Customer Reviews

The Secret of Perfect Vision: How You Can Prevent or Reverse Nearsightedness

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I ordered David De Angelis's book, "The Secret of Perfect Vision," as soon as it was announced, and have been following the program now for just about six months now. The "secret" of the "Power Vision System" that David describes in his book is working for me. I will let you in on the "secret". It is threefold:

1. Thorough extraocular muscle stretching/strengthening/range of motion exercises
2. Rest/recovery intervals
3. Retinal defocus training (reading through a slight blur produced by wearing a reduced, or sometimes "opposite" prescription, or so-called "plus" lenses, for low myopes)

Although I was able to pass the driver's exam (twice) since I "threw away" my -1.50 D glasses 15 years ago, my vision still wasn't perfect. Under good indoor conditions I have been able to read the 20/40 line. Today I am reading 20/25 under the same conditions.

Over the years I have been using plus lenses to keep my vision from slipping (I work at the computer all day), sometimes more, sometimes less intensely. In the past I have always reached a point of maximum improvement, where instead of improving with the plus lens, I felt my eyes simply got more tired. So I gave it a rest for a while, coming back to it when I became unsatisfied with my distance vision again. Basically, one step forward, one step back.

With the muscle exercise routine added, it seems more like four steps forward, three steps back. So it still isn't an "instant" cure, but I am noticing overall, gradual progress. My outdoor daytime vision is now excellent; it tests at 20/20 or even 20/15 in bright sunlight.

I feel that extraocular muscle exercises have "unlocked" my eyes, and now the exercises with plus lenses can "open" them up where they weren't able to before.

Although this book is quite long, its value is in the simplicity of the method presented. David spends a lot of time going over the scientific underpinnings of the method, from experiments with monkeys wearing lenses to the principles of exercise physiology. He puts it there, I think, mostly for the people who insist on having "proof." He warns you that there will be good days and bad days; you have to stick on through it. For some people, having a "scientific" explanation will give you the courage do persevere. Others, I must admit, might find the "science" part confusing, but it is really not necessary. For balance, David touches on emotional aspects of vision, which may resonate better for other readers. At the end of the book he has a practical question and answer section and specific very easy-to-follow routines.

And if you still have some questions, David provides a link to the free "PowerVisionForum" web site (full disclosure: I am the moderator) where you can discuss this method (and other methods of vision improvement) and David (or I) will happily answer them there.

I have read this updated edition of the book and also know the previous version. I recommend it to anyone willing to improve their nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. When I first started doing the exercises described in this book my prescription was -2.25/-2.5. Well, after constantly practicing my vision has improved and now my nearsightedness is -0.50/-0,75...amazing! The same exercises and principles can also be applied for prevention purposes and the author can be contacted for further questions. Highly recommended!

I'm 31 years old and started wearing glasses for myopia when I was 9. My last contact lens prescription was -8.5 OD -7 OS. Now that I think back on it, I'm disgusted at myself for having allowed my vision to deteriorate so much, as well as at the motives and methods of all the venal opticians and ophthalmologists in the world who have told us that the only solution to myopia is a stronger pair of lenses.

In July 2009 I got a pair of computer glasses to relieve eyestrain, without the intention of improving my vision. However, I accidentally experienced some improvement within a week of using them, became curious about what had caused the improvement, and stumbled upon this book as a result.

After reading DeAngelis's book, I started doing the exercises religiously. Within the first few weeks, my contacts had become too strong and I needed to switch to an old pair that I'd fortunately kept. This happened again twice. Now I'm wearing a pair of -3.0 OD -4.0 OS glasses that I can see clearly out of up to 2/3 meters (in a darkened room looking at small print on a computer screen), from which I infer that I'm about -4.5 and -5.5. The change has been nothing short of amazing.

One caveat is that my progress has seemed to slow down significantly, even though I'm still pushing myself hard. (I'm into weight-training, so DeAngelis's concept of stimulus-driven adaptation is very familiar to me.) I suspect that with eyes as bad as mine, it may not be possible to ever get to perfect vision. DeAngelis says that improving from any degree of myopia is possible and is just a matter of hard work, but he personally only recovered from -2 myopia. Obviously, neither of us has the final word right now, and I hope he is right and will continue practicing David's methods until I stop experiencing improvements for several months.

