Vision Improvement

[Guest Raccoon]

April 27, 2005

This thread will serve as my personal diary to help me follow my progress in improving my vision with the help of eye exercise introduced by the See Clearly Method program. I thought it would be a good idea because it seems there are many on these forums who wonder a lot if this stuff really does work. I haven't been to an eye doctor in over a year and a half so I can assume my vision is somewhere in between 20/50-20/70 with slight astigmatism. Last time I checked it was 20/40 but it probably got worse by now. Whatever it is, by the end of this year I will correct my vision to 20/20 or better, with no astigmatism (this program claims to be able to correct it, too.) The eye chart you see below is exactly the same size I am using. From a distance of 8 feet I am able to read line 21, but anything above I'd just have to guess what it says.

If you're interested in giving this program a try, PM me and I'll see what I can do to get you a copy of the .pdf manual. I will update this post with my progress every two weeks and I hope it will at least benefit to somebody as much as it will to me. Thanks.

[ 10. May 2005, 14:04: Message edited by: Demo ]

[Guest Raccoon]

May 10th, 2005

It's been 2 weeks since I started See Clearly Method program and I am ready to give you an update. Every single day I devoted 3 minutes to each of the exercises that I will list below in a moment for you to see. First of all let me answer one of the questions I've been asked about the most from the people who e-mailed me about SCM, "does this program work?" So far, it looks like it works for ME. I don't know if it would work for you and I'd never say it would because I have no way of knowing that. SCM cost about $350 and my best advice to you is don't buy it, it's a lot of money. I wouldn't have bought it 3 years ago if I knew there was something like myopia.org, then I'd try that first and see if it works. But since I bought it then I might as well put the money to use and give it a few months and see if it really brings any real results. If my vision continues to improve the way it has been for the last 2 weeks then great, at least I know I haven't really wasted that $230 I paid (that's how much it cost when I purchased it). One of the members of this board had some real amazing results with myopia.org which I salute him for, he went from 20/200 to 20/30. If you want to do what he did, then go for it, if you want to try SCM on top of that, PM and I'll send you the files. Below is a short summary of the exercises in the order performed:

Clock Rotations

Eyes Rolls

Fast Blinking

Slow Blinking

Squeeze Blinking

Pumping

Tromboning

Blur Zoning

Nose Fusion

Fusion Chart

Fusion Pumping

Scanning Chart

Word Chart

I will make it short. Clock Rotations and Eyes Rolls will make you feel like someone was pumping air into your eyes like tires. You can feel the muscles inside your eyes being worked (I just hope they don't get bigger). Squeeze Blinking is my favorite because it seems to be the most effective, I never experience results doing other exercises the way I experience them doing Squeeze Blinking. On my first day during Squeeze Blinking, I was able to read Line 16 when I could only see Line 21 just few minutes ago. It was like someone turned the light on and I could read Line 16 and below with no problem, everything looked clear. However, the result was only temporary because when I moved onto other exercises Line 20 and above became blurry again. But hey, it's not like you should expect to go from 21 to 16 in 15 minutes right? This is a couple months commitment at least if you really want results. I don't know how I'm going to be 6 months from now doing SCM but I hope for the best, right now I'm 20/50 nearsighted with slight astigmatism, that sucks. I want to fix that, and I will. Nose Fusion as well as Fusion Chart are also nice, I thought crossing my eyes would give me headaches but I felt alright. Fusion Pumping seems effective, I can see clearer and clearer just like with Squeeze Blinking, not much but I see improvement doing it. Scanning Chart and Word Chart are my least favorite, trying to look into a blur to read a line seems pointless. Scanning Chart is the worst of the two. Instructions tell you to place it where it is extremely blurry and then follow the line from point A to point B. I can never get from point A to point B, I lose sight of the line and where it is turning so I can't follow it. This particular exercise I do from time to time but not everyday. In total, it takes me about 40 minutes to do all these. I haven't tried any of the relaxing techniques yet but I will this week. Check back on my next update in 2 weeks, if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

Progress made: Line 19 is clear.

[Bishop]

Sent you a PM, Looking forward to reading up on your improvement man!

[Guest Bushmaster]

It is based on William Bates MD, studies which you can also buy his books and read about his approach. Bates thought that refraction problems caused by "exterior muscles" (that is why you are doing all those eye rotations) however that is not the case.Here is the catch, you are helping your vision only if you have accomodative myopia, when they paralyze your ciliary muscle during the eye exam, you might still have the refraction error which would disqualify you. If you need faster progress, try the plus lens therapy. Stop by www.myopiafree.com and join our discussion group, see our progress with the plus lens. I am one of them. I had 20/20 earlier in life, however you get old, bad eyesight progresses if you don't have correct vision habits. Plus lens helps you to reduce accomodative effort, plus the book on William Bates' studies help you to develop correct vision habits. I use them both. I can't get my right eye to come down to 20/20, it stays 20/25, sometimes up to 20/40, however with both eyes my vision is 20/15 on good days.

