I had to get reading glasses at age 43. I seem to get worse with each passing year.

Yet there are hunter gatherers in Ecuador who do not suffer from age-related declines in vision.
[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Anyone else here over 40 and using reading glasses? I noticed that Chris Califano uses glasses. They say the loss of the ability to accomodate is due to stiffening of the crystalline lens. There are changes in elasticity and lens hardening because of modifications in cortical fiber cell cytoplasm and nuclear protein solubility.

Hunter gatherers are also not looking at computer and tv screens all day.
These strain the eyes unfortunately.

Its kind of hard to avoid eye irritants in industrial society.

I have vision problems, I've been wearing contacts since I was 14, plus eyeglasses when I'm at home (to relax my eyes). But ever since I went vegan and then raw, my eye vision has improved, or so says my eye doctor. I especially find that I can now read better without my glasses as opposed to in the past.

Btw, now I'm 36 and I went vegan then raw almost 3 years ago.

I read about people improving their vision on the raw vegan diet. One of my Facebook friends is an example of this, you can watch his videos about this here:

[www.youtube.com]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raw vegan for life. Vegan for the animals. Raw for my health.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2015 08:33AM by Ela2013.

arugula Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I had to get reading glasses at age 43. I seem to
> get worse with each passing year.
>
> Yet there are hunter gatherers in Ecuador who do
> not suffer from age-related declines in vision.
> [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
>
> Anyone else here over 40 and using reading
> glasses?

Yes, but I notice that my close up vision is better on the sproutarian diet. I have used reading glasses from age 14 and increasingly needed to rely on them as l got older, but now l often don't need to use them, but still use them late at night when reading in bed. My distance vision is still not improved.

Ann Wigmore wore reading glasses as she got older too.

One thing l have found is that the computer does fatique my eyes in the last two years. People swear by pinhole glasses, but they don't work for me.

[www.google.com.au]

www.thesproutarian.com

arugula, bad vision is not a dietary issue, but rather one of stress and tension around the eyes. You might want to explore the Bates Method of vision improvement. Its the muscular tension around the eye sockets that distorts that shape of the eyeballs, causing poor vision.

I have a friend who's not raw, but vegan. She drinks a glass of carrot juice daily, her vision has been improving over the years significantly. Carrots are well known for being good for the eyes.

Prana wrote:

<<<arugula, bad vision is not a dietary issue, but rather one of stress and tension around the eyes.>>>

Yes, stress and tension affects accomodation, but so does diet! As Shelton says, there are NO separate body parts. Almost everyone I coach that does a long Juice Fast/Feast sees improvement in their vision. My vision is better now (it's 20/20) than it was before I was Raw!

Here are some of my notes from Shelton:

"The Science and Fine Art of Natural Hygiene"
By Dr. Herbert Shelton

Care of the Eyes
Chapter XIX p. 247

"In a normal eye, when the ciliary muscles are relaxed the eye is focused for distant objects. To see objects close at hand the muscles must be tightened to increase the curve of the lens and shorten its focal distance. The alteration of focal length by the ciliary muscles is a "reflex" action and is called accomodation. The nerves and muscles of accomodation are those nerves and muscles that adjust the vision to small or large objects, objects close by or at a distance, to read this print one instant and see a man far down the street next, and that enables us to see in a strong light or in a dim light. Good vision depends upon the power of accomodation. So long as this is unimpaired we see well; when it is impaired, from whatever cause and in whatever way, our sight is defective. Accomodation is a complex process and may be impaired in a variety of ways." Dr. Herbert Shelton, "The Science and Fine Art of Natural Hygiene" p. 249

"Defective vision must arise out of troubles in the mechanism of the eyes. There is something wrong with the nerves, or muscular coordination is impaired, or the lens has lost its clearness and elasticity, or the aqueous humor has thickened or thinned, etc.." Dr. Herbert Shelton, "The Science and Fine Art of Natural Hygiene" p. 251

"The eyes are parts of the body and partake in varying degrees of the strength or weakness of the body as a whole. They are fed by the same blood and lymph stream, innervated by the same nervous system and have their waste matter eliminated by the same excretory organs as the other organs of the body. As the general health improves or is impaired the efficiency of the eyes rises and falls." Dr. Herbert Shelton, "The Science and Fine Art of Natural Hygiene" p. 252

"Anything and everything that affects the general health, either to improve or to impair it, may also improve or impair vision. The first requisite of good vision is, therefore, good general health. The eyes cannot be cared for independently of the body, as though they have no vital connection. Any attempt to do so will fail." Dr. Herbert Shelton, "The Science and Fine Art of Natural Hygiene" pp. 252-253

"Myopia is near sight, or often to the eye specialist, long eye-balls. Myopia is really a failure of accommodation. This condition may be the result of disease or of training. We forget or do not know that we can train our eyes, just as we can train our fingers. But if we have trained our eyes to see at close range only, we can again train them to see at a distance.

