How To Reverse Nearsightedness Without Surgery, Lasers, Or Minus Lenses

Disclaimer

The purpose of this post isn't to provide substantial proof that there is a cure for nearsightedness. It's not even to convince people to do what I've done. I just want to share some information that I've been exposed to, share my experience in reversing my own case of myopia (nearsightedness), and to demonstrate that it may be possible to reverse your nearsightedness (as opposed to compensating for it by using corrective lenses or invasive surgery). I also want to provide you with the information you will need if you want to do your own experiments. In other words, what I am about to write does not constitute medical advice or a recommendation of any kind--just information that you may find helpful.


Intro

Ever since grade school, I've relied on glasses and contact lenses to see. The first time I heard about LASIK eye surgery, I was ecstatic. Imagine--me--being able to see again without any eye "crutches". Unfortunately, every time I went to get an eye exam, I was told that I was not a suitable candidate for LASIK. Why? Because my vision kept changing, and changing just enough, that I was not able to get the surgery I so desperately wanted.

I eventually gave up and conceded to the idea that I would have to wear glasses for the rest of my life. It wasn't until this past year that I discovered that there might be a different way to approach the problem--and that my condition was likely caused, at least in part, because of a violation of (or rather, ignorance of) simple "paleo principles" when I was just a tiny tot.


Theory of Myopia

If you ask most eye care professionals, they will tell you that your myopia is caused by some kind of deformity of your eye--either the cornea is misshaped ("too steep") or the eyeball is elongated. This is a great explanation...of symptoms. But, what causes this to happen to the eye?

In my reading, I found two factors that can influence the onset or development of myopia: diet and environment. A third factor, genetics, is poorly understood. However, because it is possible to reverse myopia, I am not convinced that the role of genetics is significant enough that it cannot be overcome--to the extent that it even affects the development of myopia at all. It may be more likely that an individual's genes allow a myopic condition to more easily develop when other factors are introduced.

According to evolutionary biologist Loren Cordain, myopia is virtually unknown in traditional hunter-gatherer societies--affecting between 0 and 3 percent of the populations studied . Of the myopic conditions observed, most of them are described as "less than minor" with myopia typically being less than -1.00 diopter. Moderate to severe myopia (-3.00 to -9.00 D) is observed in about 0.1 percent or 1 in 1,000 individuals. Apparently, humans are normally emmetropic (we have "perfect vision"--objects at infinity are in sharp focus with the eye lens in a relaxed state). Compare this to western societies where myopia occurs at a rate of 25 to 35 out of 100--or 25 to 35 percent of European decent populations, and up to half (or more) of Asian decent populations.

Cordain notes that:

Although the excessive near work of reading is almost universally recognized as the sole environmental factor underlying myopia, diet, particularly the glycemic index, is a well recognized agent underlying chronic hyperinsulinemia--a condition which may play a key role in the pathogenesis of myopia by disrupting hormonally mediated regulation of vitreal chamber growth.

Cordain also notes that:

When novel environmental conditions associated with modern civilization are introduced into the hunter gatherer lifestyle, within a single generation, myopia incidence rates equal or exceed those in western populations.

It seems plausible to conclude from Cordain's research that that poor diet interferes with the proper development of the eye--specifically the sclera (the white part of your eye)--and that excessive near-work provides enough stress on the weakened eye to force the eyeball into it's football "myopic" shape:

With myopia the eyeball has grown too long for the refractive power of the lens and cornea. This elongation is chiefly caused by excessive near work resulting in a blurred image in the non-foveal retina. The blurred retinal image induces axial elongation by increasing the all trans retinoic acid (ATRA) synthesis from the retina/choroid to the scleral chondrodytes. ATRA inhibits glycosaminglycan synthesis, thereby thinning the sclera and promoting axial elongation. Diet induced hyperinsulinemia lowers IGFBP-32. Hence, low concentrations of IGFBP-3 may augment axial elongation by further inhibiting glycosaminglycan synthesis.

A more detailed theory provided by John Yee, which is consistent with Cordain's general theory of what causes myopia, explains that certain muscles in the eye become strained, and contract, to progressively cause the lens, the cornea, the entire eyeball, or a combination of all three to deform. As the eye takes on an irregular "football" shape, your myopia begins. Images in the distance begin to blur, and the condition becomes progressive.

