Background
I’m 45 years old and have been wearing glasses for myopia since around age 10.
Latest Exam
I had a Comprehensive Eye Exam on April 20 2023 including eye dilation and 3D imaging. Eye health was good. However my myopia had progressed since my previous exam. I was given the following prescription:
OD SPH -4.25 CYL -1.00 Axis 055 Add +1.25
OS SPH -4.75 CYL -0.50 Axis 080 Add +1.25
Research
While waiting for my new glasses from the lab I decided to direct my frustration regarding the continued degradation of my vision into something positive and started researching where natural vision improvement research was at. I had tried it in the past with things like palming and print pushing with some success so I knew it was possible to improve my vision to some degree.
I came across the reduced lens method and thought it sounded like a good way to incorporate the same principle behind print pushing into my daily routine while at work. I also brushed up on the Bates method and decided to include some of his relaxation techniques in my daily routine.
Implementation
04/30/23 I began putting all this research into practice. I didn’t have reduced lenses to wear at work yet so I grabbed a pair of +1.00 reading glasses and wore them over my prescription glasses (these were for my previous prescription since I was still trying to get used to my new prescription and putting + lenses over them felt really off). This wasn’t particularly comfortable but it effectively reduced my correction so I wasn’t overminused for close up. I wouldn’t recommend doing this, not only is wearing two pairs of glasses over each other ridiculous looking and heavy, it also creates some weird focal plane issues and unnecessary glare. But it was what I had to work with at the time so I went with it.
I also stopped wearing any glasses whenever possible. Whereas before I would have put my glasses on as I got out of bed, now I only put glasses on after doing my morning routine which includes 10 or 15 minutes of reading. I also try to go for a 30-60 minute walk with my wife every day and I don’t wear my glasses for that either.
I do my best to incorporate various eye relaxation techniques throughout the day. These include the 20-20-20 rule which I don’t follow religiously. And if my eyes are ever feeling especially tired I will palm for a few minutes. Besides that I take long blinks while working any time I feel a slight strain on my eyes. When looking into the distance either during walks or looking out a window I also alternate between the same long blinks and challenging my eyes to see something in the distance clearer.
Results
I began measuring my progress on both the Snellen chart and centimeters to blur during the first week. The first Snellen measurement was just barely being able to read the 20/400 line and the first cm measurement was 21.
05/09/23 I measured at 24cm and returned to the optometrist because my new prescription glasses were giving me severe eye pain and was reassessed at:
OD SPH -4.00 CYL -1.00 Axis 055 Add +1.25
OS SPH -4.50 CYL -0.50 Axis 080 Add +1.25
05/11/23 I could now read the 20/200 line on the Snellen chart.
05/15/23 I measured at 25cm to blur.
05/23/23 my new near work glasses arrived from an online retailer. I wanted to even out my eyes and get rid of the cylinder distortion so these are -2.50 diopters in both eyes with no astigmatism correction. This was a bit too aggressive of a reduction so I’ve been working through a bit more blur than I would prefer.
05/25/23 I measured 26.5cm to blur and picked up my updated prescription glasses and they were unbearably strong for anything other than a few minutes of looking way into the distance. I measured 20/10 on the Snellen with them on.
05/29/23 27cm to blur and can now read the 20/100 line on the Snellen in full sun with no glasses.
05/30/23 27.5cm to blur and can just barely read the 20/70 line on the Snellen in full sun. I can also read the 20/40 line with my -2.5 glasses on. And my previous prescription glasses which were at 20/40 when I started this journey I can now see the 20/15 line crystal clear.
So that’s the progress I’ve made over the first 30 days of trying to improve my distance vision. To be clear this improvement has not been linear. All of the dates in between the milestones I listed were down days where cm to blur was lower and/or I could not read the Snellen chart as well as before. It’s a lot like working out at the gym. Some days you’re stronger, some days you’re weaker. That’s why keeping a diary of your measurements is so important to see if you’re making progress overall.
Problems/Issues Experienced
Probably the biggest downside is that I bought $500 glasses from my optometrist a month ago that I no longer need.
Second to that is the unnecessary blur I’m working through with my near work glasses. I think I may end up getting a slightly stronger pair at the same time that I order a new distance pair to make my work a little more comfortable until I can reduce further. In the end this isn’t wasted money because if I continue to see improvement I will eventually move into those glasses for distance anyway.
Lastly, I’m definitely guilty of overdoing it at times and experiencing some pain, redness and excessively tired eyes. From what I’m told by other people that are further along on the journey this is basically because I reduced too quickly so if you want to try this yourself do try to take it slower than I have so far.