Bates' book is called;

Relearning to See: Improve Your Eyesight - Naturally!

Thomas R. Quackenbush

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=books&n=507846

[ 22. May 2005, 04:36: Message edited by: Bushmaster ]

[Guest pilotswif]

Well, first I want to say is congratulations on the improvement. I hope that it works for you... I know that you probably don't value my opinion, but I just wanted to give you some professional advice. Just to give you a little back ground... I am an ABO certified optician and have worked with ophthalmologists and optometrists for over a decade now. I have seen and experienced the different mechanisms used to improve eyesight. AND I also know the consequences of not having 20/20 eyesight. My own husband has a small astigmatism and had to receive a waiver in order to be able to obtain a pilot slot.

The advice I wanted to give was that in my professional experience, the program that you are doing does work, for the most part. The only thing that it won't help w/is your astigmatism. It might improve it a little bit, but you, unfortunately will most likely always have a small astigmatism.

Good luck w/everything. I hope the best for you and I hope that you are able to prove me wrong. Keep posting...

[Guest Bushmaster]

Originally posted by pilotswif:

My own husband has a small astigmatism and had to receive a waiver in order to be able to obtain a pilot slot.

Wait a min, the limit for astigmatism is -/+ 1.00, is that a small amount? I have some on my right eye too but can't tell how small it is, my last eye check it was -.50 spherical correction and when I asked I was told ther was no cylindrical correction, but that was in 2003 and it progressed a little bit, I am wondering how far it might have gone. Also if astigmatism is accompained with myopia or hyperopia, which is usually the case then they must transpose, so if your husband had -1.25 myopia and -0.50 astigmatism, they transpose to -1.75 which is above the limit. If that is what you meant. I am assuming that if I have -.75 myopia on my right, then I can have -.75 astigmatism tops.

I am trying to prevent it from progressing using plus lenses to relieve accomodation effort during close work which is usually the cause of myopia.

[Guest pilotswif]

Bushmaster,

You are right to a certain extent when it comes to transposing an Rx. Here is the general rule... If an astigmatism is under -.75 then you can transpose it to a spherical. The catch is myopia/hyperopia/presbyopia is not the same as an astigmatism. In myopia you have trouble seeing far distances and should be corrected w/a minus lens. Hyperopia is having trouble w/close up and is corrected w/a plus lens. Presbyopia is having trouble w/near and far and requires so sort of bifocal, whether it be a lined or a no lined. The catch w/an astigmatism is that it affects both nearsightedness and farsightedness. No matter where you look inside the eye the light never completely focuses. The other thing about an astigmatism is that it isn't just a -.50 or a -1.25, it is also accompanied by an axis. An astigmatism Rx looks something like this... (this is my Rx...) OD:-2.00-1.25x120 OS:-2.50-1.00x50 (OD is the right eye and OS is the left). The axis is where, in a 360 degree radius, the cylinder falls. Technically you cannot combine an astigmatism and a sphere because they are two separate eye problems. But if the cylinder is low enough, usually -.75 or lower, then an ophthalmologist/optometrist can combine the 2 when fitting contacts.

Does any of this make sense? Let me know if anything is unclear. Sorry if it isn't clear, sometimes I get carried away.

[Guest Bushmaster]

I know I have some astigmatism on my right eye, since I see the vertical objects somewhat blurry. Horizontal objects are fine, so here you go, that should be the axis. However I am wondering, how would -.75 astigmatism look like, I am trying to figure out what I have right now. It apparently was too low a couple years ago, my OD didn't want to prescribe anything.

Thanks for the explanation, I have known the info you gave me somewhat from books and such, but again thanks.

Another question for you though, I am able to see 20/20, sometimes on good days 20/15, but usually since I use a lot of computer I see 20/30, my right eye goes up to 20/40. Once they paralyze the ciliary muscle during cycloplegic exam, how bad would one's refraction get? I was told yes I can read the 20/20 line maybe but once paralyzed, my refraction can go up to -1.00, is that true? or is there a range for possible refraction for a person who can see average 20/20 20/30?

Thanks for yor time...

[Guest pilotswif]

From what you are telling me your problem isn't that you have an astigmatism... it sounds like to me that your problem is that you over focus. Did you go to an AF doc? Because it totally makes sense that your refraction would go up, especially when you tried to read. Paralyzing the ciliary muscle is the same thing as dilation. The ciliary muscle is what makes the pupil become big or small. The reason why an average doc would want to do this is to look inside the eye and make sure that the optic nerve is in good shape as well as the rods and cones. When the pupil is paralyzed it lets in more light which makes it a lot harder to read. This in turn makes the person over focus even more. The doc can put muscle relaxing drops into the eyes and then check your eyesight to see if your problem is really over focusing. If it is over focusing, then you will have an easy time fixing it. You will have to wear glasses to help train your eye and doing those eye exercises wouldn't hurt either. It would strengthen the eye muscles so over focusing wouldn't happen as often.