Myopia (near-sightedness) is often a result of malnutrition and toxemia. Careful studies of the statistics of myopia in England show that this condition rises or falls, as living conditions improve or grow worse. When the general level is high, myopia is low; when the general level is low and there is much dietary deficiency, due to "hard times," myopia increases.

Myopia does not result from fasting. One may actually see farther when fasting than when on the conventional diet. I have seen more than one myopic individual discard his glasses after a few days of fasting and not use them thereafter." Dr. Herbert Shelton, "The Science and Fine Art of Natural Hygiene" p. 259

"Opticians, oculists, optometrists and ophthalmologists count on fitting people with stronger and stronger lenses on the average of once every two years. Glasses weaken accommodation of the eyes and the longer they are worn and the stronger the lens used, the weaker the accommodation becomes. This is certainly not a bright prospect for users of glasses to look forward to." Dr. Herbert Shelton, "The Science and Fine Art of Natural Hygiene" p. 264

“Glasses are like drugs, they create a need for themselves. The longer they are worn the stronger lenses one needs, and as the progressive weakening of the eyes continues, the strains produced by glasses result in partial or complete blindness." Dr. Herbert Shelton, "The Science and Fine Art of Natural Hygiene" p. 266

"Ailing or affected muscles, nerves and tissues or organs anywhere in the body need good blood and so do ailing eyes and failing and defective vision." Dr. Herbert Shelton, "The Science and Fine Art of Natural Hygiene" p. 266

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are 2 more to think about...

"I meet with people every day (or hear from them by mail) who have so many virtues that they are unable to recognize that their many small vices are slowly killing them. They will tell me that they live Hygienically at least ninety percent and ask: Why should I be sick or why don't I get well? If ten percent of their life is wrong, this is not supposed to count for anything. Of course, they always exaggerate in their favor the actual extent of their Hygienic living. When we say that to get well, all causes of disease must be removed, we do not mean that one may practice all the virtues but one and that for this he is entitled to substitute or to retain one of his pet vices." -Herbert Shelton

"...every mouthful of wrong food eaten becomes an obstruction in the bodily machine, an encumbrance, a restriction of your vitality, strength and endurance. Regardless of how small it may seem at the time, it is an interference with your standard health." -Arnold Ehret

Sunglasses and the lack of Sun/Light bathing the optic nerves leads to the degeneration of the eye. Diet will not fix that.

" Our genes were originally selected to succeed in a very different world from the one we live in today. Humans’ brains and eyes originated long ago, when we spent most of our waking hours in the sun. The process of development takes advantage of such reliable features of the environment, which then may become necessary for normal growth.

Researchers suspect that bright outdoor light helps children’s developing eyes maintain the correct distance between the lens and the retina — which keeps vision in focus. Dim indoor lighting doesn’t seem to provide the same kind of feedback. As a result, when children spend too many hours inside, their eyes fail to grow correctly and the distance between the lens and retina becomes too long, causing far-away objects to look blurry. "

Hey NuNativs,

The guy who turned me on to Raw Foods in 1990 said something about a film of bacteria that grows on the eye and that sunshine somehow gets rid of that film, but I have never been able to find anything on that, although, I have not really looked that hard.

Have you are anyone else heard of anything like this?

I know all about Heliotherapy or Sun-Gazing and how that balances the oculo-endocrine system, but I have not come across anything that mentions anything about a film on the eye.

For those who might be interested in Heliotherapy or Sun-Gazing, here are my notes from "The Tao of Health, Sex, & Longevity" by Daniel P. Reid:

Heliotherapy...‘the method of administering sunbeams’...

“There is indeed a direct scientific connection between sunlight entering the eyes and secretions of the pituitary and pineal glands in the mid-brain.” -Daniel P. Reid, "The Tao of Health, Sex, & Longevity" p. 247

“The key factor in heliotherapy is the invisible ultraviolet band, and the key receptor is the retina. A layer of cells in the retina called the epithelial cells become highly neuro-active when exposed to ultraviolet radiation, without in any way affecting vision. While the visible bands of light excite the retina's rods and cones to produce vision, the invisible ultraviolet band stimulates the adjacent epithelial cells, which transmit the stimulus as a powerful neural impulse through the optic nerve directly to the pituitary and pineal glands. Western medicine calls this newly discovered biosystem the 'oculo-endocrine system', but the mechanism has been known to Taoists for ages. This discovery has spawned a new branch of Western science called 'photobiology'.” -Daniel P. Reid, "The Tao of Health, Sex, & Longevity" p. 247

“Clearly, the quality of light entering the eyes is just as important to health as the quality of air entering the lungs and the quality of food entering the stomach. The body cannot live on denatured nutrients of any sort. Light devoid of its natural ultraviolet ‘nutrients’ is as ‘dead’ as food without its living enzymes and air without its active negative ions. In all three cases, the missing ingredient is a form of chee, the indispensable bioactive energy of life.” -Daniel P. Reid, "The Tao of Health, Sex, & Longevity" p. 248

“All types of glass, for example, filter out ultraviolet rays, including ordinary window panes, car windshields, eye glasses (clear or tinted), and contact lenses.” -Daniel P. Reid, "The Tao of Health, Sex, & Longevity" p. 249

"In order to compensate for the 26 per cent reduction in overall ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth today, as well as for all the time spent indoors, practice the sun-blinking solar-energy eye exercises introduced below once or twice a day.
The following exercises should only be performed when the sun is shinning brightly, not when obscured with clouds or heavy haze, and ONLY before 9:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m., when the sun is not at its height of intensity. Fans of Carlos Castaneda's 'Don Juan' series will recognize these exercises as similar to one of the basic energy-gathering exercises Don Juan taught Carlos.

