The Bates Method
By Karen Banks
Becky was a thirty-six year old office worker who had
initially become slightly short-sighted in her mid-teens
during an intense period of exams. Over the years her vision
had gradually deteriorated and she had become more dependent
on her glasses. Her prescription strength was also increasing
at fairly regular intervals. As she didn't like wearing
glasses, she preferred to wear contact lenses particularly
in social situations but was finding them physically very
uncomfortable.
Becky began to experience dry, gritty, sore eyes and daily
headaches, particularly after spending a few hours working
at her computer. She also noticed her vision appeared to
be more blurred even when using correction, particularly
if she was tired or stressed.
Becky decided to try the Bates Method initially to ease
her headaches and to make her contact lenses more comfortable.
As usual the initial consultation involved taking a full
case history to gain a further understanding of Becky's
visual situation. We discussed her visual and general health
history, current lifestyle, past and current emotional situations.
It became apparent that Becky had started to experience
an increase in headaches and eyestrain during the last six
months. Prior to that time she had experienced considerable
upheaval in both her personal and working life. At work
she had achieved a prestigious promotion, but this had resulted
in alienation from her old work colleagues and increased
the amount of time she now worked in the office, usually
in front of a computer for long stretches of time. These
additional pressures and additional hours had resulted in
increasing tiredness with less time for socialising and
exercise.
Becky hadn't considered her vision in a holistic way and
was quite surprised that these factors could contribute
to her discomfort and blurred way of seeing.
Our initial consultation ended with a discussion of ways
to help reduce visual discomfort and also to bring more
balance into a stressful, imbalanced life.
These suggestions included:
- Bates relaxation exercises including palming
(Resting the eyes in darkness by covering with the palms).
- Taking regular breaks away from the computer. Blinking
more frequently and
looking away from the screen.
- Developing a more nurturing/balanced lifestyle which
included re-establishing
an old exercise routine, taking time out to visit friends,
and reading less in
order to avoid straining eyes further.
Becky continued to attend regular sessions whilst she continued
to make adjustments to her lifestyle and included regular
practices to encourage visual relaxation. She reported that
her headaches disappeared and that her eyes felt moist rather
than dry. As a result her contact lenses were comfortable
again and she had been surprised to notice that not only
were things not so blurred, but seemed sharper and clearer
particularly after resting the eyes.
Having achieved her initial goal Becky decided she would
like to continue working with natural vision improvement.
We now meet less frequently as Becky is now able to practice
most of the techniques and has begun to integrate the ideas
into everyday life in order to retrain her eyes. As her
natural vision continues to improve her reliance on glasses
and contact lenses has diminished and she is currently enjoying
a more satisfactory way of life.
About the Author
Karen Banks can be contacted at:
The London Bates Centre
0207 8317924
Or
The Nottingham Natural Health Centre
354 Mansfield Rd
Nottingham
NG5 2EF
0115 9608855
