Todd Becker Reverses Myopia by Rejecting Standard Corrective Lenses

Myopia: A Modern Yet Reversible Disease — Todd Becker, M.S. (AHS14) — AncestryFoundation

AncestryFoundation

Standard corrective lenses permanently worsen nearsightedness by triggering eyeball elongation, a degenerative cycle that can be reversed naturally through targeted active focusing at the edge of blur.

AI-assisted summary of Myopia: A Modern Yet Reversible Disease — Todd Becker, M.S. (AHS14) — original source. Check the original for full context.

Source published:

Key ideas

  • Myopia rates correlate heavily with industrialization, schooling, and close-up near-work rather than pure genetics, evidenced by historical shifts such as Alaskan Eskimo populations jumping from near-zero to over 50% incidence following compulsory schooling. (4:07)
  • The Incremental Retinal Defocus Theory shows that minus lenses push the focal plane behind the retina during near-work, driving axial elongation, whereas plus lenses focus light in front of the retina to stimulate axial shortening. (11:37)
  • The hormetic 'print pushing' protocol trains vision by operating at the 'Edge of Blur' (D2) during daily reading or screen time, supplemented by low-powered plus lenses (+1.00 to +2.00 D) to encourage optical remodeling. (16:34)
  • For distance training, Becker recommends stepping down minus lens prescriptions in increments of -0.50 diopters and practicing active focus to fuse refractive ghost images (diplopia) into single sharp contours. (21:04)

Detailed notes

## Background Presented by Todd Becker, M.S. at the Ancestral Health Symposium (AHS14) and published on YouTube by the AncestryFoundation on August 12, 2014, this lecture explores the biology and epidemiology of myopia. According to the video description, while nearsightedness is conventionally treated as an irreversible genetic disorder, its correlation with schooling and industrialization points to environmental near-work, which can be naturally reversed through specific active focusing practices.

## TL;DR Becker argues that progressive myopia is primarily driven by prolonged close-up work that locks the ciliary muscle into spasm, which standard minus-lens prescriptions worsen by projecting hyperopic defocus and triggering permanent axial elongation of the eyeball. Grounding his approach in the Incremental Retinal Defocus Theory and the biological principle of hormesis, he outlines a method to stimulate structural shortening of the eye. His protocol involves 'print pushing' along the edge of blur, stepping down distance prescriptions sequentially, utilizing low-powered plus reading glasses during computer tasks, and actively training image fusion. In the concluding Q&A, Becker addresses practical concerns such as correcting asymmetrical eye strength, screen ergonomics, and preventing pediatric myopia.

## Atmosphere & style The presentation carries an encouraging, analytical, and accessible tone, blending personal storytelling with clinical optics. Becker speaks with calm, modest confidence, opening with photos of his own glasses-free transformation before transitioning into structured scientific diagrams and gym-inspired analogies like comparing corrective lenses to robotic exoskeletons. The room feels engaged and inquisitive, fostering an interactive, workshop-like dynamic as audience members eagerly troubleshoot their own refractive quirks and screen habits.

## Bulletin - [04:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=247s) Myopia rates correlate heavily with industrialization, schooling, and close-up near-work rather than pure genetics, evidenced by historical shifts such as Alaskan Eskimo populations jumping from near-zero to over 50% incidence following compulsory schooling. - [11:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=697s) The Incremental Retinal Defocus Theory shows that minus lenses push the focal plane behind the retina during near-work, driving axial elongation, whereas plus lenses focus light in front of the retina to stimulate axial shortening. - [16:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=994s) The hormetic 'print pushing' protocol trains vision by operating at the 'Edge of Blur' (D2) during daily reading or screen time, supplemented by low-powered plus lenses (+1.00 to +2.00 D) to encourage optical remodeling. - [21:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=1264s) For distance training, Becker recommends stepping down minus lens prescriptions in increments of -0.50 diopters and practicing active focus to fuse refractive ghost images (diplopia) into single sharp contours.

