Yes, "L", in your office, and in the 10 minutes you have
with a person the minus works PERFECLY.

And, yes, for the reason I state -- the pluis does
not work instantly -- so insist that "prevention" (which
you can never offer -- for obvious reason), "is not effective".

And you are right.  You can NEVER DO IT -- and
it must rest with the parents to make that type
of prevetive choice or decision.  You have stated
your majority-opinion many times -- to that effect.

But then I can NEVER expect anything from you -- for
the reasons I state -- and agree to.

But prevention will require an educated parent who
is willing to guide his child in plus prevention -- buit
NEVER WITH YOU INVOLVED -- for
the reasons you state.

But fortunatly there are second-opinion ODs who
recognize these issues, and provided the parents
will make that critical "choice", the the
preventive parent -- and preventive OPTOMETRIST
can TOGETHER maintain clear distant vision
for that child -- PROVIDED that the "plus" is
STARTED before the minus is applied.  See:

www.chinamyopia.org

to verify the judgment of a second-opinion
OD about the effect that a minus has on
the refractive STATE of the eye -- in
pure science.

Make your choice wisely.

Best,

Otis

++++++++

The only limits on optometry are the current state of knowledge, the
technology, and the ability of the curriculum to squeeze it all in.

I think everybody knows what your limitations are.

DrG

Dear Bill,

Subject:  The scientific secoind-opinion

    Some remarks:

1.  Optometry REACTS to people -- with a minus lens.  (Completely
    understandable and reasonable.)

2.  The minus lens is EASY to apply.  You just sit a person in a
    chair, put up a Snellen, and show that a minus lens
    "sharpens" the Snellen.

3.  There is some check for "medical" issues (like RP and
    glaucoma) but the minus is indeed impressive, and if you only
    have 10 minutes with a person, and the person EXPECTS the
    minus lens -- what else can you do?  The minus requires no
    discussion, no review, no decision or choice by the person.
    Just the obvious fact that the minus "works" -- and that is
    it.

    ++++++++++

    I think that is a fair argument FOR THE MINUS.  The ODs can
and SHOULD make that argument -- that they are LIMITED by what the
public expects, and indeed what works INSTANTLY -- and that is the
only thing that the public will understand and ACCEPT.

    But the larger issue is this -- does the FUNDAMENTAL EYE
change its refractive STATE from a positive value to a negative
value -- when there is a negative change in the eye's average
visual environmet?

    This is were these ODs go into a profound DENIAL state of all
objective science and facts.

    I RESPECT (and expect) a population of fundamental eyes -- to
be dynamic systems.  (i.e., control systems)

    So I test the entire population of eyes, to find out if the
refractive STATE of these eyes will CHANGE their refractive STATE
when a -3 diopter lens is applied.

    From a review of that type of "direct-science", you can pose
the following test, of the OD's "majority-opinion", and call it
the "null" hypothesis -- which is that the fundamental eye is NOT
DYANMIC (in the above sense) and THEREFORE MUST NOT CHANGE ITS
REFRECTIVE STATE -- WHEN YOU PLACE A -3 DIOPTER LENS ON IT.
Retinula has insisted MANY TIMES that the natural eye is NOT
DYNAMIC, and that there will be NO CHANGE in refractive state of
the -3 diotper test group.

    From long review of this type of scientific testing of the
natural eye -- it is virtually certain that the -3 diopter group
will change its refractive STATE by greater-than -2 diopters in
one year.

    If you are a scientist -- you should take the results of this
OBJECTIVE, TESTING SERIOUSLY.  The only request I have is this --
please use the term refractive STATE, where the test is to
determine IF THE FUNDAMENTAL EYE IS DYNAMIC -- OR NOT.    Retinula
does not like the IMPLICATIONS of this test -- so he denies the
science of it.

    As far as I am concerned -- that resolves the scientific
issues -- and answers the question of "The Printer's Son".  There
is a profound difference between dealing with the public (off the
street) where ONLY A MINUS LENS "WORKS", versus dealing with the
scientific issue of determining if the fundamental eye IS, and
PERFORMS as a dynamic system.  The descriptive words we use
concerning the SCIENTIFIC experiment are critical.  DO not use the
word ORGANIC DEFECT to describe what is characteristic and natural
behavior for the fundamental eye.

    Maybe this is too abstract for the M.O.  ODs on
sci.med.vision.  They obviously do not understand the concept at
all.

    Some more commentary:

Bill> Has such behavior been factored into the various
    experiments?

Otis> No, the M.O.  ODs ignore both the question, and the
    scientific testing -- and results.  They are only interested
    in finding a quick-fix that impresses the public instantly --
    and nothing beyond that point.

Bill> The way kids, with or without glasses, are not observed
    during a refraction session.

Otis> NO M.O.  OD PAYS ANY ATTENTION TO HOW THE KIDS USE THEIR
    EYES.  I perceive that issue as critical.    The NATURAL EYE
    will in fact change its refractive STATE to REFLECT its
    average visual environment.  Because they do not wish to get
    involved in that type of SCIENTIFIC REVIEW AND DISCUSSION of
    the objective facts -- proving THAH type of typical behavior
    for the natural eye.  That is why we are having this impasse.
    That alse explains the need for a second-opinion -- and your
    knowledge of it.

Bill> There is more to good visual hygiene than merely telling a
    kid to use glasses only for seeing the blackboard.

Otis> You bet there is.  But the real issue is this.  Who is going
    to discipline the kids, to follow the instructions?  The ODs
    are not going to do it -- it's not their job.  The "control"
    would be the responsibility of the parents to INSTRUCT the
    kids in these preventive methods -- to include the "plus"
    when necessary.

Bill> Moreover, is a kid going to remove his/her glasses when
    going from reading the blackboard to writing into a notebook.

Otis> Assuming the kid still has 20/40 to 20/50, the real question
    is this -- will the kid put on a +2.5 diopter for all reading
    -- and WAIT for his Snellen to clear to better than 20/40 --
    as parent of a visual hygiene process.  Obviously some
    engineer-parents have INSISTED their kids do EXACTLY THAT --
    and the kids refractive STATE does not go from plus to minus.
    i.e., they avoid entry into myopia.;

Bill> If you think so, you do not know kids and have forgotten
    your own childhood.

Otis> I certainly remember doing it as kid.  But I was told that
    "environment" had not connection with the refractive STATE of
    the eye.  So I kept on doing it.

Otis> Only as an engineer did I find out that it was established
    that the refractive STATE of the fundamental eye FOLLOWS that
    applied minus lens.  So for PREVENTION to develop -- we must
    first RESPECT the fact that the fundamental eye is proven to
    be dynamic, and that a slight negative refractive state --
    can be prevented if a plus is aggressively used at the
    critical 20/50 to 20/60 level.

Just one man's opinion.

Otis

Bill