Dear Prevention minded friends,

Subject:  Do Organizations that work against your visual welfare?

Re:  Other organizations similar to the FDA -- and their outlook.
    Compiled by Don Rehm.

Re:  Alex Eulenberg set up i-see to counter the nonsense
    of these organizations.  He was basically gave up on
    sci.med.vision for this opposition to the "status quo".

Re:  It is valuable to know that some ODs have "woken up"
    to this offical nonsense -- and have their own
    childrens wearing the plus -- to avoid stair-case
    myopia from the minus.  But that is an individual
    judgment of the man -- protecting his own chidren,
    even as he realizes he can do nothing to help
    the general public at this time.

    You may wonder what the various "eye" organizations are doing
to offer you preventive alternatives, like "Bates" and the plus.

    Instead of doing "original" research, or supporting your
right to an "informed" second opinion, they ALL fall into the
habit of reporting the party line that there is no relationship
between the visual environment of the eye -- and its refractive
status.

    We have previously discussed the FDA protecting, not YOU, but
the "financial" interests of the ODs.  The facts tell the story of
the eye's behavior accurately.  Virtually anyone who examines the
objective factual, scientific data knows the "party line" is
false.

    Not only the FDA follows this intellectually blind "party
line", but the following organizations repeat it like a mantra.

    Bates himself became victim of this character assination
policy -- after he demonstrated successful results.  ALL his
fellow ophthalmologists "ganged up" on Bates to shut him up -- or
shut him down.    Here is the story of these malfunctioning
organizations for your thoughtful review.

    I do not know what your future may be -- but these
organizations are not our "leaders" for our future of clear
distant vision for life.

    What do you think?

    Best,

    Otis

     %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

        THE DEFENDERS OF "BUSINESS AS USUAL"

                       By Donald Rehm

      New England Ophthalmological Society - www.neos-eyes.org

    This is a union of 700 New England ophthalmologists that was
founded in 1884.  Unfortunately, their thinking has remained in
that time period.  Here is an unbelievable quote from their site
under the heading "seasonal tips." Note the statement that there
is no evidence to suggest that myopia is preventable.  Everyone in
this business knows there have been thousands of documents
published that suggest that very thing.  These MD's do not
hesitate to resort to outright lying if it serves their purpose.
It is because of this reactionary, profit-motivated stance that we
encourage the public to take their vision problems to
optometrists, not ophthalmologists.

    "Myopia is the most common, correctable eye problem.  It is
an hereditary condition.  A child's eye normally gets larger as he
grows, but the myopic eye becomes excessively large, long, and
egg-shaped instead of round.  In such a long eye, the retina is
too far away from the eye's cornea and lens to focus images
properly.  A person with an average eyeball who is
normally-sighted can focus the image of what he is seeing on the
retina, whereas a myopic person cannot do this for distant objects
without the help of glasses or other corrective methods.  The New
England Ophthalmological Society would like to dispel some myths
about myopia:

1.  There is no accepted scientific evidence to suggest that
   myopia or the progression of myopia is preventable by any
   method.

2.  Eye exercises do NOT prevent or correct myopia.

3.  Similarly, myopia is NOT caused or affected by reading too
   much, reading in poor light, or nutritional deficiencies.
   There are a variety of approaches for correcting
   nearsightedness.

[Comment:  They failed to mention reading "too close", i.e., kids
    who put their nose on the page and read at 4 inches (-10
    diopters).  I am certain they will continue to insist
    (against all scientific evidence) that there is no proof
    that the natural eye is dynamic.  Entrenched intellectual
    blindness of the worst sort.  I hope you have more personal
    wisdom about this specific issue. OSB]

    These include glasses, contact lenses, and, in recent years,
surgical or laser techniques.  Nearsighted people should have
yearly vision exams, especially during their growth years when
advancement of myopia is expected.  On rare occasions, myopia can
progress quite severely and result in uncorrectable vision and
sight problems.  Fortunately most people with myopia have healthy
eyes and good vision, with corrective methods.    This fact should
make the little nuisance of wearing lenses, or undergoing other
corrective methods, quite tolerable." *

* [Comment:  I object to this patronizing statement that
    "corrective" methods that create stair-case myopia are "quite
    tolerable".  I think Bates felt this way -- and so do I.
    OSB]

    Prevent Blindness America - www.preventblindness.org

    Formerly "The National Society to Prevent Blindness", this is
an organization devised and financially supported by doctors and
optical companies.  Many people feel that their goal is not to
prevent blindness but to drive in more business.  "Save Your
Vision Week" was created by the same type of people.  Although
myopia is a major cause of blindness, this organization seems
unaware of it.    Under Site Map/Eye Problems/Common Eye Myths you
will find five myths, of which three are myths themselves -

1.  "Using glasses" won't harm your eyes.

2.  "Reading in dim light will not hurt your eyes."

3.  "Regular eye exams can save your sight." (Not if the doctor
   prescribes minus lenses!)

    They seem to ignore ALL the research that shows the
connection between prolonged close work, eye's changing refractive
status -- resulting blindness in many people.  It would be better
to say nothing than to spread this "information" to the public.
Some "public-spirited" organization!

    On 11/15/01 Don Rehm received the following email.  Note that
our comments about this organization were not addressed.  They
just want to shut us up:

Daniel> To whom it may concern.  This information is inaccurate
    and we would appreciate you removing our name from you
    website immediately.  Thank you.

                 Daniel

[Daniel failed to identify or discuss precicely what
    "information" was "inaccurate" -- or to provide better
    information.  And this is the attitude about "Preventing
    Blindness", when stair-case myopia can end in detached retina
    an blindness.  OSB]

     American Academy Of Ophthalmology - www.eyenet.org

    Public Information/Refractive Errors will tell you that
myopia is a structural defect.    Sadly, some websites are just not
very informative.

          National Eye Institute - www.nei.nih.gov

    A search for "myopia" takes us on a long trip over The
Imperfect Eye/Some Problems Of Childhood/Refractive Errors/Myopia
to learn that "The eyeball is too long or the cornea is too
rounded and light is focused in front of the retina instead of
directly on it.  Eyeglasses or contact lenses can correct the
problem." How informative!  How many billions of our dollars have
they wasted?  As with most federal agencies, money talks and the
public interest comes last.  This website is a self-promoting
wastesite.

     Canadian Ophthalmological Society - www.eyesite.ca

    Search for "myopia" at this site and you will learn that "It
is an inherited condition usually detected in children between the
ages of eight and twelve.  Few factors outside of heredity affect
this condition.  Using dim light, reading too much or nutritional
deficiencies do not seem to impact it one way or the other."
Better not take your child to these fossils.

    American Optometric Association - www.aoanet.org

    What does this union of optometrists have to say about
myopia?  At Common Vision Conditions/Myopia, all you will find is
"There is also growing evidence that nearsightedness may be caused
by the stress of too much close work....Your optometrist can
prescribe glasses to correct nearsightedness....Refractive surgery
or laser procedures are also possible treatments." It would be
difficult to come up with a weaker, more uninformative statement
than that.  Eyeglasses or surgery - take your pick!  The AOA
spends a lot of money misinforming the public.