## Key takeaways - [01:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=110s) Myopia is a refractive disorder where light converges in front of the retina; severe cases significantly increase the risk of retinal detachment, cataracts, floaters, and macular degeneration. - [06:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=417s) While genetic susceptibility exists, environmental exposure to intensive near-work acts as the necessary trigger for progressive refractive error. - [08:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=521s) Prolonged screen and reading time locks the ciliary muscle into an involuntary spasm (pseudomyopia), preventing the crystalline lens from flattening out for distance vision. - [08:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=521s) Prescribing standard minus lenses creates hyperopic defocus during near-work, triggering a biological signaling cascade that permanently elongates the sclera and eyeball. - [11:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=697s) Human biometric studies confirm that minus lenses prompt axial elongation within an hour, while plus lenses prompt the eye to shorten over the same time frame. - [14:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=841s) Standard corrective glasses act like an optical exoskeleton: by eliminating focusing effort, they foster ciliary and scleral atrophy, worsening the underlying condition. - [16:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=994s) Print pushing requires identifying the Edge of Focus (D1), operating within the mildly blurred Edge of Blur (D2), and avoiding the illegible Edge of Readability (D3). - [16:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=994s) Once unassisted reading can be pushed comfortably past 20 inches, low-powered plus lenses (+1.00 to +2.00 D) act as optical resistance weights to continue stimulating axial shortening. - [21:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=1264s) Distance vision can be rehabilitated by wearing progressively under-corrected lenses (e.g., stepping down from -3.00 D to -2.50 D) during daily walks and non-driving activities. - [22:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=1356s) Active focusing involves consciously relaxing the visual system to merge refractive double images (diplopia) into a single, sharp contour on high-contrast distant edges. - [23:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=1429s) Unlike the classical Bates Method, which relied on relaxation and an erroneous extraocular muscle model, modern active focus manipulates retinal defocus directly during daily desk work. - [33:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=2032s) Unequal vision between eyes (anisometropia) should be balanced by temporarily occluding or winking the stronger eye to force the weaker eye to adapt. - [37:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=2245s) Enlarging computer font sizes does not relieve near-work accommodation strain unless the physical screen distance is pushed further away. - [37:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=2245s) Equipping children with mild +1.00 D reading glasses during sustained study sessions can prevent the onset of lens-induced juvenile myopia. - [38:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=2339s) Active focusing works bidirectionally: farsighted individuals can counter presbyopia by pulling reading material into their near blur threshold.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=0s) Introduction and Personal Story

Todd Becker opens his presentation by asking the audience how many people wear glasses or contact lenses, noting with a nod to the sea of raised hands that it represents “a pretty good percentage of the audience.” Turning attention to the slides, he displays two personal photographs of himself and his daughter. The first was taken approximately twenty years earlier on a carousel at the San Francisco Zoo when his daughter was about one year old, while the second is a recent photo. Beyond the obvious change of his hair turning gray, Becker highlights a critical contrast: in the older photograph, he was wearing glasses, whereas in the modern one, he no longer needs them.

His talk tells the story of how he investigated the biology of nearsightedness and successfully eliminated his glasses, dividing the presentation into two distinct halves. The first half addresses the underlying root causes of myopia, since understanding etiology is an essential prerequisite to reversing the condition. The second half covers his specific active focusing method—a technique sharing similarities with other approaches but containing his own distinctive twist. To emphasize the contemporary urgency of the topic, Becker shows an image of high school students in Singapore using iPads during an English language arts class, pointing out that every single girl in the room is wearing corrective eyewear.

[01:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=110s) What is Myopia and Why It Matters

Moving into definitions, Becker explains that myopia, known colloquially as nearsightedness, is a refractive disorder of the eye. Light rays coming from distant objects converge in front of the retina rather than directly on its surface, causing distance vision to appear blurry. It is the single most common refractive error worldwide, and its prevalence and severity are climbing steadily. Becker emphasizes that myopia is not merely an inconvenience of blurred distance vision, warning: “severe myopia can lead to macular degeneration cataracts eye floaters uh retinal detachment in serious cases so it's something to be concerned about.” While the lecture focuses specifically on myopia due to its prevalence, he notes that the underlying physiological principles apply equally to hyperopia (farsightedness), which represents the reciprocal optical condition.

[02:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=172s) Nature vs. Nurture: Genetics vs. Environmental Evidence

Becker addresses the long-standing debate over whether myopia is genetically predetermined or driven by environmental factors, emphasizing that convincing evidence exists on both sides of the aisle. On the genetic side, classic twin and parent-child studies reveal significantly higher concordance rates between identical twins than between fraternal twins or random chance. Geneticists have also pinpointed specific mutations linked to severe refractive errors, such as *SCO2*, a gene involved in copper metabolism. Furthermore, stark differences exist across ethnic and geographical populations: - In parts of East Asia, myopia rates reach 70% to 90%. - In the United States and Europe, prevalence hovers around 30% to 40% (roughly one-third of the population). - In traditional African populations, myopia remains remarkably rare.

Conversely, environmental influences are supported by striking historical spikes in myopia among indigenous populations following the introduction of compulsory schooling. School achievement and educational attainment show strong positive correlations with myopia severity. Most importantly, experimental work demonstrates that retinal defocus induced by sustained near-work serves as a direct driver of axial elongation.

