The main objective of the Bates Method is to secure relaxation, first of the mind and then the eyes. Rest always improve vision. Effort always lowers it. Dr. Bates found that the simplest way to rest the eyes is to close them for a period of time and think of something agreeable. Most people find that they benefit from this.
Resting
the eyes
Palming is the classic Bates exercise designed to rest the eyes. Rub your hand together and place you palms over your closed eyes with your fingers crossed over your forehead. Successful palming also involves other means of relaxation, such as slow breathing and imagining black. When you can see a field of perfectly black then your eyes are resting maximally.
Palming relax the eyes and can be done many times during the day. It is recommended to palm frequently from, say one minute, rather than for hours at a time.
Sun
treatment
The
sun is the source of life. Your can benefit from the sun by simple let the
sun shine on your closed eyelids for about half a minute. The sunlight will
energize your eyes. This practice also help people who are sensitive to light.
This condition called photopia is easily treated by sunning, and in most cases
the eyes will return to normal after a few days of regular sunning.
Sunning is an ancient tradition in India. The sun is the source of life and sunlight energize your entire visual system.
Simply close your eyes and let the sun shine on your eyelids for about a minute.
Swinging
This involves swinging the body from side to side while looking at something. An eye-chart, a tree, anything with details. When swinging is done well the eyes and visual system begin to relax. Dr. Bates noted that practicing swinging about fifty times before going to bed and just after rising tend to prevent eyestrain during sleep.
Swinging relaxes the eyes and is done by swinging the body without moving the eyes. Imagine that your are painting back and forth with your eyes not moving but your body.
Memory
With normal eyesight the mind is always at rest therefore, Dr. Bates concluded, it is possible to improve eyesight by using the memory. Daily reading of something familiar, such as the eye-chart, at the greatest distance at which they can be seen is a rest to the eyes.
Imagination
Vision is largely a matter of imagination and memory. Since both imagination and memory are impossible without relaxation, the cultivation of these faculties not only improves the interpretation of the pictures on the retina but also improves the pictures themselves.
Flashing and blinking
Since it is effort that spoils the eyesight. Bates noticed that after resting your eyes your eyesight improved for a brief moment after opening the eyes. He called this exercise “flashing” or “blinking.”
Central fixation
With normal vision you see one point very clearly and progressively less and less towards the periphery. Dr. Bates noted that your visual field can be expanded and contracted, consequently the reading of fine print is one of the best visual exercises. The dimmer the light and the closer to the eye the better.
Small objects cannot be seen without central fixation and thus optimal use of your eyes. This idea contradicts what most mothers tell their children. “Always use proper reading light.”
How
to practice with the eye-chart
The eye-chart
(Snellen Card) serve as a feedback device for you to monitor your progress.
Here are Dr. Bates recommendations for practicing with the eye-chart.
- Place the eye-chart on a wall in good daylight.
- Place yourself
3 meters from the chart and read as far as you can without effort. Along
each line there are small letters indicating the distance. Along the big
letter E the figure is 20/400 this size letter can therefore be read at
a distance of 400 feet (130 meters) if the vision is normal. The second
last line on the eye-chart can be read from a distance of 3 meters.
- Now, let’s
say you can read as far as the fifth line. You will notice that the last
letter on that line is an N. Now palm your eyes and remember the N. This
mental picture will help you to see the letter directly below which is a
D. Continue this process down the chart.
- If you stare at the last letter on the line you will notice that all the letters on that line blur. It is beneficial if you close your eyes briefly and shift to look at the first letter. Alternate blinking and shifting your attention from the first letter to the last letter. You become able to read all the letters on that line by closing your eyes for each letter.