Better Eyesight Without Glasses [Paperback]

W H Bates (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 4, 2000

New, larger format -- even easier to read! -- edition of this classic self-help health title. Still includes the pull out chart. The original Bates Method book was a classic -- but in a tiny little A format and with a Victorian looking design that was hard to read -- and in much need of updating for today's market. So the new edition has an increased the page size and a clear, modern design that's easy to read and follow. The rationale behind the Bates Method is that if you wear glasses or contact lenses, chances are you don't really need to. Prescription lenses act as a prop for the eye muscles so over time the eyes actually get weaker. In the long term, glasses will only ever weaken the eyes. The Bates Method restores sight firstly with a series of exercises that relax and soothe the eye muscles -- the equivalent of massaging away tension build up -- and secondly retrains the relaxed eyes to focus effectively. The exercises are straightforward and easy to incorporate into daily life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Within a couple of months I was reading without my spectacles and, what was better still, without strain and fatigue" Aldous Huxley.

About the Author

W. H. Bates, M.D. was born in New Jersey, USA in 1860. He trained and worked as a doctor in New York where he specialised in opthalmology. Not always in favour with his peers, Dr Bates's original research was way ahead of its time and is now recognised as the way forward for eye health.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Thorsons; 2nd edition (December 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007109008
• ISBN-13: 978-0007109005
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,355,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

117 of 119 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lacks clear prescription, December 11, 2004

By 

Maxim Masiutin (Chisinau, Republic of Moldova) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bates Method for Better Eyesight Without Glasses (Paperback)

This is a very interesting book, it explains a lot of things related to the eyesight, but lacks clear prescriptions for the reader how to apply his method on practice. There are no easily heard or seen descriptions of the exercises that the individual should perform to improve the function of eye.

Nevertheless the book is incomplete perplexing a little bit, it has enough liveliness, humor, and variety.

If you are about to improve your eyesight, I would have recommended to read this book first to understand the framework, and then proceed to another books which are based on the Bates method but have sound explanations of what actually the patient have to do, e.g. "The natural way to better eyesight" by J.I. Rodale, "Conscious Seeing" by R. Kaplan, "How to improve your eyes" by M. D., Corbett, "Improve Your Vision Without Glasses or Contact Lenses" by S. M. Beresford, and so forth.

127 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My experiences of the method, August 18, 2002

By 

Scabby Babbage (New Brunswick, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bates Method for Better Eyesight Without Glasses (Paperback)

This method works but it needs a lot of commitment. If you are able to throw away your lenses and keep to a program which requires an hour out of every day then go for it. However, if you need to wear your specs every day just to function - for driving, computer work etc - then you needn't waste your cash. This won't work for you. I once had a period in my life during which I didn't need to have my glasses on and I was able to practise every day. I gained such an improvement in my prescription that - when I returned to the eye-doctor - I was for the first time qualified to drive without glasses, and, though my eyesight is still not perfect, I have never worn spectacles since.

Expect immediate effects, which might seem quite dramatic. After that progress is slower. The four stars I gave this book is because it is the original. There are, however, better expositions of the method on the market.

64 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes simple is the best, March 2, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bates Method for Better Eyesight Without Glasses (Paperback)

As I received information that "old age" vision is not natural and could be corrected I read a few books and Janet Goodrich's book was the best but I never could get into the exercises. Dr. Bate's book, which I assume was written before the 1930s is down to earth and relative simple. I am seeing a difference in just one week. I even finished the book without reading glasses! Some information never gets old.