[04:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=247s) Historical and Epidemiological Patterns

To illustrate that near-work has driven refractive error for well over a century, Becker reviews an 1880s study of Dutch military recruits that categorized myopia incidence by pre-enlistment occupation: - Farmers and fishermen: ~2.5% - Leather workers (coarse manual labor): ~5% - Handcraft workers and jewelers (fine near-vision tasks): ~12% - Merchants and clerks (intensive paperwork and accounting): ~15% - Advanced university students: ~33% (one in three recruits)

Examining longitudinal trends since 1970 reveals that myopia has nearly doubled across every age demographic, with especially sharp increases in high (severe) myopia. Becker presents a landmark 1969 investigation conducted by Francis Young among Alaskan Eskimo communities. In that population, formal Western schooling had been introduced roughly 30 to 40 years prior. Among elders over the age of 40 who never attended school, the incidence of myopia was virtually zero. Among younger generations who attended Western schools, the rate skyrocketed to over 50%. Becker cites further corroborating research from contemporary Germany, where myopia incidence scales directly with educational attainment: approximately 20% among those without completed secondary education, climbing to 35% among secondary graduates, and exceeding 50% among university graduates. International comparisons among young schoolchildren aged 7 to 9 show that highly intensive academic systems, such as Singapore's, yield a 34% prevalence rate, compared to 7% to 8% in the United States and only 3% in rural Nepal.

[06:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=417s) Diet, Gene-Environment Interactions, and Susceptibility

Becker acknowledges alternative environmental hypotheses, highlighting Loren Cordain’s work linking modern diets to visual deterioration. Cordain argued that elevated carbohydrate consumption, hyperinsulinemia, essential fatty acid deficiencies (notably fish oils), and mineral deficiencies stimulate excess eye growth. Cordain discounted genetics after finding that children on the island of Vanuatu attended school eight hours daily yet exhibited only a 2% myopia rate.

Becker challenges this either-or framing, arguing that genetics and environment operate together through epigenetic susceptibility: “it's not genetics or environment but I think the two come together and if you if you think about it in terms of epigenetics or environment acting on the genes it's kind of like alcoholism right you can have a gene for predilection to alcoholism but if you're not exposed to alcohol you won't you won't have that condition.” He cites a 2002 paper by Douglas Frederick showing that individuals with genetic markers for myopia who engage in intense near-work develop severe myopia (exceeding two diopters). Those with the same genetic markers who avoid intensive near-work develop little to no refractive error, illustrating that environmental exposure is required to trigger the underlying genetic vulnerability.

[08:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=521s) The Mechanism: From Normal Accommodation to Pseudomyopia and Axial Elongation

Turning to visual anatomy, Becker details how a healthy eye adjusts its focus via the crystalline lens. When looking at distant targets, incoming light rays travel virtually parallel to one another; the ciliary muscle relaxes, flattening the lens so that minimal focusing power is required to land the image precisely on the retina. When gazing at near objects, the ciliary muscle contracts, allowing the flexible crystalline lens to thicken and increase its curvature, magnifying and refracting light rays more sharply. A healthy eye moves smoothly between these flattened and thickened states throughout the day.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: The Vicious Cycle of Progressive Myopia accDescr: Progression from sustained near work and ciliary spasm to distance blur, corrective minus lenses, hyperopic defocus during near work, and permanent axial elongation.

subgraph S1["Phase 1: Functional Adaptations"] A["Sustained Near-Work\n(Screens, reading)"] --> B["Ciliary Muscle Spasm\n(Lens remains thickened)"] B --> C["Pseudomyopia\n(Distance blur; focal point in front of retina)"] end

subgraph S2["Phase 2: Optical Correction"] C --> D["Minus Lenses Prescribed\n(Concave distance glasses)"] D --> E["Clear Distance Vision Restored"] end

subgraph S3["Phase 3: Structural Remodeling"] D --> F["Wearing Minus Lenses for Near-Work"] F --> G["Hyperopic Defocus\n(Focal plane pushed behind retina)"] G --> H["Axial Elongation\n(Eyeball physically lengthens)"] H --> I["True Myopia Worsens\n(Requires stronger prescription)"] end

I --> D ```

Problems begin when individuals spend long, uninterrupted hours fixed on computer screens, books, or smartphones. Prolonged close work locks the ciliary muscle into an involuntary spasm, preventing the lens from flattening back out when looking away into the distance. This state—known as pseudomyopia or ciliary spasm—causes distant images to converge in front of the retina, creating blur. Although initially temporary, continuous near-work makes this spasm chronic. When patients report this distance blur to an optometrist, they are routinely prescribed concave minus lenses to push the distant image back onto the retina.

However, standard minus lenses introduce a harmful optical side effect: when worn while performing near-work, the corrective lens pushes the near focal plane behind the retina, generating hyperopic defocus. In response to this backward blur, a biological feedback pathway signals the sclera of the eye to grow, physically elongating the axial length of the eyeball. Once the eyeball permanently elongates, the individual can see near work comfortably, but distance vision becomes even blurrier than before. This structural shift leads the patient straight back to the optometrist for an even stronger pair of minus glasses, setting off a progressive cycle of deepening myopia.

