Don’t Strain, Enjoy Each Moment

Dr. Bates kept reminding his patients that mental strain lowers the vision and brings on visual defects. Yet he hardly ever talked about the state of mind/body that we experience when we stop straining. He only mentioned in passing that some patients felt an incredible sense of relief when they finally regained their clear vision. One of them explained that she was grateful for her restored vision, but that Dr. Bates had done even more for her mind. He had shown her how to function naturally and joyfully again, in all areas of her life.

This state is also known as bliss, when we are blessed with inner harmony or inner union. The friction between thoughts and feelings, mind and body, conscious and unconscious has largely disappeared, and we function spontaneously and joyfully. The eyes are eager to see, and the countless muscles around the eyes work together to create a clear picture of the world. The visual centers in the brain are at rest and can easily interpret the image on the retina.

We all want to have such experiences more often. To reach a permanent state of bliss may be impossible, but we can learn to enjoy a life that is predominantly blissful and in tune with nature and human nature. This state is especially valued and cultivated in parts of the Far East. Here lies one of the reasons why very few people in some less developed countries wear glasses. Another reason is the gentle Oriental way of bringing up children. Babies are loved and cuddled from day one. They are never kept in plastic boxes or sterile rooms away from the mother. There is always someone to hold, embrace, kiss, smile at or play with them.

Children before school age are hardly ever scolded or punished. It is assumed that they are doing their best to fit into the child-friendly family or tribal setting. Our Western belief that children are born as sinners and have to be disciplined and chastised to make good Christians of them seems strange or even cruel to Orientals. They see infants as divine little creatures, innocent, loving and spontaneous. Such infants can grow up to become loving and responsible adults and parents who raise happy children in turn. They are free of the straining, guilt-ridden mentality that is so common in the West, and they will tend to retain their good eyesight.

Can you really see better when you are in the blissful state of mind/body? You can easily prove this to yourself in ten minutes:

* Place the playchart at a distance where you can see it best (without glasses or lenses).

* Get into a comfortable position, make sure that you will not be disturbed, and close your eyes.

* Picture your favorite place in nature in color and detail. Enjoy the beauty of the scene; see yourself being there in a blissful state.

* Now open your eyes and read the playchart down to the line that you can still see well. Make a mental note of the line.

* Close your eyes again and picture a painful gut-wrenching scene, such as an injury or accident you had. Remember all the terrible details; really feel the pain in your guts.

* Open your eyes again and read the playchart down to the line you can now still see well.

Did you see the letters worse the second time, when you were agitated and upset? Most likely this was the case, and you can assume that the same happens whenever you dwell on painful experiences. Pain may be part of life, but your eyes (and your mind) will suffer if you dwell on it needlessly. Your eyes were designed by nature to focus on enjoyable and worthwhile things, events and people.

Conclusion:
Sometimes we can learn from other cultures how to strain less, how to cultivate the blissful state and how to see better. (More about strain and stress in section 22.) By being aware of your eyes and by detecting subtle tensions in the eye muscles, you can prevent strain and improve your eyesight.
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