Customer Reviews

Take Off Your Glasses and See: A Mind/Body Approach to Expanding Your Eyesight and Insight

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The book reiterated other eye exercises and mental insights I had read previously, but there cannot be enough books out there on this subject. I practiced the techniques, and stopped my vision from getting worse. My prescription was -7.50 in both eyes, and was getting worse at about -.25 every year or so. Not only did I stop my eyes from getting worse, I reversed them, and I am now at a -7.25 prescription. I have plateaued at this level, but must admit, I have not been exercising my eyes as vigorously as when I first started. I have had problems finding an eye doctor that supports this method of treatment. In fact, when my presciption went down and I told him what I had been doing, he totally blew me off, and told me that the previous doctor must have examined my eyes wrong and given me too strong of a prescription.

First off I will simply say that this is, in my experience, an excellent book on the topic of the deeper nature of eye-sight and why (in many cases) it deteriorates.

In order to help you, the reader of this review, gain a little insight into the nature of the main emphasis of this book I wish to share with you a couple of personal experiences.

I was prescribed reading glasses when I was 15. At that time I intuitively felt into "why do people end up with deteriorated eyesight?" -- why is my eye-sight failing?. Intuitively I knew that in most instances it was literally the result of "not wanting to see" something within my world and/or within myself. Within less than six months I no longer needed my glasses and now can't wear them (as they no longer "correct" my vision, but distort it).

About 8 years ago I met a friend of mine when she was 22. She had thick glasses that she had to wear at all times if she was to see much in her world. She'd had them since age 6. They got stronger and stronger every few years. She was convinced (like most people) that this was "normal" and she'd have these for the rest of her life. In talking to her about matters of health and healing, I mentioned that I felt her challenged eye-sight was the result of her not wishing to see something from her childhood. I felt it was related to her father. (Perhaps I qualify that comment by saying that, among other things, I work as an intuitive healer).

She thought this idea to be quite ridiculous. A few days later we went to a 2nd hand book store. I found in there the book I am now reviewing. After flicking through it I quickly recognised that Liberman had very similar views on eyesight to myself. I bought it and gave it to my partner to read. I also read it myself. Within no more than 4 weeks after reading this book she has not worn her glasses since. She had to literally throw them away as they were no longer a suitable prescription. She has been reading, driving, living, etc., without all glasses every since (that was 8 years ago).

I will add that she didn't have to do much in the way of eye exercises. She did learn and practice doing what Liberman calls "Open Focus". This is, however, a good practice for all people -- glasses or not. It simply involves relaxing ones focus so that it is not drilling down onto the object/view at hand, but rather takes in the entire field of ones vision at all times (at least, whilst in open focus,,, which can become an ongoing way of viewing the world).

I am not suggesting that all people who read this book will have the same results as my friend. I am suggesting that it is entirely possible though. The probability of this will, however, depend on you and how ready and willing you are to see the world in a new way. What I do wish to share with you is that what Liberman explores in this book is, in my experience, an accurate view of the metaphysical aspect of eyesight and vision.

For people that rigidly adhere to a purely physical/materialist view of the world they might find this book is not compatible with their world view. If, however, you are open to the time-honoured perspective that there is "far more to life than meets the eye" then this book is written in such a way, and presented in such a way, that I am sure you will find it of great value. Liberman has a great deal of experience in this field... both as a trained optomitrist and as someone that broke away from the conventions of that profession and has since helped many people free themselves from the need to wear glasses.

I give this book my highest recommendation to anyone with poor eye sight, who is genuinely open to and interested in taking on a deeper understanding of the nature human of eye sight, and to then literally "take your glasses off and see". In my experience, this is a fantastic book.

I wish you all the best success in regaining your precious eye-sight.

Jonathan Evatt

Author of multi-award winning book Peace, Power, and Presence: A guide to Self Empowerment, Inner Peace, and Spiritual Enlightenment, the first title in the Wisdom for a Life of Freedom series - available on Amazon.com

I really liked this book. He talks about "open focus" where one can look at the world more softly and openly. He also emphasizes the importance of good breathing. When I am stressed, my breath is very shallow, and now that he's brought it to my attention . . . my vision is not as clear. He states that stress is the cause of poor vision, often beginning in the school setting.

It was interesting to learn how optometrists work, basically bumping up your perscription by a quarter diopter each year. And he points out how "blindly" dependant on our glasses we become, like crutches, and how much narrower our vision is with them.

I very much enjoyed his holistic perspective on vision. That vision involves more than the eyeball. I don't know how many people will actually gain 20/20 vision from his book, but it's left me with much food for thought about alternative healing posibilities with regard to poor vision.

