Bates Method

The Bates Method is a controversial system of techniques that is intended to improve vision through a set of practices that are claimed to relax the eyes. It is the backbone of the natural vision improvement movement, and was first described in 1920 by William Horatio Bates in a book entitled , then subsequently in his monthly magazine entitled Better Eyesight.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bates developed a theory that people with abnormal vision used their eyes differently than people with normal vision, then created a system designed to help people to relearn the right vision habits and to unlearn the wrong habits. Advocates of the Bates Method claim that relearning and improving the right vision habits which they assert are inseparably connected to normal vision. They assert that the Bates Method is a natural method that improves movement, relaxation, and circulation of the whole visual system.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The core of the Bates Method consists of a set of practices which Bates advocates term "exercises in relaxation" and "movement exercises" http://www.seeing.org/intro/faq/faq05.htm. They state that the term "exercise" is used in the same sense as "memory exercise" and does not imply muscle strengthening. Advocates state that the Bates Method emphasizes the practice of deliberate movements of the body ("swinging") with relaxed awareness of vision; cupping or palming the eyes with the hands; attempting to see or visualize "perfect black"; and exposing the eye to indirect sunlight. Fundamentally, the Bates Method is said to require a holistic change in the way the body is used rather than any consciously applied eye exercises.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~