1. Stand or sit comfortably outdoors with head tilted towards the sun, eyes closed. Angle your head so that eyes are aimed about 10-15 degrees above the sun, not directly at it. Now open your eyes quickly and blink very rapidly, for about 3 seconds, or about 10 times. Then close eyes, tilt head away from sun, and pause for brief rest. Tilt head back towards sun, eyes closed, this time with eyes aimed 10-15 degrees below the sun. Repeat blinking sequence, look away, and repeat exercise to the left and to the right of the sun. This method insures even exposure of retinas to beneficial UV rays without focusing eyes directly at the sun. You may perform this exercise once or twice per session.

2. The second method is a bit more advanced. Adopt the same posture outdoors as above. Instead of blinking rapidly at the sun, roll your eye-balls in a circle around the sun for 3-5 seconds, then pause, look away and repeat 3-5 times. Employ the eye-rolling exercise given in the previous chapter as a long-life exercise. This method provides a more complete and even irradiation of the retina with ultraviolet energy, but you must be careful not to let the eyes focus directly on the sun itself as they revolve around it.

These exercises run counter to the conventional Western wisdom that direct exposure to sunlight is harmful to the eyes. Hopefully the evidence presented above suffices to belie such ill-founded advice. If not, then consider the following two facts for additional support. First, it is shortwave ultraviolet radiation that is harmful to eyes and skin, and this portion of the band is completely filtered out by the atmosphere, especially by today's highly polluted atmosphere; only the beneficial long-wave ultraviolet radiation in the sunlight reaches the earth's surface. Secondly, when you look at the sun or anything else intensely bright, the irises instantly contract to narrow the opening of the pupil. This natural protective mechanism effectively cuts down the overall intensity of light entering the eyes to tolerable levels without cutting out any part of the spectrum. Furthermore, it is the chronic deficiency of ultraviolet exposure to the eyes caused by sedentary modern lifestyles that makes eyes so excessively sensitive to prolonged occasional exposure, such as a day at the beach or in the mountains. Heliotherapy calls for brief but daily exposure of the retinas to sunlight in order to balance the oculo-endocrine system.” -Daniel P. Reid, "The Tao of Health, Sex, & Longevity" pp. 251-252

Well, I read the paper, and it raises a couple of questions.

Two groups of Amazonian Indians are compared

Kawymeno Waorani (hunter gatherer, 94% of food is wild, twice as much variety as Kichwa)

S.T. Kichwa (sustenance farmers, 32% of food is wild)

They provide tables showing essentially no decline in visual function
for the Kawymeno all the way to age 70+ while the Kichwa show sucessive
and rapid declines from the 40s onward.

Both groups spend most of their time outside.

Both groups had no myopia in youngsters, though.

Here is what they say:


Intensive near visual work related to regular schoolwork is
often suggested as a cause of declining visual acuity

Arctic studies of school children that correlate increased
rates of myopia with increasing years of school [49] as well
as higher scholastic achievement [54] are frequently cited
as evidence


Although both our study groups spent their entire
lifetimes outdoors, lower visual acuity appeared in only one
group, providing no evidence to support lack of exposure to
sunlight as an explanation for differences in visual acuity
between groups. In fact, neither group had access to electricity;
so both depended exclusively on natural light and used
firelight in the evening hours.


In our study population, however, neither group consumed a
low-fiber, refined-starch diet, thereby suggesting that low
glycemic load alone could not provide a dietary explanation
for our results


The authors conclude that the mostly wild-type high variety
diet provides more antioxidant protection.

But here's what they fail to say.

[yris.yira.org]
While the Huaorani have been known to live into their 70s and 80s,
their life expectancy is unknown. In fact, many members of
the tribe do not know their exact age.

My guess is that the ages of the subjects hunter gatherer groups
could not be verified, so we are not sure that the results are
valid and the comparisons between groups stratified by age might
not be very meaningful.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2015 05:59PM by arugula.

I used to wear contacts - when I was younger I had a very bad diet and bad habits such as staring at computer/TV screens for an extended period of time - but I don't anymore. My vision still has much room for improvement but after making a radical change in my diet (90%+ raw when I started and 100% now), I noticed that my vision with contacts was getting worse. I attributed this to my normal vision significantly improving and therefore the contacts prescription I had wasn't the right match anymore. I went to the optometrist and this is exactly what happened. They had to lower the prescription 3X in one eye and 2X in the other because my new diet was rapidly improving my vision. I don't wear them anymore because both glasses and contacts make your eyes worse in the long-run, and I don't feel like I need them.