As for your last question, if you are indeed over focusing then it is entirely possible to vary up to 1 diopter, especially towards the end of the day. My advice is if you are going to get an eye check up any time soon, go first thing in the morning when your eyes are fresh and haven't been strained all day long.

Does that help at all? Hopefully I answered your questions...

[Guest Bushmaster]

Ok, wait wait, now I have good vision in the mornings, since I check it with a standard snellen chart, but yes it deteriorates gradually towrds the evening, is THAT called "over focus"? I am not sure I got the definition of Over Focus which you have suggested I might have.

I haven't taken my flight pysical yet, I will do that in the Army, but things should be the same. I have heard that first I am supposed to read the eye chart without dilation, max allowed is 20/50 and then they will dilate 'em and then tell me what the refraction is, by looking into the eye I guess, maybe with a retinoscope or etc...

I use reading glasses for using the computer so my eyes don't feel as strained as they used to be.

Another thing is, I don't know what it is called but whenever I blink I have different clarity of vision... Most of the time, when I read the snellen chart first thing in the morning, I have 20/16 left, 20/25 - 20/20 right, 20/16 both, but only in the mornings for an hour maybe. Than back to normal 20/25 - 20/30 average. Wide opening eyes helps sometimes makes the picture cleaner and sharper, also blinking the eyes has the same effect. Say I am looking at a light post at the distance. When I blink my eyes and look at the post, I see the post very sharp but very sharp, like I say 20/15 I am sure, but it is in a haze on the both sides, when I open my eyes wide when this happens, this hazing slowly disappears but the vision goes back to average of 20/30 - 20/40 etc.

Another example; when I look at a light post in the distance, say it appears as there are two of them very close, I blink, now it is sharp and the other one is gone, I blink again, this time the post appears to have a faint second one close to it, to the left, I blink again, this time there is nothing again but sharp image, I blink again, this time there are faint posts on both sides of the sharp image of the post...

I think these are the effects of astigmatism, aren't they?

thanks for taking time to explain though, I appreciate it. I am trying to preserve my sight below 20/50 and below -1.50 (transposed with astig.) for the Army, at least another couple years, after that I will not care, once I am in the Army I can wear glasses and if it progresses I would get LASIK in the Army. But I wonder why not my myopia stabilizes? I am 28 almost...

[Guest Raccoon]

I realize there is some competition between SCM and Myopia.org, however, if you're serious about improving your vision, why not do both? If you need fast results, then why not maximize your chance by doing SCM, and reading with myopia glasses or pinholes, and having more light in your room when doing work, and watching less TV, and taking breaks from the monitor every half hour? Although I do SCM for an hour everyday doesn't mean you have to, you can do it for half hour and still get results, but the more you do it the faster you will progress.

Pilotswif I do value your opinion and I appreciate you contributing to this forum, however, I do hope to prove you wrong and correct my astigmatism Speaking of astigmatism, in my case, this is how it looks like when I look at the chart http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/astigmatism.htm (scroll down to the picture of the boy with a dog). Mine starts from the right hand corner and going to the top left, as if someone drew it with a chalk. It's not that serious as shown on the picture but it's there, I can usually still read the letters though.

I will give it 2 more weeks until I post my results because to be honest with you, my vision varies during the day so I can't give you a solid number right now. I'm seeing Line 19 clearly, also I was able to read Line 13 but that was only temporary as I did plenty of Squeeze Blinking, it was still fun though and definitely gave me some extra motivation.

One more thing I want to mention is eating right. I never really paid much attention to it until one of the members here asked me about any supplements/vitamins/foods he should be eating. I thought it was worth enough to bring up so here it is:

- Eat less fat.

- Eat less sugar.

- Drink plenty of fluids.

- Eat whole grain cereals.

- Do not add salt to your food.

- Do not use alcohol or tobacco.

- Eat fresh fruits and vegetables.

More on diet in the e-book.

[Guest pilotswif]

Bushmaster,

Over focusing strains the eye. It is when while you are trying to focus on something, your eyes strain and become tired, blurry; sometimes you can see double vision. BUT with your double vision it sounds less like over focusing and more like dry eyes and protein build up. I still think that you tend to over focus as the day progresses, but the reason I think you have dry eyes and protein build up is because when you described what was happening w/your eye sight while looking @ the light, you stated that you have to blink to make the double vision and blurriness go away. What I would do w/that is of course to use eye drops. BUT DON'T use Visine. They actually create drier eyes and more protein build. I suggest using Patenol, it might be a little expensive, but it is definitely worth it. I would use the Patenol 2 or 3 times a day, once mid-day and once in the evening. And then if you are experiencing a lot of protein build one day then go ahead and use another drop.

