Vision Improvement Basics All you need to know to improve your vision without glasses.

Last Revision, August 24, 2010.

Here are the basics, as distilled by myself after years of experimentation. Start here.

1. Eye chart. Get an eye chart. Make it your friend. This is not a test, this is practice. Set it up in bright light, sunlight preferably, and read it from a distance. Read it often. Memorize it. Just see what you can see. Start at the top and make your way to the bottom. When you get to a row you can't see, go back to the previous row and just re-read each letter until the next row becomes clear enough to read. If the chart starts fading out, close your eyes or look away at other objects for a few seconds and then come back to the chart. The eye chart will teach you about your eyes at the conscious and unconscious levels It will teach you what subtle things you need to do or not do in order to improve your vision. It works like nothing else. Print out a "classic" or "modern" chart from here.
2. At all times you must keep your facial muscles relaxed. If you feel any sensations (feelings of strain) in your eyes that make you want to squint or otherwise make a funny expression, instead, do one of two things: either close your eyes gently (just let your eyelids drop) for a few seconds or as long as you like, then let them lightly spring open; or very slowly and deliberately roll your eyes in a "rainbow" (left-up-right-up-left) while blinking and rocking your head slightly in the same direction as your eyes.
3. If you can't go for more than a second without a feeling of strain, despite closing, blinking, or rolling your eyes, it's time to palm. Your eyes have worked enough. Put both hands, cupped, over your eyes, fingers crossed on the forehead, and close your eyes for as long as you want. You can do this preventively as well. Don't wait for strain: throughout the day, whenever you get the chance, palm for a few minutes at a time.
4. Pushing print. For improving distance vision. A supplement to Snellen chart work. Take a book and, without your distance glasses on, hold it at the point at which it is significantly blurry but still readable. If, no matter how far you hold it away it is still clear, put on some reading glasses (plus lenses) of the appropriate strength so that you can put the transition point between clarity and distance blur comfortably within arms' reach. Now read those blurry pages of text. Keep your head loose as you do this, rocking it from left to right following the text. Don't think too much about the individual letters, just think about the meaning and read through the blur. You may soon find that the text gets clearer, in which case great, push back again as far as you can and read some more. If it doesn't clear, or if you start to feel strain, stop reading, remove your reading glasses, and close, roll, or palm your eyes as described in points 2 and 3, then go back to reading at the same distance.
5. Your vision is adversely influenced by tension in the rest of the body as well. If things won't clear, check for other parts of your body that are tensed up, and as you notice them, stop tensing them. If you're standing (or even if you're not!) check your legs. Also especially check your neck, shoulders, chest, and upper arms. Check to make sure you are breathing easily.
6. Spend as much time as you can outside in the sun. If the sun makes you feel like squinting, smile instead.
7. If you really want your vision to improve, you have to go throughout the day without corrective glasses as much as possible. Of course you must use your good judgement if the safety of yourself or others is concerned. If you can go without glasses, do so.

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