I've noticed that whenever I take astaxanthin consistently, my vision gets clearer and colors stand out more. You notice immediate effects that get more pronounced the longer you take it. I've also read that one of the main reasons so many people have vision problems is because people are not really exercising their eyes anymore. The majority of what we look at is relatively close to us (cars, buildings, screens, etc.) and our eyes are not getting enough "long distance training".

JTP wrote:
I've noticed that whenever I take astaxanthin consistently, my vision gets clearer and colors stand out more. You notice immediate effects that get more pronounced the longer you take it

Tai:
Nice story, JTP. I find juicing garnet yams is really soothing to my eyes. I think there is benefit to a wide range of carotenoids. My eyes feel great from fresh picked aloe vera as a smoothie and fresh picked peppermint (like 25-50 grams of leaf) as a smoothie and spearmint juiced (a big bunch). Where do you buy your product? HOw is it extracted?

Tai, it comes from animals.

"Where do you buy your product? HOw is it extracted?"

I use BioAstin Astaxanthin and it's extracted from microalgae.

It could be something you are not liking to see, that is causing your vision problem.

Is there anything you do not like seeing everyday in your life. Get rid of it and see if your vision improves.

They always say your vision goes after something bad happens, like especially in childhood, you can find the exact year your eyesight went bad and find something traumatic.

coconutcream Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It could be something you are not liking to see,
> that is causing your vision problem.
>
> Is there anything you do not like seeing everyday
> in your life. Get rid of it and see if your vision
> improves.
>
> They always say your vision goes after something
> bad happens, like especially in childhood, you can
> find the exact year your eyesight went bad and
> find something traumatic.

Have I told you how much I love you lately? If not,
I am telling you now. You are such a charmer!

You do not know how much truth there is in your post.

Well, I recently contacted a respected ophthalmologist who is convinced that this is not due to diet. He says that people who have good vision in late age have one or more of the following:

* small pupils
* a difference between the eyes such that one is better for near vision and the other better for far
* mild myopia to start with
* mild astigmatism to start with

He says that the lens never stops growing.

It is an inverted epithelium. The basement membrane is outside. The body of the lens consists of living cells but the main part has no cell nuclei.

Because the lens is growing with age but the other parts of the eye are not growing, it becomes harder to accommodate (adjust vision to near and far objects).

He says this process if a function of time and not influenced by diet.

There may be some influence of diet on cataracts, though.

I am not sure if this makes me feel better or worse. On the one hand I now realize it is not necessarily my fault. On the other hand I see that there is not much I can do about it other than to switch to a profession that does not require copious amounts of reading small print/glasses and avoiding unpleasant sights.

<<<Well, I recently contacted a respected ophthalmologist who is convinced that this is not due to diet.>>>

Anybody who says or thinks that any part of the body is NOT affected by DIET is woefully mistaken.

Once again, there are NO separate body parts!

As I mentioned above, “Almost everyone I coach that does a long Juice Fast/Feast sees improvement in their vision.”

The problem with most doctors was well articulated by Dr. Max Gerson who said that the problem with his profession is that they are NOT taught the Concept of Totality!

Here are some of my notes from…

“A Cancer Therapy Results Of Fifty Cases”
by Dr. Max Gerson

Chapter II
The Concept of Totality-Decisive
in Cancer and Other Degenerative Diseases

“Dr. Nichols was probably one of the first in our time who recognized the “concept of totality” as applied to disease. He combined the following clinical appearances: Emotional, nutritional, poisons, infections, accidents and inheritance as underlying causes for diseases: ‘No wonder we are all sick . . . and science is no longer science when it attempts to violate God’s natural law.’” p. 11

“I found the ideas of totality more profoundly developed in the ancient work of Paracelsus, and many other physicians of long ago.

It is not only in biology where the ideas of totality is to be regarded as an entity of the natural processes; it is also the rule in art, in philosophy, in music, in physics, where the most learned scholars found the concept of totality alive in their fields of research and work.” p. 12

“Medical science has eliminated the totality of the natural biological rules in the human body, mostly by dividing research and practice into many specialties. Doing intensive, masterly specialized work, it was forgotten that every part is still only a piece of the entire body. ...

