What is the Bates Eyesight Exercise Method

The Bates Eyesight Exercise Method refers to a series of exercises for the eyes which were formulated by the pioneering ophthalmologist, William Horatio Bates. William Bates was born in the United States in 1861 and went on to train and practice as an Ophthalmologist. He also taught at the New York Post Graduate Medical School.

However with time he began to question the efficacy of traditional Ophthalmology. After years of research on people who suffered from vision problems, he came to the conclusion that there was another way to correct vision other than wearing glasses. In fact he believed that glasses could actually make vision problems worse, rather than improve them.

The aim of the exercises which he designed was to relax the eyes. He passionately believed that the majority of eye problems were caused by eye strain and stress to the eye muscles. He believed that if you reduce eye strain and give the eyes an opportunity to relax, they will begin to self heal.

The Bates exercises consist of three fundamental exercises which are Palming, Swinging, and Sunning. The Palming exercise consists of placing the palm of your hands over your eyes, enabling your eyes to be in complete darkness. The Swinging exercise consists of shifting the gaze of your eyes from one point to another. The Sunning exercise entails exposing your eyes to the sun.

Thousands upon thousands of people who have followed the Bates exercises have discovered to their delight that they do actually work. Many of these people have been able to throw away there glasses.

Of course in order for the exercises to work you need to practice regularly and not miss out any of the steps in the exercise program. What’s more, the only expense related to the Bates Eyesight Exercises is the purchase of a book which explains in detail how to follow them.