5 ms·

There are a few gym protocols used to train / flex / exert the eyes’ muscles and revert myopia gradually. An expert tutor acting under your doc’s supervision is

• elektor 8y ago
  What you're describing is the Bates Model, which has not been objectively shown to improve eyesight.
  • DrNuke 8y ago
    Nah, there are more recent studies based upon first principles and less stretching protocols than Bates. Still not accepted best practice, though, so individual mileage may vary, my myopic eyesight improved enough to give them a pass.
    • Deinos 8y ago
      Could you share these sources please? Interested in seeing how newer models improve upon The Bates Method.
      • DrNuke 8y ago
        Sure, some fundamentals are here and absolutely no money is needed to understand the principles better: https://gettingstronger.org/2016/03/faq-for-vision-improvement-by-hormetism/ https://gettingstronger.org/2016/03/faq-for-vision-improveme... .
        • testvox 8y ago
          That page neither contains or links to any actual data on the effectiveness of any of the techniques described.
          • DrNuke 8y ago
            Nor I claimed they do, though, as for my previous, very clear comments about this matter above.
• tralarpa 8y ago
  > ...muscles...myopia... This combination of words doesn't make any sense.
  • keldaris 8y ago
    Not quite true. The ciliary muscles and suspensory ligaments in your eye are largely responsible for ensuring the accommodation-convergence reflex (the process by which your eye focuses on objects at different distances) works properly. It's not a priori non-sensical to assume that actions (exercises, drugs, etc.) that affect the ciliary muscles could change the accommodative properties of the eye sufficiently to decrease the effects of myopia - in fact, that's a part of what happens when you get atropine drops during an eye exam. Note that this is not an endorsement of Bates' or any other method supposed to implement this in practice. I'm just noting that putting "muscles" and "myopia" in the same sentence isn't non-sensical.
    • tralarpa 8y ago
      In most cases, myopia is caused by physical properties of the eye (wrong length, etc.). Relaxing the ciliary muscle actually increases the focal distance, so I don't see how muscle-oriented exercises would help. > in fact, that's a part of what happens when you get atropine drops during an eye exam Even a fully paralyzed ciliary muscle cannot overcome a wrong geometry of your eye. Whether atropine has any real effect on myopia is controversly discussed.
      • keldaris 8y ago
        I agree with everything you said except the last sentence. The (temporary) effect of atropine is well known and uncontroversial, anyone with severe myopia will tell you the same thing - after it takes effect, you'll be able to easily read the Snellen chart with a weaker prescription than you needed before, in my case by about 1D (the extent varies substantially obviously). As for the rest, like I said - I don't endorse any of the proposed exercise regimens or see much support for them. I was simply pointing out that muscles do affect eyesight and briefly explained how.