Improve Your Eyesight Naturally
Page 8
Psychologists researching attention have discovered that vision can collapse by as much as 60 percent towards the near point when people were asked to solve math problems that were very difficult or impossible for them to work out. This may be one of the reasons why so many children start to have vision problems.
10. Getting Energy to Flow
In China the system of acupuncture is a major part of the country’s medicine. The aim of the Chinese approach is to achieve a balance between the yin and yang energies. One of the basic models in Chinese medicine and acupuncture is the concept of the five elements. According to this model the healing energies flow from water to wood, to fire to earth, to metal and back to water. This journey also describes the seasons of the year. Each element is associated with one of the major organ systems of the body.
The water element is considered to be a winter energy and is associated with the bladder on the yang side and the kidney on the yin side. The wood element is the energy of spring and is associated with the gallbladder, which is yang. The yin side of wood energy is the liver. The fire element is summer energy. On the yang side it is associated with the small intestine and the triple warmer. On the yin side it is associated with the heart and circulation. The earth element is Indian summer and equinox. The spleen is on the yin side and the stomach is on the yang side. Finally, the metal element is autumn energy, which is associated with the lungs on the yin side and with the large intestine on the yang side. This completes the circle.
Across the circle there are lines of energy that enhance or balance these elements. The five-element model enables the Chinese medicine practitioner to know whereabouts in the system he should intervene in order to achieve optimum balance and health. Around the eyes and the head there are many acupuncture points which can be targeted to direct energy. As mentioned above, we want to have a free flow of energy through the eyes and head. If the energy flow is blocked, the organs, in this case the eyes, are depleted in energy and will function less efficiently.
To get the energy flowing we can use pressure or massage – acupressure – rather than needles. With acupressure we use the fingers and two basic movements. The first is press and release, and the second is small circular movements in counter-clockwise movements to release energy and clockwise movements to energize. It is good practice to do three counter-clockwise movements first to cleanse and then clockwise movements to energize.
The Five Elements
Chinese acupressure for your eyes
There are ten steps in this exercise. The purpose is to get the energy flowing through your eyes and head. You may notice that some of the points feel slightly tender. This indicates that energy is not flowing very freely at that particular point. The massage movement will start things moving again and you will feel a wonderful freshness and openness after this exercise.
1. The first point – bladder meridian B2, which improves all eye problems – is located at the root of the nose and up under the eyebrow. Place the tip of your thumb as close as possible to the inner corner of the eye and press upwards. You will sense a tender spot right where the point is located. Rotate three times from right to left (counter-clockwise) to cleanse and then left to right (clockwise) to energize. You could also just press and release several times.
2. The second point – bladder meridian B1, which also improves all eye problems – is located on each side of the root of the nose, right where the petals of your glasses normally rest. Use your thumb and index finger and grip the root of your nose. Make three circular movements right to left (counter-clockwise) and then left to right (clockwise) movements to energize. Alternatively, you can just press and release.
3. The third point – stomach meridian ST3, which improves cataract and swelling under the eyes – is located on the cheekbone at the same level as your nostrils, about one and one half fingers outwards. Use three fingers and you are sure to touch this point. Do three circular movements right to left (counter-clockwise) and then left to right (clockwise) movements to energize. Alternatively, you can also just press and release.
4. The fourth step involves several acupuncture points along the bone over your eyes (gallbladder GB2 and triple warmer). Begin where we found the first point, then move out in small steps across the bone to the outer corner of the eye.
5. Next comes the bone under the eye. At the inner corner of the eye we have the first point of the bladder meridian. Directly underneath the center of the eyeball we have the first point of the stomach meridian, ST1, which relieves red eyes, night-blindness, too many tears and also near-sight. The easiest way to do this is to use four fingers and press down and release on the edge of the bone. Sometimes you will feel a wonderful coolness flowing down over your eyes, indicating the flow of energy.
6. The next step is the gallbladder GL1 point, located at the outer corners of the eye. Massage with three circular movements right to left (counter-clockwise). Then energize with left to right movements (clockwise).
7. Next move to the hairline to the TW22 point on the triple warmer. Massage with three circular movements right to left (counter-clockwise). Then energize with left to right (clockwise) movements.
8. Move a bit further back, placing your fingertips on an imaginary vertical line moving up from the ears. Massage the four points beneath your fingertips. This is the gallbladder meridian. Massage with three circular movements right to left (counter-clockwise). Then energize with left to right clockwise movements.