[11:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=697s) Incremental Retinal Defocus Theory and Axial Elongation

Todd Becker recalls his own personal struggle with deteriorating eyesight: going to the optician, receiving a stronger prescription, and falling into a vicious cycle where the process repeated itself continuously. To explain the underlying biology of this progression, Becker introduces the "Incremental Retinal Defocus Theory," developed by George K. Hung and Kenneth J. Ciuffreda. While early foundational data on ocular adaptation was derived from animal models such as chicks and primates, Becker emphasizes compelling, recent human research made possible by high-precision optical equipment like modern biometers or interferometers, which track minute changes in the eye's axial length during active focusing.

```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: Incremental Retinal Defocus Mechanism accDescr: Diagram showing how minus and plus lenses alter the eye's axial length via neuromodulators and scleral remodeling. subgraph Defocus["Lens Exposure"] direction TB Minus["Minus Lens (Overminus)"] Plus["Plus Lens (Overplus)"] end

subgraph Biology["Biological Response"] direction TB Neuro["Neuromodulators Secreted"] Sclera["Scleral Elasticity Modified"] end

subgraph Adaptation["Axial Length Outcome"] direction TB Elongate["Eye Elongates (+5 to 10 µm)"] Shorten["Eye Shortens (~10 µm)"] end

Minus -->|"Focus falls behind retina"| Neuro Plus -->|"Focus falls in front of retina"| Neuro Neuro --> Sclera Sclera -->|"Minus stimulus"| Elongate Sclera -->|"Plus stimulus"| Shorten ```

When a human subject is fitted with a minus lens, the focal point falls behind the retina. In response, neuromodulators are secreted that alter the elasticity and remodeling of the scleral tissue, prompting the axial length of the eyeball to elongate. In human trials over the course of a single hour, an eye can lengthen significantly. Conversely, introducing a plus lens causes the image to focus in front of the retina, driving the eye to shorten over the same one-hour window. Neutral lenses produce no measurable shift. Becker underscores that this structural plasticity is two-sided: the very mechanism responsible for myopic progression can theoretically be harnessed in reverse to shorten the eyeball and reverse myopia.

- A normal human eye measures roughly 25 millimeters in total axial length. - The Incremental Retinal Defocus Theory provides experimental proof that lens-induced defocus directly controls scleral growth and axial dimension. - “So there's a theory called the incremental retinal defocus Theory and this was developed by Hung and Ciuffreda, and there's some very interesting recent data in humans showing that if you actually fit a person with a minus lens, right, the axis of the eye will grow,” explains Todd Becker.

---

[14:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=841s) Hormesis, the SAID Principle, and the Eyeglasses Crutch

To bridge laboratory observations with a actionable recovery protocol, Becker turns to a core principle featured on his blog, *Getting Stronger*: hormesis. Hormesis describes an adaptive biological phenomenon whereby a low dose of an otherwise damaging or lethal stressor stimulates protective repair pathways and supercompensation. Familiar examples include exercise, immunizations, calorie restriction, thermal stress (heat and cold shock), ultraviolet radiation, dietary phytonutrients, and skin calluses formed from playing guitar or walking barefoot. Becker argues that active optical focusing acts as a direct analog to physical resistance training.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Applying the SAID Principle to Vision accDescr: Contrast between the degenerative crutch model and the adaptive hormetic training model. subgraph Crutch["Optometric Exoskeleton Model"] direction TB C1["Minus Lenses Prescribed"] --> C2["Zero Focusing Effort Required"] C2 --> C3["Ciliary & Scleral Atrophy"] C3 --> C4["Worse Myopia & Stronger Prescription"] end

subgraph Hormesis["Hormetic Training Model"] direction TB H1["Active Challenge at Edge of Blur"] --> H2["Specific Imposed Demand (SAID)"] H2 --> H3["Micro-Stimulus & Neurochemical Signaling"] H3 --> H4["Axial Shortening & Functional Clarity"] end ```

In strength training, lifting weights imposes microtrauma on muscle fibers, eliciting a compensatory rebuilding process governed by the SAID principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands). Training must occur at the optimal threshold—the "edge of failure"—because overtraining causes destructive injury, while undertraining produces zero stimulus. Becker uses an analogy to illustrate modern optometric care: if someone joined a gym to build strength, an optometrist’s equivalent approach would be outfitting them with a powered robotic exoskeleton (a technology proposed for military soldiers carrying heavy gear). While the exoskeleton offers instant ease and amplified performance, continuous wear leads to muscular atrophy—mirroring what astronauts suffer in zero gravity. Removing the device leaves the individual far weaker than when they started. Becker contends that standard corrective lenses act as an optical exoskeleton, eliminating the eye's natural focusing demand and systematically deteriorating distance vision.

- Hormesis functions by activating endogenous cellular defense, remodeling, and repair mechanisms in response to controlled stressors. - “Well, my argument is this is exactly what you're doing when you're wearing glasses: you're weakening your eyes,” states Todd Becker.

---

[16:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=994s) Practical Protocols: The Three Edges, Print Pushing, and Plus Lenses