Regardless of whether I can get to perfect vision, being significantly less nearsighted has made my quality of life a lot better in numerous small ways. Just one example is that when I go to the pool now to swim, i don't need to bother with switching out of my gas-permeable into disposable lenses, which was a major pain before. I now just dive in without any sort of correction. It feels so liberating.

Side note: I've also been doing a lot of reading on the Bates method. The idea of "workouts" and "effort" may deter Bates purists, but it seems possible to reconcile the two methods. I've gradually come to realize that print-pushing is--essentially--central fixation and shifting at the far point. And it would seem to make sense that it's easier to practice shifting and central fixation right at the distance where things start to get blurry, rather than on an even more distant object, because it's not too much of a leap for our eyes to focus just a little bit farther. Also, the stretching workout that DeAngelis recommends feels like an aid to relaxing the extraocular muscles afterwards, which of course is a very desirable thing from the Bates point of view. For these reasons, DeAngelis's method seems to work well for me. Molte Grazie, David!

I bought this book last September and implemented its methods. My sight has gradually improved since then. In December I passed my drivers licence (including the legal eye-sight test) without any glasses. My previous licence has a condition S, meaning I legally must wear glasses to drive. I am not an over-confident person, so I had to believe I could pass without glasses to even apply for the licence (I transfered from one Country to Another).

Read this book if you are HIGHLY motivated to improve your eyesight. However, I warn you that it will take work, persistence and patience. The eyes are incredibly slow to heal, and results are anything but instant. I too now have incredible vision in the sunlight, but my vision in artificial light is still not perfect. I have spent a year doing these exercises and I anticipate many more months of work to get the results I am looking for.

Do I believe there are easier ways to improve your eyesight? No I don't. This is it. There isn't any other way. I have read many other books, all of which provide great tools and exercises for relaxing the eyes, strenthening the divergent and convergent muscles, central fixation, colour therapy, sunning, palming. These are all important and necessary (I believe), and all the teaching you can find on healing your eyesight is valid and helpful. I would recomment if you want to heal your eyesight, read everything you can.

BUT.

You will not get anywhere near the results that I and other people that have implemented the methods in this book have, in the time we have. Most people take many years to improve their eyesight, if they have the stubborness, grit, unbreakable determination, and almost cultish belief in the systems they use, but quite frankly, they are a rare breed.

I would say you need to be OBSESSIVE about improving your eyesight, if you want to get the results I and others have. But this is the book to read if you are.

Value for money is an understatement.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the doctor Bates made a wonderful discovery about vision problems, and how to prevent or heal them.
The author of this book, David de Angelis, is bringing this topic a huge step forward.

When beginning to study Bates method and other theories about vision improvement, I was always very interested and grateful for the ideas exposed. However, something was lacking to my understanding. I wanted more scientifical explanations, arguments and exercices based on optical questions. When reading this book, I became fulfilled.

The first part explains on a very concrete basis how one becomes shortsighted. It exposes the notion of hyper-acomodation, being highly responsible for shortsightness. I found this part very intersting, and I got very enthusiastic about this new theory. It was pleasant and easy to understand to me (although not in my mother tongue).


I began to practice the exercices with passion and enthusiasm. Then I quickly noticed positive results which amazed me, and gave me a wonderful hope again, which had been weakend by so many oculists swearing to me that refraction problems could never improve.
I still don't understand the rage of these people in the denying of a positive solution, but I know that my enthusiasm and hope have been generously rewarded.

I had been wearing glasses since my first years of school. I felt almost blind when taking my glasses away some months ago. The biggest line on my eyechart (1/10) was a very blurry grey stain, other lines were invisible. Now, eight months later, I am almost reading the third line (3/10), and improvements are still going on.

In short, my opinion about this book : it is well done, pleasant to read, but most of all, if you put it in practice, it will wonderfully improve a very important part of your life : your visual perception of the world.

David's book is a very good one and it is a method (like john method) that CAN give you back your clear and sharp vision, other books just talk only about improvement of vision and to be independent from glasses. The book describes the ocular stretching which I believe to be the basis of any method that you will may choose (add also neck exercise and breathing exercise to it). Then when the muscles of your eyes become stronger you may start the retinal defocus with the plus lens. My advice for anyone who wants to clear their vision is to do the exercises first and then ask if it will work or not. Last december i was prescribed a -2.00 lens to wear full time and with consistent training I can now see 'not perfectly' but i have good visual acuity with a low -0.75D. I am certain that additional improvement is ahead and all depends on my commitment and tenacity. One thing remains to say is "thank you David"

JDM

I was having a drink with a friend outside a bar in central London yesterday. It was a bright, sunny afternoon and it struck me how clear and colourful everything looked. I could see architectural details across the street, numbers and even the small text destinations of distant buses, not to mention the expressions of passing Londoners enjoying the sunshine. My eyes, unaided by glasses, contact lenses or any kind of surgery were seeing better than for fifteen or twenty years. And all this from a book I found by accident on Google!