...The symptoms of a disease have become the main problem for research, clinical work and therapy.” p. 13

“In my opinion, the application of the concept of totality can help us find the true cause of cancer; ...” p. 14

“Therefore, the treatment also has to penetrate deeply to correct all the vital processes. When the general metabolism is corrected, we can influence again retrospective functioning of all other organs, tissues, and cells through it. This means that there should be a treatment applied which will fulfill the task of totality in every aspect, taking care of the functions of the whole body in all its different parts, thus restoring the harmony of all biological systems. The treatment which will fulfill this complex problem is described in detail later. Here it should merely be emphasized that the treatment has to fulfill two fundamental components. The first component is the detoxification of the whole body which has to be carried out over a long period of time, until all tumors are absorbed and the essential organs of the body are so far restored that they can take over this important “cleansing function” by themselves. If that is not effected to the necessary degree, the entire body becomes the victim of a continuously increasing poisoning with dire consequences (coma hepaticum). Secondly, the entire intestinal tract has to be restored simultaneously; with the restoration of the intestinal tract, the most important secretory functions will be repaired, as well as its circulation and motility regulated by the visceral nervous system. In that way, we can activate, together with other functions, defense, immunity and healing power in the body. Immunity does not mean here that the body is protected against a special bacterium; as in an infectious disease, it means that no abnormal cell can grow or develop in the body with normal metabolism. For that purpose, the degree of restoration of the liver plays a decisive role. We should not forget that a body detoxified constantly through the liver and the best nutrition can maintain an active metabolism with the help of the liver. Thus, the concept of totality will be obeyed in medicine as it is active in other living and non-living processes of nature. The same is true in the field of nutrition.” pp. 16-17

“These examples are chosen to illustrate the biological fact that not one factor alone or a combination of single factors is decisive, but what is decisive is how they influence the whole body, mind and soul in their entirety.” p. 18

“Cancer, the great killer, will be prevented and can be cured if we learn to understand the eternal laws of totality in nature and in our body. Both are combined and have to be united in an effective treatment for cancer; in that way we can learn to cure cancer in a higher proportion, even of advanced cases. The limitations of the totality of functions of the whole body, however, also come into action here. The totality of functions is lost if one or another vital organ is too far destroyed.” p. 18

“This cannot be compared with the slowly progressive deterioration in our system caused by modern civilization.” p. 19

Chapter V
The Theory

“If we approach the cancer problem from a more practical viewpoint--the clinical side--based on the concept of totality, we learn two things: firstly, we have to live near nature, according to our natural development. Secondly, science cannot help us to solve the deep, underlying cause of cancer.” pp. 37-38

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other words, when we go to an Eye Specialist or any other so-called Specialist, most of them have NO idea about what’s happening in the rest of the body, especially the colon and when the colon gets plugged up, so does the rest of the body and that’s what most Dis-Eases are all about as they are trying to clean up the mess from eating the WRONG Food!

Here is an interesting article for those with an open mind…

[www.rawfoodexplained.com]
The Eyes

3. The Eyes

3.1 Failing Eyesight and Vision Problems

What causes a person to be near-sighted or far-sighted? Why do so many older people require glasses? What is astigmatism? What are cataracts and how are they caused? Poor eyesight and vision problems affect almost every person alive today. Most of these problems could be prevented or corrected if the causes of poor eyesight are understood. Let’s look at the most common complaints about the eyes and sight:

3.2 Is Failing Eyesight Natural?

Your vision often seems to deteriorate as you grow older. People that never wore glasses in their early years often succumb to using reading glasses around the age of fifty. Does the power of vision naturally falter with passing years? Yes and no.

Your eyes can focus on both faraway and close by objects because the lens of the eye can be “stretched.” The lens itself is composed of a strong, elastic capsule of proteinaceous fibers. Ligaments attach to the lens which allow it to be contracted and relaxed. As the lens changes shape by the ligaments pulling on it, the eye adjusts so that it can look at both objects in the distance and those that are close up.

As a person grows older, the lens loses its elastic nature and becomes more and more solidified. This is probably because the protein composing the mass of the lens becomes denatured. As the lens loses its elasticity, it can no longer quickly adjust in its focusing.

Around 45 to 50 years, the lens can only move about one-eighth as much as it could at birth. Finally with advanced age, the lens of the eye loses all elasticity and remains permanently fixed and focused at one distance.

This condition is called presbyopia and it simply means that the person has reached a stage where each eye remains permanently focused at an almost constant distance. The distance that the eyes continually focus on depends upon the physical characteristics of the person’s eyes.

What this means is that a person may be able to see moderately well for objects that are three to thirty feet away, but cannot read or see distant objects without glasses. Although similar to “farsightedness” or “nearsightedness,” the condition known as presbyopia is strictly speaking not the same. This vision problem affects only the older segment of the population, and occurs as a result of gradual deterioration instead of any congenital defect.

Does this mean that you must have poor vision by the age of fifty? Absolutely not. Although the lens of the eye does gradually decrease in elasticity, it can be slowed down enough so that it is almost imperceptible.

The proteinaceous denaturement of the material that makes up the lens of the eye occurs because the body is focusing its healing and regenerative energies on the more vital body areas. There is no reason why the materials making up the lens cannot be rejuvenated or maintained at their present level.

If the body is unencumbered by toxins, stress, or disease, then it can rebuild its weakest parts—including the eyes. If, however, the individual is in the state of toxicosis or is leading an unhealthy lifestyle, then the body never has a chance to revitalize the eyes. Instead, all the body’s energies are directed simply toward keeping itself alive.