Implementing an optical hormetic routine requires first quantifying baseline acuity using a standard Snellen eye chart viewed from 20 feet. For instance, reading only down to the fifth line (PECFD) reflects 20/40 visual acuity, which corresponds roughly to a -0.75 diopter prescription (allowing sharp, unassisted vision out to about 52 inches). To actively rehabilitate sight, Becker advises individuals to completely remove their glasses during reading and near-work and implement the "print pushing" technique. Using a photograph of his daughter seated before a computer to demonstrate, Becker demarcates three distinct operating distances:

| Threshold | Label | Description & Training Application | |:--- |:--- |:--- | | **Edge of Focus** | **$D_1$** | The furthest distance where text remains completely sharp and clear. Pull the print inward from here for relaxed reading. | | **Edge of Blur** | **$D_2$** | The distance just beyond $D_1$ where print first begins to soften or blur. This is the optimal hormetic training zone. | | **Edge of Readability** | **$D_3$** | The distance where text degrades into illegibility. This is pushed too far and does not produce a productive stimulus. |

The training protocol consists of pushing reading material just beyond $D_1$ into $D_2$, oscillating deliberately along this boundary for two to four hours a day during ordinary reading or screen work, while taking short breaks every 15 to 30 minutes. The slight optical strain should feel mildly challenging but never painful. Over days and weeks, both $D_1$ and $D_2$ migrate outward away from the eyes. Once an individual can comfortably push text out to 20 inches unassisted, the natural focal range is exhausted, requiring the introduction of low-powered plus lenses (over-the-counter reading glasses between +1.00 and +2.00 diopters). Becker compares wearing plus readers to running with weighted vests: it artificially handicaps the eye, forcing it into optical defocus to stimulate further axial shortening and visual recovery.

- For people with mild myopia (under -2.00 diopters), drug store reading glasses (+1.00, +1.25, +1.50) provide the required focal challenge at normal 15- to 20-inch reading distances. - Snellen acuity should be re-evaluated weekly under standardized conditions to objectively chart distance gains. - “If you really want to work on reversing your myopia, you have to read without glasses,” Becker emphasizes.

---

[21:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=1264s) Distance Training and the Vacation Revelation

For activities outside of close work—such as going on walks, watching television, sitting in an audience, or riding as a car passenger (cautioning never to do so while driving)—Becker prescribes wearing progressively under-corrected distance lenses. If a patient’s current distance prescription is -3.00 diopters, they should drop down to -2.50 diopters. If a local optometrist refuses to prescribe weaker corrections, inexpensive frames and lenses can be ordered directly through online optical discount retailers like Zenni Optical for roughly $20. By steadily stepping down through -2.50, -2.00, and -1.50 diopter pairs as distance clarity improves, the eyes adapt continuously to low-grade distance blur.

Turning to a playful, active method reminiscent of movement coach Darryl Edwards, Becker recounts the personal story of how he stumbled upon his breakthrough distance focusing technique. While on vacation on the opposite side of the United States, Becker realized he had accidentally left his glasses at home. Facing two weeks without corrective eyewear, his initial reaction was profound frustration, as he could not read the books he had packed and the outside world appeared as an indistinct blur. Resolving to make the best of the situation, he embarked on long walks to explore what his uncorrected visual system was capable of discerning, which led directly to his observation of distant ghosted images.

- Budget optical retailers allow users to self-order customized, under-corrected glasses in -0.50 diopter decrements without paying typical clinic markups. - Stepping down prescription strength provides a gentle, ongoing distance challenge that prompts continuous axial adaptation during everyday mobility. - “So I was without glasses for two weeks, and at first I was very frustrated; I'd brought some good books to read, and my eyes were all blurry,” recalls Todd Becker.

[22:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=1356s) Active Focus, Diplopia, and Image Fusion

Todd Becker details the physical sensation of practicing active focus at distance. Looking at high-contrast distant objects—such as the sharp edge of a building or overhead telephone wires set against the sky—reveals a crisp primary image alongside a faint secondary ghost image. While known medically as diplopia (double vision), which warrants seeing an eye doctor if sudden or present in only a single eye, Becker explains that in mild myopia it is typically just an innocuous refractive phenomenon.

Rather than viewing this ghosting as an obstacle, Becker discovered it can be used as a focusing tool. By fixing one's gaze on the double image, one image appears noticeably darker and bolder than the other. With sustained, relaxed attention, the darker image becomes more defined while the faint secondary image fades away, until the two images suddenly merge together into a single, razor-sharp contour. Becker realized that learning to actively coax these overlapping images into fusion was the key to unlocking distance vision without corrective lenses, pairing this distance technique with plus-lens reading glasses during computer work.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Active Focus Image Fusion Process accDescr: Steps to achieve image fusion through active focusing on high-contrast distant targets.