Like a soda can that becomes partially crushed, once the eye becomes slightly misshaped, it takes less and less strain for the myopic condition to worsen. Your eye muscles effectively cause your myopia as a result of you spending too much time focusing on objects close to you (I can see all of you pushing yourself away from your computer screen now).

In other words, the reason that this was initially allowed to happen is due to poor diet (essentially, a diet low in protein, low in fat, and high in refined carbohydrates). Bad diet prevents proper development of the sclera. A weakened sclera is susceptible to being permanently elongated. Although perhaps simplistic, it appears that sugar drives insulin which in turn drives myopia with a strong assist from the rectus and oblique muscles in your eye--near-work activities trigger eye muscles which physically manipulate the lens and sclera into its myopic state and hold it there. The muscles become tense and so when you focus on objects far away, your muscles are not able to flatten out the lens of your eye (and your eyeball is still elongated). Which means, you are not able to see images in the distance.

In addition to using his treatment method, I purchased John Yee's book and also asked for additional details about what causes myopia:

It is also due to the tightening up of the oblique muscles. This can be derived from bad habits which are learned--such as reading for hours and hours without taking a break. Then when one wants to refocus on something in the distance, the spasm of the oblique muscles prevent that from happening. The tightness of the oblique muscles alters the original message sent along the visual pathway. The altered message tells the ciliary muscles to tighten up instead of becoming relaxed, and it also tells the rectus muscles to relax instead of tightening up. This is the opposite of what takes place for distant focusing.

I do not know if Yee agrees with Cordain's theory, but the theories proposed by both Yee and Cordain seem to be consistent with each other. For all of you modern paleos out there, it appears that there is one more benefit of a paleo approach to diet and fitness (and maybe even lifestyle): Good Vision!


Why Your Eye Exam Is Meaningless

Most people with vision problems go to see an eye doctor. The doctor will perform an eye exam and then base her recommendations on the results of the exam. With myopia (nearsightedness), the doctor will prescribe what are called "minus lenses". These lenses "correct" the problem of images being focused in front of the retina instead of on it. Unfortunately, the minus lenses may actually contribute to refractive instability.

Refractive instability is a condition where your vision tends to change every year (or every other year) resulting in the need for a new prescription. When it was "my time", I went back in for a routine eye exam. My eye doctor turned out the lights and projected the Snellen eye chart on the wall. If your eye doctor is like mine--and like almost every other eye doctor--you've probably experienced the same thing. I never realized what the doctor was doing all my life until John Yee explained it to me.

Your eye doctor turns out the light in the room and projects the Snellen eye chart on the wall to test your vision under adverse lighting conditions. Naturally, your eyesight will be worse at night than during the day. So, by illuminating the eye chart on the wall while keeping the room dim or dark, your doctor is not testing your normal vision. This is considered "reasonable" because your doctor wants to treat your poor eyesight under the worst possible conditions. After all, if he can correct your vision at night--when your vision is at its worst--then your "normal" vision will be fantastic, right?

However, the prescription your doctor will write for you will be based on your vision under adverse conditions, not normal conditions. In other words, your doctor is writing a prescription for glasses that should only be worn at night, or under poor lighting conditions. Has your eye doctor ever told you this? No? Well, mine never did either. Did your doctor give you two eye exams and two sets of lenses--one for "day sight" and one for "night sight"? No? Neither did mine.

In fact, when you wear your new glasses for the first time, your eye doctor will probably just tell you that "it will feel weird/funny for a while until your eyes adjust". It's true. Your eyes will feel "weird", and that's because your vision is being over-corrected under normal conditions. Your eyes "adjust" by straining and adjusting to the over-corrected lenses--thus becoming more myopic. And, the more you wear your glasses under normal conditions, the worse your eyesight will become over time. If your eyes are more resilient, or you don't wear your glasses all the time, you may not need a new prescription as often.

But even if you did get two sets of lenses, there is another problem inherent in wearing corrective lenses: all corrective lenses use a fixed focal length. This fixed focal length forces everything to be "in focus" all of the time. However, the fixed focal length is really only meant to make your vision clear at a distance.

When you wear your minus lenses for close-up work, you stress your eyes even more. This, in turn, may cause your vision to become worse over time because your eye has to strain to overcome the effect of the fixed focal length of the minus lenses.


Why I Don't Think LASIK Is An Ideal Solution

One of the more popular alternatives to corrective lenses is LASIK. But, any refractive instability will generally disqualify you from getting the surgery. Additionally, even if your vision doesn't change, this doesn't necessarily mean that LASIK is a good choice.