I have been into behavioral optometry and natural vision therapy for the last 6 months or so and I have found this book to be excellent in explaining the causitive nature and subsequent corrective techniques for the various eye disorders. I am myopic and have been wearing glasses since I was 14. After 6 months of eye exercises and relaxation techniques I have reduced my prescription by 5 dioptors (from -4.50 to -3.25). I still have a ways to go but this is exhilerating because there is hope that I need not be a visual cripple the rest of my life. For those people that want to rid themselves of their eye crutches, this book is an excellent tool in helping achieve that goal.

It's too bad that not many people are willing to do what it takes for true health! Maybe in 10 years or so will these techniques be widely practaced. I'd like to see some sort of class or study group for this sort of thing! It's more than just eyes!

I read this many years ago and upon completion, visited my local optometrist for my annual visit. Prior to the visit, my glasses were -2.25 each eye and after examination, reduced to -1.75 each eye and later reduced again to -1.5 each eye, without doing the exercises!

Believing you get what you focus on (no pun intended), I achieved a 33% improvement.

There have been days when I've woken up and been able to see clearly without glasses or contacts and I've actually thought I forgot to remove them (which would not be the case, as my vision would be very cloudy if I had indeed done that.)

My girlfriend is now reading this book and it will be interesting to see what kind of improvement she may be able to obtain.

What have you got to lose?

I have been wearing glasses for the past 33 years from being nearsighted, with perfect vision close up. Three weeks after purchasing this book my distance vision clicked into place and I can now see clearly. Like a miracle. But now I can't see close up. Whereas before I could see perfectly to read, now I can hardly read at all.

Liberman's an optometrist who realized the truths of vision and glasses that are obvious to anyone who takes the time to study the topic, and consequently he changed his ways of thinking about vision and about the entire being. The beginning sections of some vision improvement books can be like reviews for people who are already familiar with it, and this book is no exception, but as with other authors, he does offer valuable insights that other authors don't, and I recommend this book.

Ten years ago my optometrist told me using a 'this is the final word on the subject tone' that I was aging and there was nothing I could do to improve my vision other than corrective lens. I believed him. Several months ago a social network friend stated she no longer needs her glasses so I began to research the subject and took action. One of the first questions that Jacob Liberman asks is how is it that the eyes are believed to be the only part of the human body that can not be healed?

Today I don't need glasses, last week I tested 20/20 and I do not need reading glasses. I can't say that all of improvement was due to the methods and insights found in this book since I have been also taking Red Wine Complex suppliments for several months and view 3D stereograms daily. But I have practiced the simple and quick 'open focus', tracing, the Tibetian Wheel and palming exercises found in this book and now have no doubt that vision can be improved.

This is a very interesting book. It shed some light on the limitation of optometry. But, it replaces with a lot of alternative advice that is inaccurate.

First, he comes up with a strange psychological theory that would explain why people's eyesight deteriorated by either becoming myopic or far-sighted. If you became myopic, it is because you became scared of the outside world through a life changing event that you did not cope well. Thus, you are refusing to look at the outside world, because you are afraid of it. If you became presbyopic, you did it because you became angry at the world through another life changing experience you did not digest well. So, you just had it with the world, and you refuse to look at any of its details close at hand. This is all bogus.

The author also did many experiment that I tried to duplicate myself, but never could. He takes a bunch of people who are really myopic and orders them to take off their glasses , and then measures their visual prescription twice within the next 24 hours. I did that, using the testing devise he offers to measure your improvement in vision. Mine did not budge, yours will not either.

In a nutshell, you can't just take off your glasses and see. This is giving you false hope.

So, why am I giving it a 3. Well, here are some positive valuable information I got out of it:
1) Be skeptical of your optometrist measurement of your own prescription. It is not as accurate as you think;
2) I have learned to live with "under prescribed" glasses. I now use a prescription that is weaker than one I had 11 years ago. And, I wear these 90% of the time I am wearing glasses;
3) I have learned to actually not wear any glasses when I don't need to. I probably do that 10% to 20%, when I am home eating a meal with my family.

By doing points 2) and 3) as described above, I maintain my vision at its current level, and control the speed at which myopia would accelerate for someone my age. I watch my colleagues at work rushing to get a new prescription every single year or so. And, that is nuts. If we all did that, we would end up with glasses as thick as wine bottle bottoms within 5 years. If you are doing that, stop it right now. This book will give you the confidence to stop this vicious cycle.