading the Snellen card every day.

Children are often more receptive to the habits and principles of natural seeing because they have not been incorrectly influenced by the prejudices of our society regarding eyesight. To escape the torment and long-term harm caused by wearing corrective lenses is a precious gift for a child.

Natural vision education can also serve as a preventative measure.

A 65-year-old San Francisco woman related the following story to one of my colleagues:

A man was taking lessons from Bates to improve his sight. During one of the

lessons, he complained to Bates, "This is childish what you are teaching me." Bates replied, "Precisely!" In spite of his objections, this man continued to apply the correct vision habits, and improved his sight.

This man's daughter had normal sight. When she was a child, he taught her the correct and incorrect habits of vision so that she would never strain her eyes.

This man was the father of the 65-year-old woman. She still has normal sight.

W.B. MacCracken, M.D., writes in his book

Use Your Own Eyes:

If this book succeeds only in arousing the attention of those who are interested in the welfare of children, I will feel that it has fulfilled a purpose sufficient for the effort. They are being wronged when their eyes are made the slaves of glass lenses for life.1

T H E P R E V E N T I O N O F M Y O P I A I N S C H O O L C H I L D R E N

As mentioned earlier, myopia has been correlated to literate societies. The prevention of myopia in school children was the subject of a paper Bates published in the New York

Medical Journal, July 29,1911:

In 1903 I examined the eyes of 1,500 school children at Grand Forks, N. D., a city of 12,000 inhabitants, and found six percent myopic. The superintendent, Mr. J. Nelson Kelly, was interested in the facts and desired prevention. At my suggestion Snellen cards were placed in all the class rooms with directions for their use. The results were so encouraging that the method was employed continuously for eight years and is still in use. In 1910, among 2,000 children, less than one percent were myopic.

The children were examined during a

study period while sitting in their seats. After testing the sight of all the children

in one classroom, the teacher asked me the character of the vision of one of the boys. I said his sight was normal—that he was slow in reading the letters of the test card; but, after some encouragement he read the smallest letters the normal eye should see at his distance from the card. The teacher was incredulous and told me very emphatically that she was positive the boy was "near sighted." She declared his vision for all distant objects was poor: he was unable to read the writing or figures on the blackboard, he did not recognize people at a distance, or see the maps, charts, or diagrams on the walls. The teacher told me that my conclusion was erroneous She suggested that the boy might have learned the letters or had been prompted by another student. She asked me to test him again. The second examination was made carefully under her supervision, the sources of error she suggested were met, and I found the boy's sight was normal. Immediately afterward the teacher tested his sight with the writing on the blackboard and the boy read what she had written. Then she wrote additional words and figures which the boy read equally well. She asked him to tell the hour by a clock twenty-five feet distant which he did correctly. It was a dramatic situation. The children were intensely interested. I was impressed by her surprise when she was convinced that the boy's vision was normal.

Three other cases in this class were similar and on examination yielded identical results. The teacher asked for an explanation. I told her that when the children looked at the blackboard or other distant objects and strained or made an effort to see better, they focused their eyes for a near