Poor eyesight is a common problem that effect people in all areas of their lives, in severe cases it can dramatically decrease their quality of life so it is no wonder that people are constantly looking for ways to rebuild their vision. Eye disorders such as myopia and hyperopia (nearsightedness and farsightedness) can require the use of contact lenses or glasses but these simply aid the eyesight. They do not rebuild vision and can in fact cause the eyes to become entirely dependant on their use leading to the eyesight becoming weaker. There are various natural vision exercises that are said to improve vision such as wearing an eye patch to straighten eyes that are misaligned.
Eyes can become stressed and strained, needing natural exercises that improve tension in this area. Adults and children alike can benefit from improving the health of their vision. Orthoptics in particular is the use of eye exercises and vision therapy to improve the vision of children. These are individualized per child and can prevent a child from the necessity of glasses or eye surgery. An example being covering one eye to look at a certain object with the other, hopefully forcing this eye to focus and strengthen. These types of exercises are often made into a game to keep the child entertained and attentive. Other such treatments can include the use of patches and eye drops. Syntonics is another type of vision therapy that involves colored lights being directed into the eyes. The color is dependent on the type of eye disorder experienced.
It is growing increasingly popular to correct refractive errors such as astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness with eye exercises. Although doctors generally do not endorse them, there are many kits and books on the market aimed at people with poor eyesight who wish to rebuild their vision in the comfort of their own without having to resort to more serious and long-term measures.
The Bates Method is a program that aims to correct bad vision habits using relaxation techniques, games and other exercises. This program was created by the ophthalmologist William Bates, M.D., who claimed that it could improve eye sight, reverse ocular disorders and rebuild the vision by decreasing strain and restoring good habits within the eye. Many people claim to have been aided by the aforementioned methods but there are still controversial due to an absence of proven facts. The theories of the Bates method have been frequently contradicted however his exercises included covering the eyes with the palms so that the eye would see total black and be relieved of excess strain. Exposing the closed eyes to sunlight and avoiding staring were also advocated by Bates methods and claimed to increase vision health.