SIGHT WITHOUT GLASSES*

Eyesight is one the 5 traditional senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. There are others as well including the complex sense of balance. The senses are rather easy to improve, far easier than increasing core strength, for example, something that has taken me years to develop and still counting. The senses can often be improved using increased awareness. But eyesight is special. There are a number of approaches you can take to improve your sight. Some of these techniques are derived from the alternative eye care movement of the early 1900s, techniques not approved by modern medicine but which I have found beneficial for the eyes. Any eye improvement has significant benefits as well for our balance ability.

Some fascinating history:

One of the most important alternative approaches to eye health was the Bates Method, a technique developed by Dr. William Bates in 1920 and enhanced by Dr. Harold M. Peppard via his 1936 publication "Sight Without Glasses".*
  • The primary contention of The Bates Method is that chronic strain, not physical defects, causes poor vision.
  • This method proposed that vision issues can be reversed through relaxation, visualization, and exercises rather than glasses. Bates advocates felt that corrective lenses caused dependency.
  • The techniques were ultimately abandoned after the second World War, some say due to the effective lobbying by optometrists. While scientific studies have failed to validate the method, supporters often share personal success stories regarding reduced dependency on glasses.
  • Modern medicine's objections to the techniques are described in detail at the end of this article.
  • In my opinion, The Bates advice contains much wisdom, especially when accompanied with sensible eye exercise. I will note Bates ideas in the following guidance.

My recommendations:

We can improve our sight using 2 different but very compatible paths.
  • Identify and correct bad eye use habits employing some of the Bates techniques as well as others.
  • Improve the functioning of the musculature which surrounds the eyes using common, easy and safe eye exercise.

Improve bad habits::

Field of vision: This is the full area of sight with the eyes relaxed. Place your hands in your lap. Focus straight ahead of you. Bring your arms out to the side and up over your head while keeping them in your peripheral sight. This circle encloses your field of vision.

Central fixation: This is a fundamental Bates principle. Focus on a small area near the center of the your field of vision instead of straining to see the entire field with the whole eye. To determine the size of the small area, extend your arm with your thumb pointing up. Find an object about the size of your thumbnail somewhere near the center of your field of vision. Focus on that object intently. Do not focus on people or other moving objects when using central fixation to stabilize yourself.

Shifting: Bates felt that we constantly focus on too large an area all at once, with resultant tension in the eyeballs. Reading is one activity where that tension has problematic consequences. We habitually read an entire line of words at the same time. That strains the eyes. Instead, we can change how we read so that we shift our gaze frequently. Here is an example of how shifting might work: Using a quote from Thomas Edison:
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." 
Instead of reading the entire line, try reading at most 2 or 3 words, then shift to the next section and so on, and so on. There is a resultant decrease in tension but it takes practice to change this habit.

Increase blinking: Bates highly recommends blinking. It is is quite wonderful for your eyes, lubricating the corneas along with removing environmental toxins. And it relaxes the eyes. Start noticing if you tend to stare at things. If so, consciously blink more often. There seems to be an idea in our society that blinking is rude or symptomatic of nervousness or otherwise uncool. That is a myth. Blink freely.

Reduce tension in and around the eyes: There are many ways to do this. Just placing a cool damp cloth across your eyes is amazingly comforting. Palming, a Bates technique, is also quite wonderful. In a relaxed position, place your palms over your eyes and close out all light, producing complete darkness. Allow the interior of your eyeballs to relax. One of my teachers, Doris Breyer, added an extra step: While in complete darkness, open your eyes and see the darkness.

Improve your peripheral vision: We have 2 types of vision: central focus and peripheral vision. When you focus straight ahead yet can see things on the margin, you are using your peripheral sight. It is a very important sense to improve, especially when you are older, because it can be used to detect obstacles in your path.

Improve eye health through exercise.

Exercises are available that enhance the operation of the eyes in 3 different ways:
  • Shifting the eyeball in the eye socket.
  • Focusing the eyes on an object or thing or being.
  • Improving the ability of peripheral vision.