9. This movement is often referred to as the “tiger climbing the mountain.” Open and close your fingers as if they were claws, just as you do when you are washing your hair. Start from the hairline and move up and back towards the center of the head, using one long smooth movement. You can use the soft part of your fingers (if you have long finger nails) or you can use your nails. Put some pressure on to get the energy flowing. With this one move you touch more than 15 acupuncture points on each side of your head.
10. The final point is located at the back of the head just where your neck muscles are attached to the skull. You will find some indentations on each side of the head – this is where the 20 gallbladder points are located. Massage with three circular movements, right to left (counter-clockwise). Then energize with left to right movements.
This energy moving exercise can be used as many times as you like. It is especially useful to do when you feel that your head is getting a bit woolly as the exercise gets the energy moving around your eyes and head. As you can see, there are many beneficial acupuncture points involved in this simple exercise. Also I suspect that it might encourage hair growth. It is an exercise you can do with any vision problem and feel the benefits from it.
11. Check Your Eyesight
Relax and see
Natural clear vision is effortless – you simply open your eyes and see. Problems arise when we begin to force our visual system. As we grow up, and especially when we start going to school, we learn to repress our internal signals. If a 4-year-old child feels sleepy she will rub her eyes – it is a signal that she needs rest. Somewhere along the way we learn to stifle this natural urge and tension builds up in the visual system as we begin to use more and more force to accomplish visual tasks. Or we simply continue reading way past the time when the eyes need a break.
Near-point tension develops when we attempt to hold the focusing system steady on the book we are reading for too long. Research shows that even short periods of stress require several hours of recovery. This may explain the relationship between academic achievement and vision. Sadly a doctorate is often accompanied by myopia.
Our eyes were designed to be used in a constantly changing variety of circumstances, not just for reading or using the computer. People working in occupations where their vision is used over fluctuating distances generally have much better eyesight. For example, how many cowboys do you see with glasses? Members of tribal or native societies seldom have any visual problems. They live in close harmony with nature and their lifestyle na
turally maintains their good vision. I know of an anthropologist who went to Peru for two years to live with the peasants there. Before she made the trip she always wore glasses. However, when she returned from her voyage her eyesight had once again become normal. None of the peasants in Peru wore glasses, so after a while the anthropologist started doing without her glasses and eventually her eyes reverted back to the way that nature had intended her eyes to be.
How to test your distance vision
First of all you need to know the status of your vision. If you have been to an optometrist recently then you will have an idea of your current visual prescription. If you suspect that your vision is beginning to change, then take this opportunity to test your own vision using the enclosed eye-chart.
The eye-chart on pages 84 and 85 are designed for viewing at 3 meters, so find a place where there is good daylight and measure out the 3 meters on the ground. Place sticky labels on the floor to mark the spots that indicate 1, 2 and 3 meters away from the chart.
Test both eyes
Now stand on the 3 meter marker and observe the chart with both eyes. Which line can you see? Note the lowest line on the chart where you can make out the letters. They do not have to be crystal clear, just good enough for you to be able to identify the letters.
Write the result down:
20/ 6/
Test your left eye
Cover your right eye with your hand. What is the lowest line where you can identify the letters? Note it down:
20/ 6/
Test your right eye
Cover your left eye with your hand. What is the lowest line where you can identify the letters? Note it down:
20/ 6/
If you can’t see the first letter of the eye-chart from a 3 meter distance then you have more than 5 diopters of myopia and you need to do the vision check with the string which is explained on page 86.
In summary
If you can see the 20/25 line then you have only slight myopia and may only need to do eye exercises for a few days to correct to 20/20.
See page 109.
If you can see up to the 20/30 line then there might be a bigger problem but it is still manageable by doing the eye-chart exercise on page 110.
If you can see the 20/40 line then you can still drive legally without glasses, but it is time to take the Vision Training exercises seriously.
See pages 113–118.
How to check if your myopia is more than 4 diopters
Visual acuity is directly related to the furthest point that you can see clearly. There is a linear relationship between the distance to your far point in centimeters and the power in diopters needed to correct your vision.
You will need a piece of string about 1.5 meters long, a bookmark shaped piece of paper/card with text printed on it (about 16-point font) and two differently colored ink markers.
1. Tie a knot at each end of the string so you have something to hold on to. Tie the string to a chair or ask someone to help you with the measurement.
2. Hold the knot on the string under the middle of your eye on the top of the cheek so that you are looking down the length of the string. Close the other eye.