I used to think taking a focused laser beam to the cornea of my eye was cool. These days, I'm convinced that hacking and slashing my eyeball is probably not such a great idea. There are numerous risks with eye surgery--as there is with any surgery--and perfect vision is not guaranteed with LASIK. In fact, you may develop "sudden presbyopia" after your surgery (which will require that you get reading glasses to see things close up--[sarcasm] great! [/sarcasm]). Getting surgery and increasing the likelihood of developing an all new vision problem just didn't sound like a good deal to me.


Reversing Nearsightedness Using Ortho C

John Yee, who works in Toronto, Canada, is the creator of a unique treatment called Orthoculogy, or "Ortho C" for short, which promises to reverse myopia. It does this by correcting the entire eye, instead of focusing on modifying or fixing one particular aspect of the eye to improve vision. And, depending on how poor your vision is, the reversal could be complete--leaving you with 20/20 vision and eliminating the need for corrective lenses altogether.

Yee claims that he can "cure" myopia up to -1.00 diapter just by flattening out the lens using Ortho C. Anything over -1.00 D will require various drills to attend to both the lens and the sclera. What is most amazing is that the Ortho C treatment does not physically manipulate any portion of the eyeball. Instead, the lens forces the muscles of the eye to do the work. Which means the muscles are forced to flatten out the lens and reshape the sclera.

To me this seems to make the most sense out of all of the methods for correcting one's myopia. Allow the body to heal itself, if possible. Yee isn't set up for volume business and requested that I refer people to his website for more information about myopia. If you are serious about reversing your nearsightedness, I think he would be more than happy to help you. His website is The Eye Fix.

Personally, I also think that reading his book "Reversing Nearsightedness" is extremely valuable as it provides detailed information about Ortho C, why it works, how the human eye works (it's fascinating), and provides specifications that you can hand over to your optometrist if you choose not to do business with Yee (I can't imagine why you wouldn't, but he reveals the lens specifications so that your optometrist can cut your Ortho C lenses based on your K reading and current prescription).

If you want to work with John, he can be reached at the email on his site. Alternatively, you can ask for his business card and stop in to see him at his office (provided you want to travel to Canada).

When my old eye doctor (not Yee) prescribed corrective lenses for me this year, my prescription read:

OD-.50-1.75x090
OS-1.75-1.00x070

for eyeglasses and:

CL Rx 8.6 for Astig
OD-0.50-1.25x090
OS-1.50-0.75x070

for contact lenses.

I could barely read the 3rd line under adverse conditions. I set up the eye chart at my home so that I could test my vision under normal as well as adverse conditions.

Prior to starting the Ortho C procedure, I could not read the 5th line on the eye chart under normal conditions. And, the first 4 lines were rather blurry. After wearing the lenses only 2 times, my vision improved dramatically. I could read the 7th line on the Snellen eye chart under normal conditions. It was, and still is, fairly clear (but not perfect). The 8th line on the chart is 20/20 vision, and although I am not there yet, further improvement seems likely at this point.

The drills I have been doing thus far have focused on flattening out the lens of my eye. The next step is to try to reshape the curvature of my sclera. I am told that this process will result in another dramatic improvement in, and stability of, my vision.

I have taken it slow, trying not to rush things. The first week of "treatment", I basically just practiced taking my glasses off and tried to get used to not wearing them. That's difficult when you've basically been wearing glasses your whole life. It definitely feels "strange" not wearing glasses. At first, after keeping my glasses off for several minutes, I became annoyed at the fact that everything was blurry. In fact, it was difficult to see the text on my computer screen from just 3 feet away. But, after the first treatment, things started to improve.

I want to increase my Ortho C treatments to 2 or 3 times a week, but I'm told by John that I shouldn't exceed 3 times per week (apparently, more is not always better).

I can tell you that, if you have myopia, these Ortho C lenses are something you must experience in order to know that it is working. Getting the lenses in your eyes can be a major pain because of the fact that they are hard contact lenses. If you've never worn contact lenses, you're in for a treat. Even if you have worn soft contact lenses before, inserting hard contact lenses seems to be 10 times as difficult. The first time I tried to put these lenses in, it took me over an hour. They're also very difficult to remove, they're uncomfortable once you finally do get them in place, and they are easy to lose. However, within 30 seconds of wearing them and doing the drills that John recommends, my vision went from blurry to absolutely clear (clear with the lenses in). It is, in my estimation, absolutely worth the effort and frustration. To be fair, I will say that each time you insert and remove the lenses, it seems to get easier.

