Improve Your Eyesight : Vision Therapy Eye Exercises--Updates Bates Method (1 Hour & 30 Minute Video and Eye Chart Included) [Paperback]

James Bellevue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2000

Improve Your Eyesight teaches you how to use your eyes more efficiently to see better. In many cases, you can improve so much that glasses are no longer necessary. You retrain your eyes to work better using skill building techniques. It works if you are: nearsighted, farsighted, astigmatism, lazy eye, double vision, decreasing vision with age, and more! INCLUDES 1 HOUR & 30 MINUTE VIDEO with 16 easy to follow eye exercises, plus an eye chart to plot your progress. It updates the Bates Method with the most recent research techniques. Almost all seeing is self taught. Learn how to see better by developing visual skills.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Improve Your Eyesight covers an alternative method for eyesight correction, Vision Therapy. James Bellevue, a nonphysician, created this video after experiencing its positive effects for himself. This exercise video for the eyes clearly demonstrates several movements to improve eyesight. The accompanying booklet explains the exercises and gives a brief, biased review of more common eye correction techniques. Though this exercise regimen is easy to follow, one should consult a physician before using it.
Erin Koncoski, New York State Nurses Assn. Lib., Latham
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

I was 25 years old and in law school when my eyesight started going bad. I had been fortunate to have good eyesight my whole life. Then suddenly, I was having trouble reading the freeway signs at night. Next thing, I was having problems reading the same signs in the daylight. Book reading became difficult and blurry.

With great reluctance, I went to the optometrist to have my eyesight checked. Sure enough, I had poor vision. It wasn't bad, only 20/70. The doctor said I only needed glasses for driving and reading. At that time in my life, I spent most of my time reading law books, and driving to work and home and school on the massive LA freeway system. I was crushed. I asked the optometrist if there was anything I could do. He said "No". There was no way around it, I was going to have to wear corrective lenses.

I knew that I was too vain to wear glasses, so I opted for contact lenses. They were a nuisance to remove every night, and a pain to maintain. I wasn't satisifed with them as a solution. Every year at my annual eye exam, I would ask if there wasn't some other alternative, something else I could do. The answer was always the same, "No".

This went on every year for eight years. During that time, I moved a couple of times, so I asked this question to several optometrists and one ophthalmologist. My eyesight wasn't getting any worse, but it certainly wasn't getting any better. Sometime around 28 years old, I broke down and started wearing glasses, so I would "look older" in business meetings. They were a little easier to maintain than contacts, but I still hated them.

I had been wearing contacts or glasses for over eight years, when I found an old book that said that I could improve my eyesight by doing exercises. I thought the idea was ridicules. How could doing some simple so called 'exercises' give me the vision improvements I needed to throw away my glasses? If this was real, why didn't any of the many eye doctors I had asked recommended it? I knew it could never work. But I was just desperate enough to try it.

I did the exercises religiously. I followed the directions as closely as I could considering the old writing style of the book. I practiced and waited. Slowly, I began to notice what might be improvements in my eyesight. I was certain it must be wishful thinking. I continued to practice, and wait.

At the end of 30 days, I was seeing 20/20. It was incredible. It was almost unbelievable. In fact, I wouldn't have believed it, except it had happened to me. At first, I was only seeing 20/20 occasionally. When I was tired or stressed, my vision would blur up a little. But within a couple more weeks of regualr exercises, I was seeing 20/20 all the time!

It has now been eight years since I reclaimed my eyeshght. There were times when my vision would digress a little, but I would just review a few exercises and my eyesight would come right back up to 20/20. But most of the time, my eyesight was great, even without continuing to do the eye exercises. I'm now over 40 and seeing great.

After I had such great success improving my eyesight, I decided to do some research at the local university to see what additional information was available on this concept of natural vision improvements through eye exercises. It turns out there is a whole field of research called Vision Therapy, or Vision Training. I also learned that there were decades of research, and hundreds of studies on the subject. They seemed to confirm that is was a valid and effective therapy.

One of the most surprising things was to learn that most optometrists have at least some training in Vision Therapy, and some are certified specialists in this field. To this day, I still do not understand why the doctors I asked never even hinted that there was such a solution. I am just glad I found out about it.

The information contained in this book is the culmination of the research I have conducted. There have been many new types of exercises developed since the old book I read was printed. Some of them involve expensive machinery. Some are quite simple and yet effective.

I am not a doctor. I am just a man who was helped by an idea. It is my wish that sharing this idea with other people will help them. Vision Therapy isn't a cure all for every type of vision problem, and it certainly does not replace good eye care and regular check ups. But I threw away my glasses, I know many people who have improved their eyesight, and I hope that you will too.

James Bellevue

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Product Details

• Paperback: 107 pages
• Publisher: Avid Reader Press; Pap/Vhs edition (June 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970015003
• ISBN-13: 978-0970015006
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,101,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

114 of 116 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! It Works., September 25, 2000

By 

w3 (texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Improve Your Eyesight : Vision Therapy Eye Exercises--Updates Bates Method (1 Hour & 30 Minute Video and Eye Chart Included) (Paperback)

I am very happy I bought this book and video. My vision had been getting steadily worse. Every few years, I had to get stronger and stronger glasses. I was really beginning to worry about my ability to get around in my old age. This book has changed all that.

The book gives a clear and simple explanation of vision therapy, also known as the Bates Method. The video has sixteen different exercises, each of which is explained in detail in the book. I have seen other books on the subject, but nothing else has the graphics and exercises that this video contains. I think the price is fair, since I got a book and video.

There are several different training programs. There are also instructions for designing your own personalized training program. I did the six week program.

The results were incredible. I started seeing improvements in just three weeks. Now that I've finished the six week program, I'm seeing at about 20/30. I started out at about 20/200. I'm now designing my own training program, so I can get all the way to 20/20.

I think the book is well organized, and it was easy to understand. The book and video are bound together, so I never worried about misplacing them. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever worried about their eyesight.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Author Responds, March 18, 2004

By 

James Bellevue - See all my reviews

This review is from: Improve Your Eyesight : Vision Therapy Eye Exercises--Updates Bates Method (1 Hour & 30 Minute Video and Eye Chart Included) (Paperback)

I was a little perplexed by the following two reviews. I do not understand how Mr. Hwang claims the video contains only 3 exercises. There are 16 different exercises on the video tape, some are demonstrated and others are animated graphics which are watched. Maybe Mr. Hwang received a defective video tape, in which case I would request that he return it for a replacement. I assume he didn't watch only the first 5 minutes of the 90 minute video to make his evalution.

To the Optometrist who admits he "never read the book", I would suggest he read the information published by the American Optometric Association. The article titled "The Efficacy of Optometric Vision Therapy" (Journal of American Optometric Association, V 59, No. 2) references over 100 research studies supporting vision therapy. The article "Position statement on vision therapy" (Journal of American Optometric Association, V 56, No. 10) supports the use of vision therapy.

Vision therapy is not a cure-all for all vision problems. It will not cure eye diseases. But I have received many many letters from people who have been helped by this vision therapy program. James Bellevue, author, Improve Your Eyesight

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Thumbs Up, October 6, 2000

By 

William Zachary (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Improve Your Eyesight : Vision Therapy Eye Exercises--Updates Bates Method (1 Hour & 30 Minute Video and Eye Chart Included) (Paperback)

Who would have thought this existed? This book was a quick, easy read. I bought it on a Friday and was already using it by Monday. The exercises take very little time and I'm already seeing results just a few weeks later. I would definitely give this book two thumbs up.