It is possible to improve your vision naturally by combining the Bates Method of vision training with the Reduced Lens Method of wearing weaker prescription “training glasses“.  In this blog post and video I briefly touch on the topic of how to use these “training glasses” as a part of your natural vision improvement routine.

If you have ever read Dr. Bates’ book Perfect Sight Without Glasses, you will know that at the time he published this pioneering work in 1920 he held the firm position that in order to improve your vision naturally, you must essentially throw your glasses away and never wear them again. In other words, he advocated quitting prescription glasses cold-turkey. However, later in his career he became a little more lenient and expressed the following:

“It is true that at one time I did not encourage patients to learn the treatment unless they discarded their glasses permanently. But since I have studied more about my method and have encouraged some of my clinic patients to wear their glasses at times while under treatment, I find that some of them obtained a cure but it required double the amount of time that was required to cure those who discarded their glasses permanently. During the treatment when the glasses are worn temporarily, even for a short time, the vision sometimes becomes worse and in most cases a relapse is produced. Patients who require good sight to earn a living and find it difficult to discard their glasses while under treatment, have been able to make slow or rapid progress in the cure of their imperfect sight by wearing their glasses only when it was absolutely necessary.”
-Dr. William Bates

Nearly a hundred years later, it seems almost impossible to quit glasses cold-turkey, with our fast-paced modern day lifestyles. Luckily, there is another way. If your work, school, or other circumstance does not allow you to stop wearing glasses immediately, then you’ll want to consider using training glasses as a part of your vision improvement approach. If you’re farsighted, you can start experimenting with wearing weaker reading glasses (like dropping from +2.75 to +2.50 or +2.00) while doing some relaxed reading. If you’re nearsighted, you can start experimenting with wearing weaker distance glasses (like dropping from -6.25 to -6.00 or -5.50) while doing some relaxed distance viewing like going on a walk or watching a film.

Please be smart and safe when using your training glasses. Understand that they are undercorrected, meaning they correct your vision to 20/30 or 20/40 instead of 20/20 or 20/10. Do not drive while wearing glasses weaker than 20/40. Do not wear weak glasses in stressful situations. Only wear them when you can stay relaxed. That is always your number one priority, whether you have full strength glasses, training glasses, or no glasses on, is to stay relaxed. Any type of physical, mental, or emotional strain should be avoided. If your training glasses are too weak, you may end up straining without knowing it. Strain lowers vision, so make sure you never strain, squint, or stare while wearing your training glasses.

For your first pair of training glasses, you can either use an old pair of weaker glasses that you still have, you can work with an agreeable eye doctor who is willing to undercorrect your glasses to 20/30 or 20/40 instead of 20/20 or 20/10, or you can order your own prescription glasses online from http://www.zenni.com/

You just need a copy of your most recent prescription to know what numbers to subtract from, pick your frames, input your Sphere, Cylinder, Axis and Pupillary Distance, add some anti-reflective coating, choose some higher index lenses if you have a high prescription, and you’ll end up saving a bunch of money compared to paying full price from an optical shop. You can get a pair of glasses online for $20-$40 instead of $200-$400.

Contacts should be “quit cold turkey” and the switch back to glasses should be made for the fastest improvement and most freedom to take off and put on lenses throughout the day. Only use glasses when you need them, and practice removing them when you don’t need them. When you do need them, consider using weaker prescription “training glasses” to encourage your eyes and brain to adapt to lower prescriptions gradually over time. Take baby steps of quarter (0.25) or half (0.50) decreases in each left and right lens respectively at first. If you’re proactively practicing the Bates Method while using training glasses, you can take bigger leaps if your vision is improving naturally like three-quarter (0.75) or whole (1.00) decreases in prescription. All of the Bates Method practices are meant to be done without wearing any glasses or contacts. You can put your full strength glasses or your weaker training glasses on after you do your vision practices.

How to order weaker prescription “training glasses” online:

1. Input all the numbers into the website as they appear on your most recent prescription.

2. Subtract 0.25 or 0.50 from the “SPH” and “CYL” numbers, leaving “AXIS” the same (if you have an AXIS number, otherwise leave CYL and AXIS blank).

   1. If you have a relatively low astigmatism (-2.00 or less) you may want to leave CYL blank or 0, and AXIS blank or 0 to remove the astigmatism correction from your lenses altogether.

3. Enter your Pupillary Distance if it is on your prescription. If not, have a friend help measure your PD for you. Click here for a guide on measuring your own PD.

4. Add an anti-reflective or anti-glare coating (extra $5, but worth it).

5. Add a higher index lens if you have a high prescription.

6. Order training glasses and wait for them to arrive so you can start experiment wearing them and practicing staying relaxed while wearing them (no strain, no gain).

Need help figuring out how to read your eyeglass prescription? Click here to learn how to Decoding Your Eyeglass Prescription

For individualized support and guidance figuring out exactly what prescription glasses to get, please schedule an initial vision consultation and I’ll be happy to help guide you through the process. Also, there is an entire section of my online Holistic Vision Program that walks you through the process of ordering “training glasses”.