3. Hold the bookmark against the far end of the piece of string, and bring it inwards to identify the point where you start to be able to see the top line of text. Find the point where it becomes crystal clear. Mark this point with one of the marker pens. This is your far point for that eye.
Designed for viewing at 3 meters.
Letter size and distance is important for accurate measurement. Please download this chart from www.vision-training.com/en/Download/Download.html
4. Next, bring the bookmark in further to find the closest point at which you can see the top line of the bookmark with absolute clarity. This is your near point of clear vision.
5. Repeat the whole process with the other eye, using the other colored marker.
6. You now have the far point and the near point of absolutely clear vision in both eyes.
7. Place the two knots together and pull the string straight. You can now see if there is a difference between the near point between your eyes’ near and far points.
Calculate your eye power in diopters
Measure the distance in centimeters from the knot to the far point. If there is a difference then measure the far point for both eyes. The formula for calculating this is as follows:
For example, if your far point in one eye measured 20 cm from the knot, the diopters will be 20 over 1, which equals 0.05. Now multiply by 100, which is 5 diopters. With this method you can accurately determine the visual acuity of your eyes.
The significance of the near point
Normally the near point should be about 15 cm from the knot. If your near point is further out then you may be presbyopic (in need of reading glasses). In any case you need to do exercises that will bring your near point back to or very close to 15 cm.
Presbyopia occurs when you have difficulty reading but still have excellent distance vision. If your near point of clear vision is more than 25 cm out then you should start doing the presbyopia exercises on pages 136–139.
Also check if you have astigmatism using the chart on page 92.
Now that you have measured your visual acuity go to the pages that describe the exercises you need to do to regain your eyesight.
On the following page there is a near vision test which you can use to determine your near vision acuity.
Near vision test
Observe the test chart in good daylight using the normal reading distance (about 35 cm). Notice which line you can read comfortably. This will indicate your reading acuity. If you can read the bottom paragraph then you have perfect near vision.
20/100 Sight is mind and eye co-ordination.
20/90 It is more mental than physical. The eye sees, but the mind must interpret and evaluate what is seen.
20/80 There are five basic components of mental sight: curiosity, contrast, comparison, memory and judgment.
20/70 Curiosity means intelligent visual searching (i.e., looking around you as if you could see everything with perfect clarity).
20/60 Counting objects and colors is the best way to achieve curiosity.
20/50 Contrast is the gradation of difference between foreground and background.
20/40 For instance, the print on this chart will appear blacker if you close your eyes for a moment and clearly imagine a sheet of clean, white paper before you open your eyes again.
20/30 Comparison is the evaluation of similarity and difference. A capital “H” and a capital “N” both have two parallel sides; but the “H” has a horizontal bar, while the “N” has a diagonal line.
20/25 Memory is the sum total of our learned and our remembered experiences.
20/20 Judgment is the summation, the end result, the interpretation or evaluation of what the eye sees.
20/16 Always use daylight whenever possible. When reading or working at night be sure to have adequate light consisting of the full spectrum of colors. The best combination of working light is a halogen pin light with a dimmer switch illuminating your working area. On the left side there should be an incandescent light and possibly fluorescent light fixtures in the ceiling. Fluorescent light alone is the worst working light as far as your eyesight is concerned.
If your reading vision is less than 20/25 at your normal reading distance, then you need to do the presbyopia exercises described on pages 136–139.
The basic idea is that you need to have extra capacity so when your eyes get tired you will still be able to read at a comfortable reading distance.
Look at this chart in good daylight using the normal reading distance (about 35 cm). Notice which lines you can read comfortably. This will indicate your reading acuity.
Note that lighting influences your ability to read. Daylight is the best quality light you can read by, whilst fluorescent light tubes produce the worst kind of light for reading or working.
12. Astigmat
ism
In the normal eye all light rays are seen to bend in the same direction. In astigmatism the light rays vary from plane to plane. Typically the cornea has the greatest refractive power at the vertical meridian, the 12 o’clock–6 o’clock line of the watch dial. This is known as “against-the-rule” astigmatism or direct astigmatism. Research indicates that this is by far the most common type of astigmatism and is found in around 88 percent of all cases.
The less common “with-the-rule” astigmatism occurs when the refractive power of the cornea is greater along the horizontal meridian, or the 9 o’clock–3 o’clock line on the watch. About 5 percent of all cases are with-the-rule astigmatism. However, it is possible to have astigmatism at any point of the compass and to have horizontal as well as vertical astigmatism at the same time. You can have astigmatism in only one or both eyes and/or you can have astigmatism at different angles in each eye.