Bates gymnastics for the eyes is a set of practical exercises that allow you to carry out vision correction without surgery and the use of glasses. This guide was developed by an American ophthalmologist, William Bates, who devoted his life to researching visual problems. The main conclusion he came to was that most of the eye abnormalities develop due to the pathological tension of the eye muscles. The efforts that a person makes over and over again, trying to examine objects near or far away, lead to the development of various anomalies, including farsightedness, myopia, astigmatism. Bates claimed that his exercises help the eyes relax, train passive vision. At the same time, no special efforts are required to do this.
Bates method
Discussions about the effectiveness of Bates gymnastics for the eyes are still ongoing, although the method itself has been known for many decades. William Horatio Bates is an American ophthalmologist who lived at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. He put forward a theory, based on which he claimed that he was able to completely cure the patient from hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism.
The essence of his theory was that mental stress becomes the cause of a person's visual impairment. In this case, each type of anomaly corresponds to a certain type of stress, which provokes the disease.
For example, myopia, according to Bates, appears due to a constant attempt to make out distant objects, and farsightedness - on the contrary.
Science does not recognize
Modern science claims that Bates gymnastics for the eyes is not a science-recognized method of restoring vision. Researchers have repeatedly found that these exercises do not lead to improved vision. Moreover, the central position of the American scientist’s theory that the eyeballs change shape to provide better focus is untrue.
Despite this, there are still quite a lot of followers of this theory in the world. There are also in Russia. Among other things, they argue that this gymnastics helped them themselves, after which they began to promote it among the masses.
Astigmatism treatment
In most cases, Bates recovery is used to treat astigmatism. Today it is one of the most common diseases that leads to vision problems in humans. It is because of him that myopia and farsightedness appear.
We will understand that this is astigmatism in adults. This pathological condition occurs as a result of an irregular shape of the cornea, in some cases the lens. If in the normal state the lens and cornea have a spherical surface, then with astigmatism their sphericity is broken. In this case, some images may focus on the retina, while some remain in front of or behind it. It is because of this that a person as a result sees a distorted picture in which some lines can be clear for him and others blurred.
Specialists distinguish between lens and corneal astigmatism. The difference in the refraction of the weakest and strongest meridians characterizes the magnitude of this pathological condition in diopters. That's what it is, astigmatism in adults.
There are several ways to correct this condition - contact lenses, glasses, laser vision correction. If you believe the followers of the American ophthalmologist, Bates recovery can help correct the situation.
Effective vision recovery
The exercises developed by the American scientist are based on the fact that to maintain good vision it is enough to minimize any eye strain. Bates was convinced that the eye works perfectly only in a relaxed state. However, almost all of us are used to focusing our eyes with effort and tension.
This habit leads to constant nervous overload. Modern life is already saturated with stress, and any additional psychological discomfort leads to muscle tension, including the eye. Involuntary and voluntary eye strain over time lead to radical changes in the visual organ, the appearance of various types of refractive errors.
Bates gymnastics for the eyes is based on two basic principles. For a dramatic improvement in vision, he calls for learning to relax the eye muscles. At the same time, he claims that it will be impossible to do this because of general mental or physical discomfort.
In this regard, the exercises of gymnastics for the eyes according to Bates are based on relaxation techniques not only of the eyes, but also of the psyche and body.
Farsightedness
To defeat farsightedness, he offers a set of rather unusual exercises.
It is recommended that the patient read a newspaper or a book in small print on a daily basis. In this case, the text should be at a distance of 25 centimeters from the eyes. It is impossible to use any means of vision correction, since it will cause only additional fatigue. While reading, it is recommended that you try to look between the lines. In this case, the eye muscles will not tighten so much. Perform this exercise should be no more than a quarter of an hour.
Further on hand you need to have a Sivtsev table to check visual acuity in two formats. For convenience, it can be printed on A4 sheets. Print one table of the standard size, as it looks with an optometrist, and make the second small. Attach a large poster to the wall, move away from it at a distance of five meters. Keep the smaller table in hand. Exercises for the eyes with farsightedness is to alternately read the large and small table. At the same time, try to direct the look between the lines, as in the previous task. The exercise takes from three to five minutes.
And for the next task, you will need a vision test table. In this case, it is recommended to look at it in turn and at objects located in the room. Ideally, watch while moving objects. For example, for the cat that walks around the apartment, or for the birds flying outside the window.
Another exercise should be performed, being facing the window. Start turning the body, while concentrating on some object located outside the window. Movement should be slow and smooth. Lower your arms along the body, and spread your legs shoulder width apart. When turning, look forward all the time. Repeat the movement for two to three minutes.
It is worth emphasizing that such exercises may not be suitable for everyone. For example, reading a book without glasses with severe farsightedness for a quarter of an hour can be very difficult. Therefore, before doing gymnastics for the eyes and exercises for the eyes, be sure to consult your doctor.