Another thing that I was going to tell you and Demo is that when you do go in for your final eye exam there are certain letters that they use on the eye chart. I can't remember all of them, and I am going to consult the Doc I work w/. But if you know which letters are used then it might help you a little bit more. Let me know if you guys are interested...

Thanks for taking the time to read and place your input. I have learned a lot as well.

:D

[scoobs]

Do these programs really work or does it depend on how bad your vision is?

[Guest pilotswif]

From what I have experienced and researched, they don't really work for the most part. They only really work for those who over focus like bushmaster and demo. For the most part these programs are just a ploy to get $.

[Guest Bushmaster]

Agreed. If you are way young like in your early teens and start to develop myopia, you can use plus lenses for close work to relieve the accomodation effort however this didn't work for me. I still use +3.00 lenses for computer use and guitar but that is about it.

I still can't figure out this over focus thing. My vision is always good in the mornings but deteriorates towards night. Sometimes I would tkake an afternoon nap and then they would be fine again for a short while. But eventually they would go down.

[Guest Raccoon]

Originally posted by pilotswif:

Another thing that I was going to tell you and Demo is that when you do go in for your final eye exam there are certain letters that they use on the eye chart. I can't remember all of them, and I am going to consult the Doc I work w/. But if you know which letters are used then it might help you a little bit more. Let me know if you guys are interested...

pilotswif,

I'd really appreciate it if you could do that for us. Also, stick around for a little more because I will scan the paper for you with my results from the eye dok with a big, fat, juicy, 20/20 on it ;)

[Guest Bushmaster]

That is cheating though right? :D Anyway, if you are talking about the AFVT machine where you lean your head on to turn on the light and read the letters, I'd appreciate that too. However I suggest that if you can't really make it or able to guess it, just don't say it. they will give you time to close your eyes for a minute or so, rest because most likely you would be tense and nervous.

Anyway, I took the eye exam part of my flight physical for the Army this morning, it was not official and no paperwork was done, they had time to give me a quick check up. Only thing they didn't have time was the refraction part where they dilate it.

I went throught the retinoscope I believe and it determined I am -.50 on the right and -.25 on the left, surprisingly unchanged for 11 years. I did the visual acuity next, first I was not able to read the 20/20 line in the AFVT machine so I started reading 20/30 line with my right eye, but all of a sudden, they slowly started to come into focus one by one. Out of 16 letters, 8 on each I didn't miss any. I missed 2 out of 5 in my first try with the "good" eye and I told them I needed to rest my eyes a little. Tried it again and one blink, it was all clearly in focus.

Did the depth perception, field of vision, IOPs and all the good stuff. I am happy that I am within the limits.

Thanks pilotswif...

[ 31. May 2005, 03:03: Message edited by: Bushmaster ]

[Guest SadbutTrue]

demo... sent you a pm for the .pdf file and more info. Thanks!

[ 01. June 2005, 23:24: Message edited by: SadbutTrue ]

[Guest Raccoon]

Fellow wannabes, (and ROTC cadets lmao ;) )

I no longer offer free SCM .pdf files because first of all, too many people ask for it and I really don't feel like sending it out every 3 days anymore, and second of all, it's gotten to the point where people ask me for a free copy of American Fighter Pilot too. I have a feeling this SCM stuff made me look like Santa Claus to some of you but believe me, I'm not.

P.S.

Some of you that I sent the files to are currently serving and I just want to say it's been a pleasure I could help you guys out in a small way like this. Those in service I will continue to share these files with; thank you for your service.

[Guest Bushmaster]

Is this the entire manual are you sending? I am trying to make sure if that is the same thing I have.

[Guest Raccoon]

Originally posted by Bushmaster:

Is this the entire manual are you sending? I am trying to make sure if that is the same thing I have.

The whole thing, that's 8 files. 4 of them are Instructions, then FontTestSCM1, Diagram, Journal, and Quick Start.

[Guest Bushmaster]

Are you emailing them or burning on a CD and then mailing thru post office, second option would cost a lot over time...

[Guest Raccoon]

I don't burn CDs, I email .pdf files with instructions on how to perform SCM.

[Guest Raccoon]

August 19th, 2005

I had an eye exam today and it came out to be 20/25 my left eye, and 20/30 my right eye, both far and near vision. So how you like that? Woot Woot.

I'll keep working on it and see if it takes me closer to 20/20, or maybe 20/15 (I hope).

[ 19. August 2005, 13:07: Message edited by: Demo ]

[Guest Bushmaster]

Cyclo Refraction?