Reading Without Glasses

By W.H. Bates, M.D,

A patient asked me how I discovered so many truths about eyesight. It
may emphasize the facts and their value if I relate the events
connected with the discovery of these truths.

P.T. Barnum, many years ago, wrote an essay on "How to Make Money." In
the opening sentence he stated that he felt that he was able to write
an essay on how to make money, because he had made money. Perhaps,
similarly, as I have established medical truths I am encouraged to
write how it was done.

About ten years ago I was talking to a friend of mine who showed me a
letter which he desired me to read. A that time I was wearing glasses,
but only for reading and on account of my age, not then knowing any
means of doing without them for that purpose. My glasses were mislaid
and it took me some to time to find them while my friend impatiently
waited. Being a friend, of course, he had the license to say things to
me in a way he would not to his worst enemy.

Among other disagreeable things he said, and the tone was very
emphatic, sarcastic, disagreeable, insulting, "You claim to cure
people without glasses; why don't you cure yourself?" [Dr.Bates
initially cured people of myopia.] I shall never forget those words.
They stimulated me to do something. I tried by all manner of means, by
concentration, effort, hard work, to enable myself to become able to
read the newspaper at the near point.

After a few months, it dawned at me that all my efforts were useless.
Previously, it had been my custom when I could not do a certain thing
myself to look around and find somebody to help me, and so in the
present instance I went looking for help. My old friends, the eye
doctors, laughed at me and told me that I was crazy to think of the
possibility of such a thing. They repeated to me the old established
theories that accommodation is produced by change in the curvature of
the crystalline lens. In youth the lens readily changes its form or
its ability to change its shape and the eye no longer can change its
focus from distant to near objects.

***
HYPNOSIS, ELECRTICITY, NEUROLOGY - AND BACK TO DR. BATES!

***

I consulted specialists of hypnotism, electricity experts,
neurologists of all kinds and many others. One I called on, a
physician, who was an authority in psychoanalysis, was kind enough to
listen to my problem. With as few words as possible I explained to him
the simple method by which we diagnose nearsightedness with the
retinoscope. As I looked off at the distance, he examined my eyes and
said that they were normal, but when I made an effort to see at the
distance he said that my eyes were focused for the reading distance,
nearsighted,. Then when I looked at fine point at the reading distance
and tried to read it he said that my eyes were focused for a distance
of twenty feet or farther, and the harder I tried to read the farther
away did I push my focus. He was convinced of the facts, namely: a
strain to see at the distance produced nearsightedness, while a strain
to see near produced a farsighted eye.

Then I told him what I desired, "Will you kindly suggest to me a line
of investigation by which I can become able to focus my eyes for
reading just as well when I am looking at the near point where I
desire to see, as I am able to do when I strain to see distant
objects?" He answered, "Come back in a month." At the end of three
months I returned for his opinion. He said to me, "After consulting
with a number of neurologists, ophthalmologists and others it is my
opinion that there is only one man who can solve your problem." I
eagerly asked, "Who is he?" He answered, "Dr. Bates." And so I had to
go on with my work without his help.

---
That great truths are always simple truths, and that simplicity and
humor frequently are akin, have been remarked before. But how often
has one the experience of finding an appreciative and discriminating
sense of humor - such as Dr. Bates' - in a scientists' reports of his
experiments and discoveries?

***
STUMBLING ON THE TRUTH

***

The man who finally helped me to succeed or the only man who would do
anything to encourage me was an  Episcopal minister living in
Brooklyn. After my evening office hours I had to travel for about two
hours to reach his residence. With the aid of the retinoscope, while I
was making all kinds of efforts to focus my eyes at the near point, he
would tell me how I was succeeding. After some weeks or months I had
made no progress.

But one night I was looking at a picture on the wall which had black
spots in different parts of it. They were conspicuously black. While
observing them my mind imagined they were dark caves and that there
were people moving around in them. My friend told me my eyes were now
focused at the near point. When I tried to read he said my eyes were
focused for the distance. Lying on the gable in front of me was a
magazine with an illustrated advertisement with black spots which were
intensely black. I imagined they were the opening of caves with people
moving around in them. My friend told me that my eyes were focused for
the near point' and when I glanced at some reading matter, I was able
to read it. Then I looked at a newspaper and while doing so remember
the perfect black of my imaginary caves and was gratified to find that
I was able to read imperfectly. [The end of this sentence is not
clear. Dr.Bates may have meant that he was able to read the newspaper,
but not with perfect clarity. Below he clearly states that remembering
the caves helped him to read. Another possible is that "imperfectly"
was a typographical error which should have been "perfectly".]

We discussed the matter to find what brought about the benefit. Was it
a strain, or what was it? I tried again to remember the black caves
while looking at the newspaper and my memory failed. I could not read
the newspaper at all. He asked, "Do you remember the black caves?" I
answered, "No, I don't seem to be able to remember the black caves."
"Well," he said, "close your eyes and remember the black caves," and
when I opened my eyes I was able to read - for a few moments. When I
tried to remember the black caves again I failed.

The harder I tried the less I succeeded and we were puzzled. We
discussed the matter and talked of a number of things, and all of a
sudden without an effort on my part I remember the black caves, and
sure enough, it helped me to read. We talked some more. Why did I fail
to remember the black caves when I tried so hard? Why did I remember
the black caves when I did not try or while I was thinking of other
things? Here was a problem. We were both very much interested and
finally it dawned on me that I could only remember these black caves
when I didn't strain or make an effort.

I had discovered a truth: *a perfect memory is obtained without effort
and in no other way.* Also, *when the memory or imagination is
perfect, sight is perfect.*