by Cambridge Institute for Better Vision | Nov 15, 2017 | Myths Behind Bad Eyesight
Welcome to the Better Vision blog where you’ll find information and tips on how to care for your eyes and improve your vision without glasses, contacts, drugs, or surgery.
This is the second post of a 4 segment series entitled Myths Behind Bad Eyesight. Click here to read the first post.
Please visit us each month for new posts about eyes, vision, and how to see better.
Myths Behind Bad Eyesight: Part 5
Last month we posted about the five common misconceptions that lead people to think that eyesight cannot be improved:
1. Poor vision is inherited.
2. Vision inevitably deteriorates with age.
3. Poor vision is caused by certain visual activities.
4. Weak eye muscles cause poor vision.
5. Seeing is solely a physical, mechanical process.
Let’s examine myth #5 in greater detail.
(This information applies to functional vision problems - nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, eye imbalances, lazy eye, etc. Click here for information on cataracts, and here for macular degeneration.)
5. Seeing is solely a physical, mechanical process
The fifth misconception is that seeing is a mechanical process and that clear vision is determined only by the shape of the eye. If the eye is the correct shape, the result is clear vision; if it is misshapen or distorted the result is nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism.
Actually, the shape of the eye is one element in the visual system, but not the only one. As just one example, eye doctors have long known that even though two people have exactly the same refractive error (how far from the retina the distorted image registers), each could have a completely different measurement of acuity (how clearly they can read the test letters on the eye chart). Mechanical measurement alone does not exactly predict how much a person can see. Other factors besides the shape of the eye are involved.
Many people notice that they see better at some times during the day than others. Some notice decreased vision when tired or under stress. What accounts for these daily fluctuations?
Have you ever driven down the highway, so engrossed in your thoughts and daydreams that you don’t “see” your exit? Or been so tired that you read page after page without understanding a word?
Vision is a dynamic, changing process, affected by many different physical, emotional and mental factors. The shape of the eye may be one factor, but even that can change as a result of training and nutrition.
Let’s look at how the eyes work, and the roles played by the body, mind and emotions in vision. Once we gain a fuller understanding of the holistic nature of vision, we’ll be ready to see better for ourselves…
The above is excerpted from The Program for Better Vision Book. Read the book and you’ll learn more about how the eyes and brain work together to create vision, and the influence that the body, mind and emotions have on seeing. You’ll also learn about the Top 10 Habits for Better Vision - important ways for you to care for and protect your vision during the day.
If you’re ready to start seeing better now, get The Program for Better Vision.
by Cambridge Institute for Better Vision | Feb 28, 2017 | Myths Behind Bad Eyesight
Welcome to the Better Vision blog where you’ll find information and tips on how to care for your eyes and improve your vision without glasses, contacts, drugs, or surgery.
This post is part of a 5 segment series entitled Myths Behind Bad Eyesight. Click on the posts below to read the rest of the series. Please visit us each month for new posts about eyes, vision, and how to see better.
1. Poor vision is inherited.
2. Vision inevitably deteriorates with age.
3. Poor vision is caused by certain visual activities.
4. Weak eye muscles cause poor vision.
5. Seeing is solely a physical, mechanical process.
Myths Behind Bad Eyesight: Part 4
(This information applies to functional vision problems - nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, eye imbalances, lazy eye, etc. Click here for information on cataracts, and here for macular degeneration.)
4. Weak eye muscles cause poor vision
The fourth misconception is that weak eye muscles cause poor vision.
Yet, the muscles around the eyes are 150 to 200 times stronger than they need to be for normal use. These muscles rarely weaken. Instead, tension builds up and affects these muscles, preventing them from moving in a natural, fluid manner - their movements become stiff and restricted.
An analogy: If a person is right-handed, the muscles on the right side of the body will be stronger - and more coordinated - than those on the left. Why? Only because they have been used more, not because they are inherently weaker.
The same is true for eye muscles: Over time, certain visual patterns and habits develop, and some eye muscles become stronger and more coordinated than others. But the primary source of the problem is the underlying patterns and habits. And the eyes can be trained to function with new, more effective patterns. As this retraining occurs, the symptoms of visual difficulties - such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, etc. - decrease and disappear.
by Cambridge Institute for Better Vision | Feb 28, 2017 | Myths Behind Bad Eyesight
Welcome to the Better Vision blog where you’ll find information and tips on how to care for your eyes and improve your vision without glasses, contacts, drugs, or surgery.
This is the third post of a 5 segment series entitled Myths Behind Bad Eyesight. Click here to read the first post.
Please visit us each month for new posts about eyes, vision, and how to see better.
Myths Behind Bad Eyesight: Part 3
Previously we posted about the five common misconceptions that lead people to think that eyesight cannot be improved:
1. Poor vision is inherited.
2. Vision inevitably deteriorates with age.
3. Poor vision is caused by certain visual activities.
4. Weak eye muscles cause poor vision.
5. Seeing is solely a physical, mechanical process.
Let’s examine myth #3 in greater detail.
(This information applies to functional vision problems - nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, eye imbalances, lazy eye, etc. Click here for information on cataracts, and here for macular degeneration.)
3. Poor vision is caused by certain visual activities
The third misconception is that poor vision is caused by what you do with your eyes: If you read too much, or use a computer, or watch too much TV, it will ruin your eyes.
And statistics seem to point in that direction:
Only 2% of students in the fourth grade are nearsighted; in the 8th grade, about 10% to 20% are; by the end of college between 50% and 70% of the students are nearsighted. Thus, it would seem that the more you read or study, the more likely it would be that you would become nearsighted.
But it is not because of the activity. It is because of how the eyes are used when performing the activity. And nobody is ever taught how to properly use their eyes and how to protect the good vision that they were born with.
When people are taught how to properly use and rest their eyes, then vision problems are much less prevalent.
For example, in China, students and workers are taught simple eye exercises that they practice every day in school and at work. And the rate of nearsightedness (myopia) has decreased substantially.
Unfortunately, these techniques are not yet common practice everywhere. But there have been a handful of school systems that have incorporated these and other changes with just as promising results as in China.
Extended periods of study, reading and computer use place added nutritional demands on the eyes and the body which, if not adequately met, can also contribute to visual difficulties.
But, there is no question that it is the visual habits that are critical, not the visual activity. The real problem is a lack of education. Vision care principles need to become more widely known and accepted, and more widely practiced.
Someday, there will be such a shift in attitude. But you don’t have to wait. Right now you can do something good for your eyes and protect your eyesight by practicing the right way to use your eyes.