As long as the health of the body is in a critical state, then the type of rejuvenation that is required to correct failing vision cannot occur. Perfect eyesight is not an absolute requirement for the survival of the organism. Consequently, the body always tends to correct the most pressing problems first. For most people, this means that the eyes and eyesight are low on the body’s list of priorities for revitalization and healing. Until you can “get ahead” in rebuilding your health, your eyesight will remain at its current level.

The most effective method known for restoring failing eyesight is a prolonged and supervised fast. This allows the body to reverse the deterioration and denaturation of the eye lens because the fast provides the necessary physiological rest for this to occur.

Old age doesn’t mean poor vision. Perfect eyesight, along with perfect health, is your birthright and heritage. A failing of the senses is not “natural” any more than any illness or disease is natural. Most people believe that poor vision goes along with increased years. Fasting, an optimum diet, and freedom from stress are the only requirements for improving your eyes. No matter what your condition, these steps will give you some noticeable improvement in your vision.

3.3 Can You Throw Away Your Glasses?

A man or woman who lived a thousand years ago would find the twentieth century to be a very strange place. The first thing that such a time traveler would notice is that about one out of every two people walking around his pieces of glass tied together and strapped across the nose. We call these things “eyeglasses” and we take them for granted.

But are they natural? Going through life with a pair of glass lens perched atop your nose or stuck onto the eyeball itself (if contact lenses are used) is the same as using crutches or a cane to walk around with. Why are there so many ‘vision cripples?”

Most people who wear glasses do so usually for one of these three vision problems: near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and astigmatism. Are these conditions natural, and what can we do about them?

3.4 Seeing Near and Far

The most common eye problem is near-sightedness, or myopia. This means that the eyes cannot focus properly on anything beyond a certain distance, and can only see objects that are “near”—hence the term, near-sightedness.

Interestingly enough, near-sightedness most generally occurs in children and gradually worsens until around the age of 20 or so. Why is this? Some researchers have speculated that diet may be the clue in the myopic mystery.

In the Pennsylvania Medical Journal, Dr. Hunter J. Turner singles out soft drinks or carbonated soda water as the number one cause of near-sightedness in children. The carbonic acid in these drinks is one of the worst enemies of the eyes, and Dr. Turner believes he has discovered a strong link between soft drink consumption and the incidence of near-sightedness.

What will help a near-sighted person? Exercise. But not only general body conditioning, but a special set of exercises that are performed exclusively for strengthening the muscles of the lens of the eye.

For example, the Bates System of eye exercises has been used for years with moderate success. According to the International Record of Medicine, “a specific course in visual training may improve visual acuity, size of visual field, refractive errors, and even reading speed in selected individuals.” Additional references to these series of eye exercises are at the end of the lesson. The good news is this: near-sightedness can be overcome by proper exercise of the eyes. Among children, the results are especially impressive. You can throw those glasses away.

What about far-sightedness? Can it be corrected? Farsightedness is also known as hypermetropia. In this condition, the person cannot focus on objects close to them (such as a page of a book), but can see things in the distance as normal.

This is rarer than near-sightedness, but it is also caused by a weakened lens system. Both far-sightedness and near-sightedness are “corrected” by placing glasses or contacts over the lens so that the light is refracted in a different way.

Many far-sighted people have corrected their condition by not wearing glasses. In other words, they regularly exercise their eyes and try not to rely on any “crutches” or aids that might hinder their progress. Exercising the eyes and following an optimum diet (with periodic fasting) are effective and harmless ways to improve the vision.

If you wear glasses continuously, start off by removing them when it is not essential that you have clear vision. Gradually become used to not wearing glasses, and work your eyes. Focus on objects as far away as possible. Look at mountaintops, faraway trees, or signs. Then turn your eyes to objects less than three feet away. Practice regular rotation and exercise of the eyes for two to three periods a day. At the end of such exercising, press the palms over the eyes and keep them closed and relaxed. If you make a serious effort to exercise and relax your eyes in this manner (along with a regular program such as the Bates Vision System), you should quite literally see some improvement. Don’t forget that an excellent diet and fasting program should be used along with your eye exercise program in order to correct near- and far-sightedness.

3.5 What is Astigmatism?

Like myopia (near-sightedness) and hypermetropia (far-sightedness), the eye condition known as astigmatism is due to a refractive error of the lens system. People with astigmatism have a “fuzzy vision”, and things often appear out of focus, whether near or far.

Due to the nature of this condition, it can never be completely corrected by eyeglasses or contact lenses because an astigmatic eye can never bring the light rays from all angles into focus at one time. The eye is said to be “lazy.”

What can you do with a “lazy” or astigmatic eye? Exercise it! Astigmatism responds best of all to a regular eye exercise program. In fact, one method of correcting a single astigmatic eye is to cover the other good eye with a patch for certain periods of the day. This forces the “lazy” eye to do its share of the work and so become gradually strengthened.

3.6 Cloudy Vision: Cataracts

Cataracts are a common abnormality among older people. A cataract is a cloudy or opaque area in the lens of the eye. In advanced cases, the lens may be completely covered by a milky-like coating. Eventually this coating becomes so heavy that light can barely enter the eye, and vision is seriously impaired.