subgraph Detection["1. Target Acquisition"] A["Focus on high-contrast object<br>(building edge, telephone wire)"] --> B["Notice crisp primary image + faint ghost image (refractive diplopia)"] end

subgraph Convergence["2. Active Focusing"] B --> C["Observe that one contour is darker than the other"] C --> D["Sustain relaxed attention as dark contour intensifies and faint contour fades"] end

subgraph Fusion["3. Resolution"] D --> E["Images fuse into a single sharp image"] end ```

[23:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=1429s) Practical Implementation: Time Commitment, Mindset, and the Bates Method

Addressing common practical concerns, Becker outlines the time investment, mental approach, and expectations required for reversing myopia. He stresses that reversing refractive error is not an isolated workout routine: “First of all, you've got to have the right mindset: these are not exercises that you do like going to the gym; these are activities you integrate into your daily activity while you're working at the computer, while you're at work every day, or while you're going for walks.” He recommends logging two to four hours a day of print pushing—working without plus lenses if one has high myopia, or using low-powered plus lenses if one has mild myopia. Crucially, visual challenge should feel slightly awkward, but never painful; if eye strain or redness occurs, one should pause and rest for several days before resuming.

Becker cautions that because it took years for the eyeball to elongate, structural remodeling will not happen overnight. Progress often mirrors weight lifting or fat loss, exhibiting non-linear plateaus followed by sudden jumps in visual acuity. Becker contrasts this approach with the classical Bates Method: while William Bates correctly observed eye strain and pseudomyopia, Bates relied on a flawed anatomical model, erroneously believing that external extraocular muscles reshaped the eyeball rather than the ciliary muscle altering the crystalline lens. Furthermore, Bates had no concept of axial elongation or the time-averaged signal described by the incremental retinal defocus theory. Relaxing and gazing into the distance provides relief, but it does nothing to prevent axial remodeling for modern workers tethered to computer screens for eight hours a day. Print pushing solves this by actively manipulating the focal plane right at the boundary between clarity and blur.

- **Blog & Resources**: Becker documents these methods and real-world case studies on his website, *GettingStronger.org*, highlighting two main resources: the article "Improve Vision and Throw Away Your Glasses" and a community forum thread titled "Eyesight Without Glasses," both with over 100,000 views. - **Patience and Trajectory**: Most individuals notice initial functional improvements within a few weeks, with early adaptations occurring faster before settling into a stepped pattern of progress. - **The Bates Difference**: Bates focused purely on relaxation and distance viewing, leaving office workers unprotected against near-point hyperopic defocus; print pushing actively challenges the eye's focal threshold while sitting at the screen.

[28:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=1714s) Summary: Cultivating Distance Habits and Everyday Visual Habits

Becker brings his core presentation to a close by framing the visual system as an adaptive physiological organ. Just like skeletal muscle or metabolic pathways, the eye remodels in direct response to the demands placed on it. Chronic close-up work with books, video games, and particularly smartphones locks the ciliary muscle in spasm; compensating with ever-stronger minus prescriptions projects a hyperopic defocus onto the peripheral retina, driving the axial length of the eyeball to elongate. Reversing this damage requires systematically reversing the environmental stimulus.

To put this into practice, Becker urges the audience to turn seeing into an engaging everyday practice. Rather than viewing visual rehabilitation as a tedious chore, people should treat it like a game: sitting as far back as possible in lecture halls, backing away from television screens, and reading at the outer limit of legibility. When walking along outdoor trails, one can actively trace intricate tree branches, foliage, and sky shadows to pull distant details into focus. For those with mild myopia or improving vision, working with plus lenses accelerates recovery, yielding a sharp, crystal-clear world once the lenses are removed. As Becker emphasizes: “What I can tell you is the more you do this and the more disciplined you are about doing it, the better your results will be.” He shares recommended literature for further study, highlighting texts by David De Angelis, Jacob Liberman, and Otis Brown alongside his own site.

[31:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=1888s) Q&A: Maintenance, Digital Screens vs. Books, and Correcting Unequal Vision

Opening the floor to questions, an attendee asks whether vision correction requires lifelong maintenance once normalized, or if a person is permanently cured. Becker explains that vision behaves like general physical conditioning: once you are fit, you only need occasional maintenance. He keeps a pair of plus lenses nearby and slips them on if doing extensive reading, but primarily maintains his vision simply by sitting further back from screens and refusing to slip back into the bad postural habits that caused the problem initially.

