---

I am in the habit of testing the vision of persons with imperfect
sight at fifteen or twenty feet. Then I have them close their eyes,
rest them, and if possible forget that they have eyes by  remembering
other things which are of interest to them. When done properly, and
most people if not all are able to do it properly, the vision is
always temporarily improved.

I spoke to one of my patients after this had happened and asked the
question, "What did you do to improve your sight?" The patient
answered "I do not know" This seemed to me a remarkable answer. I
asked a second question, "What did I tell you?" The patient answered
"You told me to close my eyes and rest them" "What helped you then to
see better?" "I do not know" answered the patient.

Then I had to start in and talk and explain and tell the patient that
it was the rest that helped the patient and not any efforts that were
made. It is a matter of common sense. Most people would realize that
if they rested their eyes and their sight got better that the rest
must have had something to do with it; and, strange as it may appear,
I have seen very few people who could realize or understand this
truth.

So many people ask me how my patents are benefited. Is it Christian
Science, is it auto-suggestion, is it hypnotism, psychoanalysis,
psychology, or has it to do in any way with mental science? The only
answer that seems to me to approach the truth is "common sense" Now
when I come to review my cases and try to fit common sense to the
results obtained I get all mixed up. Most people have common sense,
which is ordinary intelligence or the ability to do things in a
reasonable, proper way. People who are highly educated, college
graduates, professional men, teachers and college professors, would be
expected to have a greater amount of common sense than ordinary
persons, but I am sorry to say they do not. I have very little respect
for mental science because of the numerous assumptions and theories
that are advanced. A theory is always something which makes me
uncomfortable. I have never been able to make any progress with a
working hypothesis. All my facts which were of benefit to me have no
connection whatsoever with mental philosophy. I wish to confess that
it gives me a great deal of unholy delight to prove and demonstrate
that all theories of physiology are wrong. This is not a popular
statement to make, but I do not cure my patients by being popular. The
sweetest morsel on the tip of my tongue is to say what somebody else
has said before, that logic is an ingenious method of concealing the
truth.

When a problem comes to me which is very difficult to me to solve,
instead of starting out with a working hypothesis it is my custom to
accumulate as many facts as I possibly can, to analyze these facts in
various ways and by every method known to science to try to discover
whether my facts are true or not; and, believe me, that is not always
an easy thing to do. Someone said to me that it was impossible to
scientifically prove that my method for the prevention of myopia in
schoolchildren ever actually did prevent myopia or nearsightedness; in
other words, that it was impossible to prove a negative proposition,
or that the children did not or were not prevented from acquiring
imperfect sight. It has always given me great pleasure to make the
statement that every child with normal eyes who has not worn glasses,
who is under twelve years old, can improve their sight by reading the
Snellen Test card, first with one eye and then with the other, every
day. It is a benefit if the pupil learns the letters on the test chart
by heart. They all improve; when I say all, I mean all, there are no
exceptions. I challenged the ophthalmologists of this country to bring
forward one exception to any of my statements. One exception would
prove that the statement is not a truth but at best only a working
hypothesis.

What is that improves the sight of these schoolchildren? I have
already stated that when the sight is normal the eyes are at rest.
When the child reads a familiar card with normal sight the eyes are at
rest. Common sense, just ordinary common sense, would conclude from
this fact that the vision was improved by rest. Some teachers improved
the sight of their children by having them close their eyes for a few
minutes or less, frequently during the school session. They told me it
always improved the sight when tested either with a familiar card or
when tested with an unfamiliar card. When a child cannot read the
blackboard his sight is usually improved by closing the eyes and
resting them for part of a minute or longer.

The cure of imperfect sight without glasses is not a matter which is
complicated, which can only be explained by the abstruse
incomprehensible theories of the professors of mental science. The
truth is that all can be explained by common sense.

One day I was testing the sight of some schoolchildren. The teacher
was interested in one boy. In order to illustrate to the teacher and
to the children the bad effects of staring, I asked the boy to stare
at the letter "F" on the bottom line of the Snellen test card at
twenty feet. This card had been permanently fastened to the wall where
all the children could see it from their seats it had been in place
for some months. When I asked him to do this he suddenly said to me
"Not for me; I tried it once and it gave me an headache and spoiled my
sight. I am too wise to do it again"

The boy's common sense enabled him to realize that staring was a bad
thing. I told the class that if they would all profit by his
experience they would never acquire imperfect sight and need glasses.

---

-Horatio

The need for common sense is now at its peak -- more people than ever
are today suffering from the menace of imperfect sight, and for what?
For nothing but lack of common sense.

My dear community of sci.med.vision, remain not in ignorance, but open
your eyes and see this truth, the truth that you are curable - now
remove these artificial crutches and see!

http://www.iblindness.org

-WH.B