The common medical solution to cataracts is to cut them out. When this is done, the entire lens of the eye is also removed. Needless to say, when the eyes lens is removed surgically, the eye loses a large part of its refractive power. To compensate, a convex lens is placed in front of the eye.

There is a better way of dealing with cataracts, and that is to not cause them. To do this, you need to understand what causes cataracts.

Cataracts formation occurs as the protein fibers in the eye lens starts to coagulate with age. As the fibers harden, calcium deposits start to occur in the lens which gives the cataract its milky, opaque color. You can think of a cataract as almost like an “arthritis of the eyes” because inorganic calcium deposits play such an important role in both these degenerative conditions.

Inorganic calcium comes from mineralized waters, cooked foods, and of course, dairy products. Can such food items cause cataracts? There does seem to be an impressive connection. In areas of India where yogurt consumption is the highest, there are also more cases of cataracts than anywhere else. The galactose in the yogurt, along with inorganic calcium, appear to be the culprits in fostering cataract growth.

The solution to cataracts: a strict avoidance of dairy products and all other foods containing inorganic calcium. (Calcium becomes “inorganic” when the foods in which it is present are subjected to high heat. Inorganic calcium is also found in mineral water and in all calcium “supplements.”)

3.7 Your Keys To Better Eye Health

Healthy and responsive eyes have the same requirements as any other part of the body: good nutrition, rest, and exercise.

What types of foods build healthy eyes? Carrots? Cod-liver oil? The answer is: none of these. There is no one single food or one single nutrient that insures good eyesight. Nutrition for the eyes is basically the same as good nutrition for the body: an optimum diet of fresh, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts.

Your eyes do have a definite need for vitamin A, as well as vitamin C and the B vitamins. Your eyes need certain amino acids for their work. But all of these nutrient needs can be abundantly supplied in a Hygienic diet of primarily raw fruits and vegetables. You do not need to worry if you’re getting the proper nutrients for your eyes if you eat wholesome foods and scrupulously avoid destructive, denatured food products.

Which foods destroy the eyes? Here are, your eyes biggest enemies: dairy products, meat, sugar, alcohol, smoking of any type, white flour products, heated fats and oils and all processed and adulterated foods.

Besides optimum food, your eyes need exercise. Exercise does not mean using the eyes continuously for the same task, such as reading or sewing. People who read, write, or perform closeup tasks often think that they are giving their eyes adequate exercise. After all, they use them all the time. Eyes, however, require different types of exercises just as the body responds better to be a varied exercise routine.

As mentioned earlier, the Bates Eye Exercise system is helpful because it requires the eyes to move in certain patterns that are not duplicated by the common tasks of reading, writing, etc.

Eye exercises can be very simple, however. The prime requirement for an affective eye exercise is that the eye must alternately focus between close and far objects. For example, if you are reading outside, take a few minutes every now and then and look at the farthest object you can see. Stare at it for a few minutes and try to bring it into sharper and sharper focus. Now look back at your book and focus on the text. This alternation between close and far objects forces the eye to exercise.

If you now wear glasses, remove them occasionally and try to focus without them. It will be different at first, but if you make regular efforts to get by without your glasses, your vision will slowly improve (be patient!).

Along with exercise comes rest. Your eyes deserve the best lighting possible. Harsh and direct lights do not allow the eyes to rest to relax. Fluorescent lighting is particularly hard on the eyes and soon tires them. How else can you rest the eyes? Here is a method described by Dr. Herbert M. Shelton:

“The eyes may be refreshed by a simple process. Close the eyes and relax them, and then cup the palms of the hands over the eyes. Press the palms against the eyes, with no pressure on the eyeballs for a few minutes. Palming, as this is called, relaxes and refreshes tired eyes as few things will.”

3.8 The Eyes Have It!

Vision is one of our most precious senses. To keep your eyes at their peak throughout your life, follow the Life Science diet of chiefly raw fruits and vegetables, exercise the eyes, rest them, and stay free from stress and destructive habits. Your eyes will serve you well as long as you follow the teachings of healthful living.

Home > Lesson 62 – Healthy Eyes And Teeth
• 1. Introduction
• 2. The Teeth
• 3. The Eyes
• 4. Questions & Answers
• Article #1: The Eyes
• Article #2: Natural Hygiene – Your Key to Dental Health by Mike Benton
• Article #3: How To Conduct A Dental Self-Examination
• Article #4: Eye Exercises

The Eyes by Raw Food Explained
Filed Under: Healthy eyes and teeth
[www.rawfoodexplained.com]


Here is another interesting article from my file on Eyes, unfortunately, the link no longer works.

[www.seeing.org]
Better Eyesight Without Glasses by William H. Bates, M.D.

Second Generation Bates Method Practitioners

The authors of the following books never knew Bates personally, but many of them knew his students (e.g. Margaret Darst Corbett). They have all worked as vision improvement consultants and represent various philosophies of vision improvement, using Bates' ideas as a starting point.

