How to NOT need to wear reading glasses

[ChewChewTrain]

There's a belief corrective eyeglasses are unnecessary. For example, a woman with schizophrenia needed glasses as one character, but did NOT need glasses when she was "someone else". The point being, if poor eyesight was truly a physical eye need she would ALWAYS need glasses regardless.

Many, many years ago, the method to wean oneself off glasses was developed by Dr. Bates. The Bates Method, as you will find on the internet, was SO successful the Optometry Industrial Complex, for the lack of a better term, made the method illegal.

I'm farsighted. For years, I had been using mild, corrective, US$10 reading glasses. But, after learning about The Bates Method,, I've been been successfully weaning myself away from needing to wear glasses.

Here's an excellent summation of The Bates Method, which is rather easy to learn. There are Bates Method classes, but I just snooped around the internet and found enough details to do it myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7d-vnrrTWw

Oh. I assume The Bates Method works for nearsightedness. I'm farsighted, so I can't test.

[LDB]

I'm severely astigmatic. I doubt anything would work for me. I might get rid of my bifocal reading lens but that's probably all.

[SteveMak]

My recommendation to readers is do the minimum possible, for as long as possible, which is consistent with what ChewChewTrain is saying.

I never needed glassed until my early 50s. Small print used to be difficult to read, as well and reading in a dark restaurant. So I got a pair of cheap and very weak "cheater" glasses. I wore them only when I needed them. This lasted for years.

Until I went to an eye doctor, got a comprehensive eye exam, and she determined I needed a "slight correction" across the entire range. When I put on my glasses, WOW, small print was so easy to read -- well they magnified EVERYTHING across the entire range, so yeah, of course you can see more detail with a magnifying glass. They looked great, they were progressives so I never needed to take them off. I wore them all the time.

About a year later, I discovered my vision was screwed. Just months earlier, I used to need slight help only for reading small print and in dark lighting, now I needed my glasses to see anything. Without them, everything was a blur. My eyes had adjusted to "needing" my glasses for all vision, not just small print or reading in dark places.

People will tell you "that's normal." Let me set you straight: Normal is "common." Normal is not necessarily "natural."

When people are taught to get glasses and used them at the slightest sign of vision imperfection, then that's what they do, and they end up like me. And we get myths like "it's normal for vision to go to pot in your 40s or 50s". Really? Go to places where people don't participate in this practice, and you'll find it's "normal" for them not to "need" glasses... well into old age. And yeah, I know people locally, in their 50s and 60 who use cheaters only for reading small print. They've continued to do that, and that's their "normal" rather than buying into the subscription glasses market.

Shoulda known better... but didn't do it --Steve

[ChewChewTrain]

Originally Posted by LDB

I'm severely astigmatic. I doubt anything would work for me. I might get rid of my bifocal reading lens but that's probably all.

I dunno. (shrug)

Ya might wanna find a Bates Method User Forum and see what other astigmatic folks say. Stand on their shoulders!

[cuts_off_prius]

Fascinating stuff. I am near-sighted and wear glasses, but I will try not to wear them when not necessary, such as when eating. Def going to look into this and check out the forums.

[R.I.D.E.]

If you do precision close up work, then you will notice the gradual degeneration earlier than most. It starts in your (or at least my) early 40s, a gradual decline in the quality of your focus in close proximity and correction gives you back what you had earlier in life.

I have never been an advocate of just accepting recommendations from doctors. Under advice from my aunt who headed the anesthesia department at the same hospital where I was born in 1950, always try half of a prescribed dosage and even over the counter drugs to see the MINIMUM dosage that will provide relief.

I used the cheap readers for probably a decade before actually getting an eye exam, having never done so before in my whole life. Even today my youngest brother, at age 56 decided to self insure his health care, since for the last 30 years he has needed no health care other than injuries, like the sabre saw that ran down the inside of his leg and required numerous stiches. With the current AHCA the premiums and deductibles were ludicrous for what amounts to only catastrophic coverage.

Basically I agree with using a conservative approach when dealing with health care advice. Like any process, there is the upper and lower limits of effectiveness. Finding the limits allows you to use proper judgement to find your personal "sweet spot" as far as any prescription as well as a corrective process like choosing the strength of glasses.

I'm currently wearing a pair of glasses that were prescribed in 2010. The other sets, prescribed later all fell apart due to the Chinese made frames of poor quality. There is even a fairly large scratch in the left lens which I just ignore for the time being, since they don't want to REPLACE the scratched lens but insist I get an eye exam and use the current prescription results.

[ChewChewTrain]

Originally Posted by R.I.D.E.

If you do precision close up work, then you will notice the gradual degeneration earlier than most.

Yeah. I read people that hand weave Oriental rugs go blind due to whatcha say.

[ChewChewTrain]

Originally Posted by 1nventer

Hey boys, sorry for the bump, but it is really interesting for me - is this metod working or not? I started wearing glasses, but I think that im pretty ugly when I wear them. It would be great if I could not use them anymore

Me? I'm SO ugly... I just email so nobody has to look at ME!

[visorX]

I'm also far-sighted and recently noticed a need for a corrective lens. I'll search about that method.