It's a strange story. I was looking for information on someone called De Martino and for some reason (this is the miraculous part) I put in the name 'De Angelis' and came across this book. I had given up on the Bates vision improvement method years ago - too many exercises, too little progress. Yet something about the enthusiasm and certainty in the reviews for this book made me order it, despite having bought expensive new spectacles only recently.

In contrast to the Bates Method, David's system is a simple one that can be easily slotted into anyone's daily routine. And it works! My eyes are not perfect yet but so much blur has disappeared that I now consider myself to have decent, functional vision from which I expect to improve further - 20/20 by 2010 is my goal. All of this from a situation, a mere six months ago, where my prescriptions were increasing annually and I was heading towards seriously high myopia.

I cannot thank David (and perhaps 'The Angels') enough for this marvellous breakthrough. If you have the patience and sometimes stubbornness to stick with this method I am certain you too can get rid of your optical crutches, save money and enjoy a deeper and more sensuous appreciation of the world around us.

Just try not to bore your friends too much about it!

This is an excellent book on vision and especially myopia. The author provides a lot of great information and insight into the mechanics of vision and the causes of myopia and explains similar observations that I have seen myself, which have not been explained by other vision professionals.

I had 20/20 vision until college and then my vision deteriorated once I got deep into close work with computers. However, I always noticed that I had improved vision after riding my motorcycle - focused seeing in the distance. My prolonged close work produced intense pain and spams my eye muscles and my retina has thinned due to the prolonged pressure of the close work with my glasses on. Laser surgery for 20/20 vision will not reduce the pressure that has built up in the eye. The only real way is to relax the muscles of the eye to reduce the pressure on the retina so I looked for alternative way of improving my vision.

I have had myopia for 15 years so I did not understand the idea of having tension in my eye muscles because I have lived with the tension so long. Because of the habit of seeing so close and with glasses on and with so much tension in my eye muscles, I learned to look only through my central vision and not on the outside of my visual field using my eye muscles to look in different directions. It wasn't until my eye muscles started to stretch out that I finally realized how much tension was in my eye muscles for so long. I have also reduced my prescription for both near and far work with great results and I am already having improved flashes of vision and I have gained back my depth perception that was lost due to the locked focal length that I had.

I am very grateful for the information in this book and I recommend it to anyone interested in improving their vision. I would only say that you must be patient and persistent in putting the principles in the book to use.

I purchased this book because of all the good reviews here, but I was a sceptical. Surely a system to cure yourself from myopia would have attracted a lot of attention. Well, the author's theory is backed by several research papers and makes sense. So I decided to try the exercises.
I started in May, with a vision of -5.0 and -3.75 Dioptres. After one month, I was forced to accept the fact that the system does work, I had won -0,5 D on each eye. After 7 months, I now have -3.75 and -2.75.

As you can see with my results, the system is not magic, it won't cure you overnight. It requires dedication, motivation and work. You won't get better every month. I will need years to go back to perfect vision.

The book in itself is a bit hard to read, confusing, and you should read it twice and visit the forums associated to the book for more explanations. That's the only drawback I can think of. But regarding the content, which is nothing short of revolutionary, I give it 5 stars. A life changer.

Exercises in the book work very well. He explains in great detail why the exercises work. I have used them in conjunction with "Dynamic Fixation Method" by Dr. Davyduv forbestvision.com and have had excellent results in six weeks. My glasses are 3.25 with a bifocal but I take glasses off to read or use computer. I have worn contacts or glasses for 40 years. Now, without my glasses, I see detail that I could not before: leaves and letters on mail boxes with little focusing. The first week, I caught a flash of a stop sign from a block away and have steady improvement. Today, I drove golf balls into a practice net and could focus enough to see the writing on the golf ball. Since I no longer work on the computer for a living, spending most days outdoors, I have a lot of time to practice. The exercises should be followed like any athletic training program. The only time I wear glasses is for driving or TV. I would recommend this book for anyone that wants to improve there focus. (Exercises start on page 75, but it's worth reading)