The Bates Method By Peter Mansfield
The Art of Seeing By Aldous Huxley
The eyes have it: a self-help manual for better vision by Earlyne Chaney
Natural vision improvement By Janet Goodrich
28 Days to Reading Without Glasses: A Natural Method for Improving Your Vision By Lisette Scholl
Better Vision Naturally: Simple Daily Exercises to Improve Your Eyesight by Wolfgang Rosenbauer
EyeRobics: How to Improve Your Vision by Marilyn Roy, Linda Packard
Improve Your Vision Without Glasses or Contact Lenses: A New Program of Therapeutic Eye Exercises by Steven M. Beresford (Contributor), David W. Murisw, MERRILL J. Allen, Francis Young
Relearning to See by Thomas R. Quackenbush
Better Eyesight: The Complete Magazines of William H. Bates
by Thomas R. Quackenbush (Editor)
Meir Schneider's Miracle Eyesight Method: The Natural Way to Heal and Improve Your Vision by Meir Schneider
Self Healing: My Life and Vision by Meir Schneider
Amazing Grace: Autobiography of a Survivor By Grace Halloran Grace Halloran was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration. This is the story of her path of healing.
Program for Better Vision by Martin Sussman
The Myopia Myth: The Truth About Nearsightedness and How to Prevent It by Donald S. Rehm
The following books are written by people who discovered the Bates method, improved their vision, did a little research, and wrote a book which draws from their personal experience as well as their research.
Do You Really Need Eyeglasses? Marilyn B. Rosanes-Berret
Easy eye exercises for better vision: self-helps to sight improvement Michael Windolph

"Enlightened" Optometrists

Robert-Michael Kaplan and Jacob Liberman [ JR- Dr. Sue Moss (713-524-2525) in Houston trained under Liberman, see the December issue of The Southwest Times ] hold doctorate degrees in optometry, and both used to have private practice in optometry. They now work outside the established institutions of optometry, although Kaplan also uses reduced prescription techniques as a means to encourage change. They work as consultants to optometrists and other health care providers, and their books combine ideas from the Bates method, behavioural optometry, as well as insights they have gained as optometrists.

Seeing without Glasses by Robert-Michael Kaplan
The Power Behind Your Eyes: Improving Your Eyesight with Integrated Vision Therapy by Robert-Michael Kaplan
Take Off Your Glasses and See: How to Heal Your Eyesight and Expand Your Insight by Jacob Liberman

Behavioural Optometry

Behavioural optometry is usually considered to be a tradition completely unrelated to the Bates school of eye education. Where the principle behind the Bates method is to enable the eye to see well without glasses or other devices in a mind-over-matter sort of way, behavioural optometry relies on "therapeutic" and "stress-reducing" lenses, patches, and mechanistic games to achieve a goal of efficient vision. Naturally, "freedom from glasses" could never be promoted by any group of optometrists who wish to remain in good standing with their peers, but the promise is there, if muted.

20/20 is Not Enough: The New World of Vision by Arthur Seiderman
[www.seeing.org]

Peace and Love.......John

Hey arugula,

Check out Marlina's testimony...

[youtu.be]

No more Varicose Veins!

No more reading glasses?

Once again, “Almost everyone I coach that does a long Juice Fast/Feast sees improvement in their vision.”

arugs

the window to the eyes is through the liver

maybe try that route first to just cross it out

milk thistle, dandelions, juicing... juicing is great because it really clears the liver, kidneys etc... and allows all the micronutrients to get to the eyes

but like others have pointed out, there are a lot of other solutions that could work as well... mysterious world we live in...

here is one you might like to try.. just close your eyes and envision the entire universe as being ... paradise

what would that look like, feel like

how would you feel

then... imagine how it would feel like if yourself are paradise

without the world changing one iota

how does it feel to feel like you "are" paradise

your thoughts about yourself... paradise

your feelings about others .... paradise ( seek out what you like about people)

the environment... paradise ( focus on the trees, plants, flowers and beautiful lakes that "are" paradise)

this takes discipline to focus on paradise

there are plenty of distractions

but the thing is... you have nothing to lose

and a lot to gain

try to do this all day... every day

first visually... then auditorily... then tactile - ly then... olfactorily..
then... taste bud wise.. how does that water from that pristine lake taste like? sweet? like an angel's cool whisper?

be in this meditation all day every day... at work... when you take out the garbage.. when your boss is acting weird...when your neighbor is mowing the lawn at 5 AM... while you are pondering the metabolic pathways of cyanobacteria... all day... every day...non stop...

after the sight smell feel taste and sound of this paradise is ingrained within you... then.. just feel it... aurally... then.. just..

BE it....

and maybe juice more too

then... see what happens... yep... SEE what happens to your

V
I
S
I
O
N

it might be wild

and surprise you

surrender to the vision

even with eyes closed

true vision

always starts from a sightless place

anyow

Any good things happening about the eyes.