Does Eye Exercise Work?

In 1920 a book titled, "The Cure of Imperfect Sight by Treatment Without Glasses," was self-published by William Horatio Bates, an ophthalmologist who believed that the eye's ability to focus is controlled by its external muscles. The main premises of his publication therefore, were that good vision can be maintained through a regimen of simple eye exercises and that the use of eyeglasses actually is counter-productive. Bates offered a method--exercises, by which one could either maintain, or improve his eyesight. To this day, the so-called Bates System is still practiced by many disciples of his teachings.

The Baltimore Project

• According to a report published by Donald Rehm of the International Myopia Prevention Association, an investigation known as the Baltimore Project was launched in 1944 by the American Optometric Association. Its alleged purpose was to determine the effects of vision, or eye exercise training. The study's conclusion was that most of the trainees had an improvement in visual acuity; they were temporarily better able to see at a distance. The study also found however, that with regard to refractive error--an error in the eye's ability to focus on light--that there was no improvement. Thus, the Bates System could not realistically improve one's myopia or nearsightedness.

The Current Medical View

• Modern ophthalmologists, are now certain that Dr. Bates was wrong in his belief that the eye's external muscles are responsible for the ability to focus. Instead, this ability is due to the ciliary muscle, which lies on the lens. Further, it is now recognized that up-close activities such as reading, can eventually cause myopia. Much to the chagrin of today's ophthalmologists however, there is growing evidence that the pioneer physician may have been right in his belief that prescription glasses are not always the best answer to deteriorating vision.

Considerations

• While the International Myopia Prevention Association, a nonprofit educational organization, concurs with findings that show the cause of nearsightedness to be the result of an abnormal lengthening of the eye caused by excessive reading and other close work, they do not agree with the prescribing of glasses or contact lenses for a person who has already become myopic. Rather, they advocate a very simple ounce of prevention--the use of reading glasses--which should begin in childhood and pinhole glasses for the already myopic.

The Holistic Approach

• For people who practice the arts of holistic health, eye exercises still hold great value. The difference is that the training is only a part of a larger overall health regimen for the entire body--a change in lifestyle that includes improving one's diet and mental attitude, avoiding toxins and doing eye exercises in order to both improve circulation and thus, expedite the removal of toxins from the eyes, and to regulate constriction and dilation. When considered with an open mind, the principles behind a holistic approach make a lot of sense to many people who are convinced of their effectiveness.

Solution

• Eye exercises do no harm and, in certain ways, improved the vision of many test subjects during the Baltimore Project--at least temporarily. As a part of a holistic approach to eye health, eye training appears to have many benefits. Still, a balance between these whole-body principles and a respect for the expertise of modern ophthalmology could promote better vision. It may also be wise to use reading glasses when doing any close work, regardless of how good your vision may be at the moment.