The first time I did the "continuous draw" drill outlined in Yee's book, I was overcome with joy. Emotionally, I had a hard time keeping my composure because I was wearing the Ortho C lenses, but no corrective lenses, and was able to see several [street] blocks away as though I was wearing my glasses. The clarity/sharpness of my vision was incredible. It was the first time in my life that I had ever been able to see with no prescription lenses.

When the Ortho C lenses were removed, vision was improved but was not as good as with the lenses in place (I am told that this is to be expected and that vision should further improve over time--and I have experienced that to some degree already). It was a little disappointing to see that some objects in the distance became blurry again.

As it stands right now, I am committed to these Ortho C "treatments" in the expectation of continued improvement in my vision with the second drill designed to reshape the curvature of my eyeball. Things seem to be going well, and I'm optimistic about achieving 20/20 (or better) vision. Even if I never achieve "perfect" vision, my vision without glasses is MUCH better than it was just a month ago--so much so that I can now function almost perfectly without any "eye crutch" during a normal day.

I don't have any major problems seeing while I'm out for a walk. If I were inclined to remove my glasses while driving, I'd have no problems seeing road signs for the most part. I can read my computer screen from several feet away without squinting. I can even find my way around a grocery store without worrying about traveling down the tampons/feminine products isle looking for cat litter. So, in a sense, the treatment is already a success for me.




Tips

If you decide that you would like to try Ortho C, there are a few things that I've learned by going through this process that you may want to know:

1) It's an extremely good idea to take your prescription glasses off for close up work. These things (corrective lenses), I am now convinced, are doing much more harm than good. It's annoying to see everything more than a few feet away become uniformly blur, but after about a week, you won't notice it as much and unless you are trying to look off into the distance, you shouldn't need to wear your minus lenses. In my mind, it would be like a person wearing reading glasses to see far away. After your first Ortho C treatment, you probably won't want to wear your glasses for close-up work anyway (mine feel noticeably over-corrected if I put them on at all).

2) You need a Keratometer reading (called a "K" reading) from your eye doctor. These readings are not part of your standard eye exam and are normally only given to you if you are purchasing contact lenses. When I tried to get my K reading, I didn't know this and the doctor gave me a hard time about it. John assumed it would be easy in America--it's not (or, it's not necessarily easy I should say). You must insist that you get an actual K reading and make sure that they give you an actual K reading for hard contact lenses. A K reading is very precise and is necessary so that your Ortho C lenses fit properly. The reading that your eye doctor gives you for soft contact lenses is derived from a keratometer reading, but is not the actual reading. If you walk out of there with this phony reading--as I did--then you won't be able to get your Ortho C lenses made. Your eye doctor, like mine, may try to give you a base curve of, say, 8.6. There are only about 3 different base curves for soft contact lenses. But for hard contact lenses, there are many, many more. Soft lenses can be partially molded to your eye because they are flexible. Hard contacts cannot because, well, they're hard/rigid. If all of this sounds too difficult to do, you can always drive or fly up to see John in person and he'll obviously give you a proper exam, but it may not be feasible for you to do that. What do you tell your doctor about needing a K reading? Well, telling the truth might work--that you want to purchase Ortho C lenses. They may not know what those are, but you can explain to them that they are somewhat similar to Ortho K lenses (Orthokeratology) in that you need exact measurements. If they are unwilling to help you, it may be time to go to another eye doctor. I had to have John contact my eye doctor and request the reading directly because my eye doc was being a major pain in the you-know-what.

3) John allows you to do email consults if you cannot visit his office in Canada, so keep that in mind.

4) Get yourself a small free-standing mirror that can tilt (mine flips around and has two mirrored surfaces). This makes it much easier to see yourself putting the lens up to your eye.

5) As I mentioned, the lenses are difficult to remove. Ask John for a plunger or purchase one from your optometrist (it's a small plunger for removing the lenses), because you'll likely need it. You just place the plunger against the lens (yes, against your eye), gently tap the end of the plunger with your finger, and pull the lens off with the plunger. It comes right out of your eye. Without the plunger, you could be poking your eye for a very long time trying to get your lenses out.