Before you Roll your Eyes . . .

So before you roll your eyes, roll them, and then roll them again. And again and again. That's the idea that I've come across in this book that I recently picked up and just barely began putting to practice. Yes I know. Here comes another natural approach at something else. Which is why I say, before you roll your eyes, roll them as much as you can. I know. I know. Not only is it written by a man named Quackenbush but it claims that one can heal their blurry vision naturally without the use of spectacles, contacts or the recently-made-famous surgery known by the name of lasik. Granted, those who've been in some sort of major eye accident are probably not able to take advantage of this idea, most of us who suffer from things like near or farsightedness or even astigmatism can actually relearn to see using correct vision habits that we've somehow managed to unlearn because of our stressful, rigid lifestyles.

Seeing that I suffer from nearsightedness and astigmatism I thought I would be the perfect candidate for experimenting with this idea on myself. I have roughly 20/60 vision in both eyes and astigmatism in my right. This approach was actually discovered by opthalmologist William H. Bates.

I will admit that when I was first presented with the idea that I could heal my eyes naturally, I was very skeptical. I've actually long looked forward to the day when we would be able to afford lasik surgery. Since we still can't, I finally figured there would be no harm in trying this particular method and seeing if indeed there was a way for me to regain my sight. The possibility of saving the money we would use on lasik surgery was also a temptation.

As of Sunday May 23, 2010, I made the decision to take off my glasses and contacts for good. This has not been easy because my eyes have very much adjusted to my prescription and though I am not blind, I see somewhat fuzzy. It's difficult to find little things lying around like my keys or an earring I may have dropped.

I haven't read the entire book yet. It's quite thick. But it does use science, common sense and logical reasoning as far as I can tell. It's not just a book about eye exercises. As I read along, I sometimes notice my tendency to strain my eyes and squint. According to Dr. Quackenbush, this is an incorrect vision habit that most nearsighted people acquire under stress and duress to perhaps read something they've mentally checked out from, such as textbooks in school or the zillion notes we have to write down from a chalkboard in class. Along with Dr. Bates, the theory seems to be that if we can relarn to mobilize our eyes in correct vision habits, that we can read whatever we want, in whatever dim light we want, as long as we take breaks when we feel our eyes are straining too hard.

For those of you out there with blurry vision, you've probably noticed, without paying too much attention, days in which your vision may slightly blur a little more than normal and then days when everything looks sharper. That is our natural ability to heal our own eyes.

This was the hardest idea for me to accept: Glasses and prescription contacts, actually make your vision worse. I still have a hard time with this but am struggling to deny the logic behind it. The truth is that I remember the first time I couldn't see the blackboard in highschool. If I remember correctly, it was a stressful time in my life. The instinctive thing to do these days is go to the eye doctor and get glasses, which is what my mother took me to do. By doing this, the thing we don't allow ourselves a chance to do is heal naturally by removing the cause of stress that tightens the muscles around the eyes causing us to strain. And the problem with glasses is that now, our poor eyes are asked to adjust to an improper vision, which they tend to do. And they will adjust time and time again to each new prescription given to us if we continue this pattern each time our glasses aren't enough anymore to fix the blur. So by getting rid of glasses, you allow yourself to adjust properly. Yes it takes time. It's not a quick fix. But is it worth it? I guess I shall soon find out.

This was the first step for me to take. The second thing he says to do, is to learn to blink a lot and move your head and neck more often. Don't just read with your eyes. At first it will supposedly be more of a conscious effort, but with enough practice, your eyes should learn to move better and adjust to their normal sight again.

So I know I've witten a lot. I guess I'm just excited to try it. And if you see me wandering around blinking like a goof, now you'll know why. I find that blinking a lot instead of squinting, actually brings things into better focus. It's not perfect yet, but I've noticed slight improvements. Funny. Anyways, I don't know if anyone else out there is interested in trying this with me. I don't care if I'm the only goof wandering around batting my eyes. But if anyone else does, please share with me whether it's been a positive experience or not. I seek insight from others all the time on natural things that actually work. Whether it has anything to do with vision or not. Thanx to all who've taken the time to read my thoughts today.