Many of us have probably never considered that poor eyesight could be improved without glasses or surgery. Harry Benjamin’s classic book Better Eyesight Without Glasses challenges this notion! In his book, Benjamin presents natural methods that promise to improve vision without surgery or aids. Although the approach is controversial, many readers have reported that these methods have helped them.
What is Benjamin’s method all about?
Benjamin’s approach is based on the eye care method of New York ophthalmologist WH Bates. It emphasizes that eye vision problems can be caused by muscle tension, so vision can be improved by restoring the natural relaxation of the eyes and exercising the eye muscles. By adding other natural treatments to the Bates method, Benjamin offers a natural vision improvement method.
What causes poor eyesight?
The book presents three reasons why poor eyesight occurs: mental stress, poor nutrition, and impaired blood and nerve flow. Since the eye is one part of the body, all the conditions of the body affect it as a whole, so viewing the eye as a separate functioning organ is incorrect.
1. Mental tension
Mental stress causes a corresponding physical stress on the eyes, their muscles and nerves, leading to poor vision. So, poor vision can be caused by tension in the eye muscles.
2. Nutrition
As mentioned earlier, the body is a whole and health conditions affect our entire body, including our eyes. For example, diabetes and kidney disease affect the eyes. Some cases of cataracts are diabetic in origin, and spots in front of the eyes can be caused by liver and digestive disorders.
An improper diet affects not only the eyes, but also all the functions that allow vision to occur. The muscles and blood vessels surrounding the eyes accumulate a clogging substance that is present throughout the body due to an incomplete metabolism. When the muscles and blood vessels are clogged, the waste material is not removed and turns the muscles hard and contracted, and the muscles are no longer soft and flexible. In many cases, impaired vision has been improved simply by fasting.
3. Blood and nerve flow
If the eyes do not receive enough blood and nerve power, vision is not perfect. If the neck muscles are stuck, it can cause the vertebrae to slightly shift out of place, thus preventing the continuous flow of nerve power from the nervous system to the eyes. Also, blood cannot flow properly to the eyes.
Why are glasses harmful?
According to the book, glasses are harmful because when a patient’s vision is improved with glasses, the thing is, so to speak, “corrected” and thus lulls the patient into a false state of satisfaction. In reality, the continuous use of glasses leads to a vicious cycle, where stronger and stronger glasses are prescribed. The continuous use of glasses has actually made vision worse. Glasses offer a quick and easy way to correct impaired vision, but viewing them as permanent aids to vision is unjustified. The use of glasses displaces the eye’s natural process of seeing.
Instead of allowing the eye to adjust to near and far objects, accommodation is done in a fixed and unchanging manner by means of glasses. Thus, the tense state of the muscles which would initially prevent accommodation is intensified by keeping the eyes in a rigid position by means of glasses. Thus, the continuous use of glasses often makes the eyes worse.
Methods for treating impaired vision
The book presents a versatile treatment method that includes instructions and exercises for all three of the above-mentioned areas that can cause poor vision. You can find the full instructions for the exercises in the book, here is just a general introduction to the instructions and exercises.
Relaxation methods
- Covering with palms: Rest in a diseased organ is essential for healing. Eyes with poor vision need rest to relax. When we are tired, we rest our eyes by closing them. Covering our eyes with palms relaxes, promotes this natural process and reduces tension.
- Swinging: Swinging also relaxes the body and relieves eye strain. In this exercise, you stand relaxed with your feet 30 cm apart and swing gently from side to side.
- Blinking: Regular blinking keeps your eyes moisturized and reduces strain.
- Sunlight: Benjamin believes that sunlight has a vision-improving effect. The best way is to close your eyes and face the sun.
- Cold water: Splashing cold water over closed eyes relaxes the eye tissues.
Exercises that affect vision
- Memory and imagination: The sense of sight is linked to memory and imagination, so the book provides exercises related to this. Look at a small object and note all the details. Then close your eyes and try to remember the object as clearly as possible. Repeat this several times.
- Central vision: This means that you see the object you are looking at best. You can practice this by focusing on the word in the middle of a sentence in a book. Close your eyes and imagine seeing the word on the line clearly and sharply, and let your surroundings be as blurry as possible.
- Reading: This is one of the best ways to keep your eyes active and healthy. According to the book, reading should be done without glasses, but without straining.
Eye muscle and neck exercises
- Eye muscle exercises: You can relax the eye muscles with various exercises. For example, gently moving your eyes up and down while keeping your head still. Likewise, from right to left side. You can also slowly and carefully rotate your eyes in both directions.
- To enhance accommodation: Hold your index finger about 20 cm in front of your eyes and choose a target at least three meters away. Move your gaze between them.
- Neck exercises: The best time to do neck exercises is in the morning. Exercises include rolling your shoulders forward and backward and gently rotating your head in both directions.
Diet
Diet has a direct connection to our health and therefore also to our eyesight. We are individuals and therefore it is impossible to say one diet that suits everyone, but a natural diet containing lots of fruits and vegetables supports health. Nutrients that support eye health in particular include vitamin A and omega-3. Harry Benjamin has also written a separate book on diet, Your Diet in Health and Disease , which focuses solely on diet.
Summary
Can you really improve your eyesight naturally? It’s important to note that science doesn’t fully support all of the claims made about Benjamin’s methods, and the method isn’t necessarily a substitute for medical care. However, many people have experienced improvements in their eyesight when they’ve combined these techniques with a healthy lifestyle.
This is an inspiring approach to improving your eyesight naturally. The key is to be gentle with yourself and experiment with what works for you. If you are interested in learning more, you should read the entire book Better Eyesight Without Glasses . Maybe now is the time to give your eyes some new attention and love!