Myopia
With myopia, that is, myopia, according to Bates, due to the constant tension of the eyes, the functions of the center of vision are violated. Therefore, the basis of his theory was exercises for training central fixation. They are based on the hypothesis that with a conscious imitation of the eye, imitation of the eye with reduced vision to the behavior of a healthy eye, visual acuity can improve.
Gymnastics for the eyes according to Bates with myopia is performed on the so-called Ohm card, which is a complex figured pattern. In its center, a bizarre hieroglyph is depicted, in which the letter combination "Ohm" can be read. The American ophthalmologist argued that exercises on the Ohm card can improve blood circulation in the eyes, increase the sensitivity of the central fossa of the retina, and increase visual acuity.
Complex exercise
Exercising to improve vision with myopia consists of six exercises. First, install an Ohm card at a distance of about three meters at eye level. Fix the gaze at the starting point in its center. Then, start slowly leading it along the entire sign, paying attention to the fact that the sharpest part of the sign will be the one that the eye is currently focused on. The exercise should be repeated three times. After that, you should think that the whole sign has become darker than it was before.
The second exercise is necessarily performed while standing. Put the ohm card at a distance of one and a half meters from the face. Please note that the central sign depicted on it is surrounded by a broken line resembling the image of the rays of the sun or sunflower petals. Fix your gaze on any part of this line, and then begin to move it along the segments, moving your head after the gaze. At each end of a single segment, start blinking quickly. When performing this exercise, make sure that the lines that the eye is currently falling on are blacker than the rest.
The third exercise is performed at the same distance from the Ohm card. Pay attention to the circle that is drawn around the sign. Fix your gaze in a specific place on it, begin to slowly move around the entire circle, moving after your head. Repeat the exercise several times, and then close your eyes, trying to do the same in your imagination.
Keep a pocket version of the table on your outstretched hand to check visual acuity. It should be at eye level about a meter from the face. You can put the table on the table, while there must be good lighting.
This exercise to relax the muscles of the eyes is aimed at training central fixation. Keep your eyes fixed on individual letters that you can clearly see, noticing their clarity. After that, create artificially dim lighting conditions by turning off the electric light or by covering with a dark blanket. The lighting should be so dim that you can make out the font at the same distance, but so that reading is already given with certain difficulties. Alternate reading the table in good and dim lighting to increase visual acuity.
Moreover, a vision test chart should be read several times a day from a distance of three to six meters. In this case, it is necessary to blink often, the lighting must necessarily be as good as possible. Start the exercise from a distance of three meters, and then gradually increase it. The main thing is that when reading there is no tension. After the exercise, perform palming. This is a special exercise developed by Bates, which we will cover in more detail.
When traveling in transport or walking, regularly monitor moving objects. Passers-by, oncoming cars. This, according to the American ophthalmologist, will also help improve your vision.
It is important during the performance of all these exercises that the eyes are as relaxed as possible, even half-closed, but not squinted. Removed items you should consider without much stress.
Palming
Palming Bates advised to complete any gymnastics complex for the eyes. This effectively helps to relax, while the eyes should be covered with palms.
The patient should take a comfortable lying or sitting position. The palms are folded so that the fingers of one hand rest on the fingers of the other crosswise. With your palms so joined, cover your eyes. Make sure that your nose is not pinched, and your hands do not press on the eyeballs. If at the same time the rays of light still penetrate the eyelids, move your fingers closer or slightly move the palms themselves.
After that, calm your breathing, wait until the light flares under the eyelids finally disappear. To speed up this process, you can begin to imagine objects in saturated black. Having achieved maximum blackness before the eyes, you can be sure that the eyes are completely relaxed, and the level of excitation of the nerve cells of the visual analyzer is reduced. This relaxation is considered very beneficial for the eyes. It is recommended to repeat the procedure several times a day, as soon as it becomes necessary to remove the accumulated fatigue. In this state, you should stay from three to five minutes.
Universal exercises
In addition to exercises that are purposefully designed to save the patient from myopia or farsightedness, there are a number of universal techniques developed by Bates that are suitable for any visual impairment.
For example, a set of exercises for swinging and moving. For him, you will again need a table for checking vision. Keep a glance at one of the letters, and then transfer it to the next letter located on the same line. Continue to move your gaze this way, lingering on each letter for two to three seconds.
Repeat the exercise by moving your gaze vertically. At the same time, your gaze should slide up and down. First, look at the capital letter, because the one that is smaller, then the even smaller one. If the eye movement is performed correctly, you get the feeling that the table is moving up and down.
Reviews
In reviews of Bates’s gymnastics for the eyes, some of the patients who had vision problems say that they really helped. They got rid of farsightedness or myopia.
Note that such statements should be treated with caution, since there are no scientifically based facts that would confirm that Bates’s methods really help.