Shifting the eyeball in the eye socket is done from 2 points of view:

For these exercises, sit in a sturdy chair with both feet flat on the floor, waist away from the back of the chair to straighten the lower back with the head brought back and the chin slightly tucked.
Move the head but not the eyes:
  • Keep looking straight ahead while you move the head all the way to the right and then to the left. You will end up focusing on the very periphery of your vision.
  • Move the head all the way up and down while keeping on looking straight ahead.
Move the eyes but not the head: 
  • Move the eyes down to the floor and up to the ceiling without moving your head.
  • Move the eyes to the left and to the right.
  • Move the eyes from the lower left diagonal to the upper right diagonal as well as the reverse.
  • Start with your eyes looking up to the ceiling, then roll them all the way around. Reverse the direction.
At the 1:20 mark on this video you will see the amazing Ann Miller do some of these eye exercises beautifully. The only dancer who I ever saw perform eye choreography! Watch the entire clip. It is from Kiss Me Kate (1953) and stars not only she, but the amazing Bob Fosse, Tommy Rall and Bobby Van.

Exercises to improve eye focus:

Dancers have long ago learned that you can focus on an object and improve your balance. That's why we look so intently on one spot as we spin across the floor. One of the best rules of elder age is that if you ever feel unsteady, focus your eyes on a small object in the center of your field of vision. Practicing eye focus using the following exercises helps in this endeavor significantly. It also helps us to learn the essential element here which is to focus on something small instead of the whole.
When focusing:
  • Look at the object in as much detail as you can muster. Imagine having to paint the object. Look at the coloration and shading. Focus on the lines of the object.
  • The most effective shape to focus upon is a black object instead of one with color. One with clear lines instead of shaded or fuzzy lines. 
  • Straight lines are wonderful to focus on, especially horizontal lines.
These exercises can be done sitting or standing:
  • Test your ability to choose small objects to concentrate on by facing different directions and focusing on a small inanimate object (about the size of your thumbnail with your arm extended) near the center of your field of vision.
  • Imagine that you are at the center of a clock. Turn your head to face each of the hours on the clock without moving your lower body. Face 12, 1, 2, 3 and then back again from 3, 2, 1, 12, 11, 10, 9 and back again from 9, 10, 11 and finally 12. At each hour, find something small and inanimate to focus on. Then shift to the next hour.
  • At any time, search the room for its horizontal lines. Focus on the baseboards, window frames, picture frames, bookshelves, etc. Preferably ones that have clear black or dark contours.

Practice to improve peripheral vision:

Peripheral vision is especially important to those who are afraid they will have a fall. Often in that situation, people will look down at the ground as they walk, fearful of tripping. This, in and of itself, increases your fall risk. We need to be looking straight ahead, where we are going, instead of down at the ground. Enhancing your peripheral sight ability is an important step to take to promote health instead of risk.
To improve peripheral vision, it is helpful to increase peripheral awareness. Here are some helpful hints for how to do so:
  • Sit on a sturdy chair, waist forward to straighten your back, both feet flat on the floor.
  • Focus your eyes throughout these efforts and look only straight forward. You will be tempted to look directly at the periphery. Don't. Keep your eyes tightly focused straight ahead.
  • Begin by placing your hands in your lap.
  • See your hands in your periphery.
  • See your arms using your peripheral vision as you bring them out and up and over your head.
  • Place small objects on the floor in front of you like a Kleenex or piece of gold jewelry. See the objects in your periphery but do not look at them directly.
  • Take short, safe walks. Use the wall or hall railing to steady yourself. Look straight ahead as you walk. Use your peripheral vision to see the floor in front of you to check for hazards.

Objections to the Bates Method of vision improvement:

The Bates Method came into favor again in the 1970s during the Alternative Health Movement. It was tested for effectiveness by modern health professionals then as well as for the several decades prior. The methods have been universally rejected for a number of reasons. A summary of those is included here:
  • Lack of scientific evidence. The Bates Method has never been shown in scientific studies to cure nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism.
  • Bates' techniques are based on incorrect science. Bates believed eye strain caused most sight problems. Proven medical science negates that and instead insists the physical shape of the eye or lense is far more causative.
  • One of Bates' recommendation is called "sun gazing". Modern science assumes this idea involved looking straight at the sun. Bates, however, recommended sitting in the sun, eyes closed, to warm the eye balls and reduce tension. To me, sun gazing sounds wonderful. Bates never suggested doing it with eyes open.
  • A more serious allegation is that with Bates techniques, advocates are tempted to go without glasses when they should not. This is especially important when driving.  
While it seems the Bates ideas do not "cure" poor eyesight, I believe the reduction in eye strain through use of Bates principles is surely very valuable in other ways. These techniques can definitely be added to your arsenal of helpful ways to improve health.
However, I totally agree that you should not abandon wearing prescribed corrective lenses under any circumstances!
Published May 11, 2026.