Another attendee asks whether reading from paper books is inherently superior to training in front of computer displays, given the warnings about digital devices. Becker replies that while reading a well-lit physical book is ideal, working on a computer screen presents no fundamental physiological disadvantage as long as proper lighting and sufficient distance are maintained.

A third attendee then raises a family pattern of severe vision discrepancies, sharing that his brother has extreme 20/1,000 vision in both eyes, whereas he himself has an asymmetric split: one eye tests at 20/20 while the other sits around 20/400. In clinical exams, he jokes that he cannot read the giant top letter on the Snellen chart with his bad eye, but gets by because he has already memorized what it is.

Becker identifies this as anisometropia leading to functional amblyopia, noting that he also has an asymmetry with one slightly farsighted eye and one nearsighted eye. To correct an imbalance, the brain's tendency to rely on the dominant eye must be interrupted. Becker instructs: “If you have the two different eyes, block one eye and work with the weaker eye, because your stronger eye is going to dominate and do more work for you.” This can be accomplished by placing an occluder patch over one spectacle lens, covering the good eye with a hand, or alternating deliberate winks while reading, noting with a smile that the winking muscles quickly adapt with practice.

[33:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=2032s) Addressing Uneven Vision, Severe Prescriptions, and Replacement Glasses

An audience member asks about dealing with an asymmetry in eye strength, explaining that reading is easy at certain distances but becomes difficult when the eyes compete for dominance. Todd Becker suggests that when the eyes differ significantly, one should isolate and train the weaker eye first so the two can work together harmoniously: “I think you probably want to work your weaker eye first until it gets closer because it's much easier to do this method when your eyes are close.” He shares from his own personal experience that his left eye had been weaker, so he spent dedicated time strengthening it until both eyes became evenly balanced.

When the attendee asks how someone with very high myopia—such as her brother, who would practically have his nose touch the screen to reach the edge of readability—can start, Becker confirms that while that starting point is tough, they can begin by using a weakened minus prescription. Trimming a few diopters off the normal prescription brings the focal point out to a comfortable, reasonable working distance. In response to another attendee's concern about the recurring cost of replacing lenses as one's eyesight progressively improves, Becker recommends ordering through discount online retailers like Zenni Optical, where frames can cost around $6 and complete glasses run approximately $15 to $30.

Another audience member with an asymmetrical prescription of -6.50 D in one eye and -5.00 D in the other asks whether to step down both eyes simultaneously or bring the -6.50 D eye down to -5.00 D first. Becker advises treating the imbalance just like an imbalance in muscle strength at the gym, winking or covering the stronger eye with a patch or diffuser to let the weaker eye catch up on a Snellen chart:

> “It's just like what what if you went into the gym and you had one a strong right arm and a weaker left arm you you would want to work the weaker arm first until they were both similar.”

- **Unequal refractive error:** Becker advises temporarily patching, diffusing, or winking the stronger eye while practicing active focus until the weaker eye matches it. - **Extreme myopia workaround:** Rather than leaning unnaturally close to a screen, reduce the strength of a minus prescription by several diopters to push the focal boundary outward. - **Affordable progression:** Inexpensive online optical outlets make it feasible to purchase sequential, reduced-power glasses without prohibitive costs.

---

[36:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=2177s) Axial Length Changes and Visual Acuity vs. Optical Correction

An audience member asks Becker whether he has tracked changes in his own eye's axial length throughout the process. Becker explains that measuring axial length requires specialized, sophisticated clinical instrumentation that he does not personally possess. He notes that the scientific study he cited in the talk followed 28 patients whose ocular dimensions were tracked, showing measured shifts of several microns.

The attendee raises a skeptical counterpoint, suggesting that the method might merely be training the brain's visual acuity through practice rather than genuinely reversing structural, optical defects. Becker acknowledges the distinction, agreeing that if someone has other ocular conditions outside simple refractive myopia, active focus exercises will not correct those broader issues: “Yeah if you have other eye conditions outside of you know myopia uh yes this doesn't deal with those.”

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Active Focus Correction Pathway accDescr: Flowchart illustrating how active focus interacts with axial length versus other ocular conditions.

subgraph Intervention["Intervention"] A["Active Focus Practice"] end

subgraph Outcomes["Targeted Condition vs. Structural Limits"] B["Axial Length Dynamics"] C["Visual Acuity Improvement"] D["Other Optical / Eye Pathology"] end

A -->|"Stimulates micrometric changes"| B A -->|"Sharpens edge resolution"| C A -.->|"Does not correct"| D ```

---

[37:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=2245s) Screen Distance, Font Sizes, and Pediatric Prevention

A listener asks about a common practice in the tech industry: increasing screen font sizes while sitting at the exact same close viewing distance. Becker points out that while font size and distance are mathematically linked, enlarging the text without moving farther away does not relieve the underlying optical strain. The essential trigger for reversing myopia is shifting the physical focal plane farther away, meaning that if you enlarge the text, you must push your screen back accordingly: “So you want you want to increase the distance whatever the font size is by moving back farther and farther progressively.”

When asked how to prevent children who currently have 20/20 vision from ever developing myopia, Becker emphasizes fundamental visual hygiene: avoiding excessive, hunched near-work and keeping reading material at a safe distance. For extended periods of reading or studying, he recommends that kids wear weak over-the-counter reading glasses (plus lenses around +1.00 diopter) purchased cheaply from a local pharmacy to neutralize near-work accommodation strain. He proposes a simple test: “Do it an experiment have them put the plus lenses on and read for an hour and take them off and ask them do you now see the world more crisply and clearly than you did before just ask them.”

- **Font scaling rule:** Enlarging screen font is only beneficial if it is paired with pushing the screen farther away to expand the working distance. - **Preventative plus lenses:** Wearing +1.00 D readers during sustained near-work prevents school-age children from developing progressive lens-induced myopia.

---

[38:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=2339s) Night Driving, Presbyopia, Super-Vision, and Retinal Disease Risk

An attendee asks for guidance on age-related reading difficulty (presbyopia) accompanied by poorer night vision while driving. Becker notes that these conditions typically co-occur as the visual system ages, but they can be supported holistically. In addition to practicing active focusing at night to sharpen edge contrast on car lights, he points to dietary support, particularly a low-insulin diet and ample phytonutrients to support photoreceptor (rod and cone) health in low-light and color detection settings.

A final attendee asks whether continuing the practice past 20/20 vision could overcorrect the eye and induce hyperopia (farsightedness). Becker recounts an interview from his website with a student who successfully improved beyond 20/20 to reach 20/15 "super vision." He clarifies that the active focus mechanism works bidirectionally: farsighted individuals can improve their near vision by pulling reading material into their near blur threshold, allowing the eye to adapt flexibly in both directions. Continual practice will not accidentally induce hyperopia as long as one alternates distances and trains dynamic range: “You basically can change the shape of your eye in either direction by using active focusing right.”

In closing, an audience member inquires whether improving myopia lowers the risk of serious ocular pathologies like macular degeneration. Becker confirms that reducing myopia could help lower long-term risks, observing that extreme axial elongation is an established contributor to severe conditions: “If you look at some of the causal contributors to macular degeneration retinal detachment eye floaters you'll see myopia listed prominently there it's not the only cause but there is a connection there.”

- **Metabolic and nutritional factors:** A low-insulin diet and high-phytonutrient intake protect rod and cone health, aiding dark adaptation and night driving. - **Super-vision threshold:** Active focus practice can sharpen acuity past standard 20/20 down to 20/15. - **Bidirectional training:** Hyperopia can be counter-trained using the reverse technique—pulling text closer to the eye to stimulate near-point accommodation. - **Pathology risk mitigation:** Lowering myopia can reduce elevated risks of retinal tears, retinal detachment, vitreous floaters, and macular degeneration.

## Notable quotes > [16:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=994s) If you really want to work on reversing your myopia, you have to read without glasses — Todd Becker

> [38:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=2339s) You basically can change the shape of your eye in either direction by using active focusing — Todd Becker

> [31:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0&t=1888s) If you have the two different eyes, block one eye and work with the weaker eye, because your stronger eye is going to dominate and do more work for you. — Todd Becker

## Mentioned Todd Becker, AncestryFoundation, Ancestral Health Symposium, SCO2, Francis Young, Loren Cordain, Douglas Frederick, George K. Hung, Kenneth J. Ciuffreda, Incremental Retinal Defocus Theory, Getting Stronger, Zenni Optical, William Bates, David De Angelis, Jacob Liberman, Otis Brown

## Video description Myopia, or near-sightedness, is generally assumed to be an irreversible, genetically determined condition that can only be ameliorated with corrective lenses or surgery. Its prevalence is 30-40% in the U.S. and Europe, and more than 50% in some Asian countries, but it is rare in Africa and in pre-industrial cultures. The incidence of myopia correlates with IQ, school achievement, and industrialization, suggesting that an environmental factor is at work—namely, near-work. This talk will review the biology and epidemiology of myopia and present experimental evidence that myopia can be reversed naturally by specific focusing techniques and practices.

Abstracts and information about the Ancestral Health Symposium can be found at www.ancestralhealth.org/ahs14-program.

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Efg42-Qn0)

中文简报

Todd Becker通过摒弃传统矫正镜片逆转近视 传统矫正镜片会引发眼轴拉长，从而永久性加重近视；而这一退行性循环可以通过在模糊边缘进行针对性的主动对焦自然逆转。 Becker认为，进行性近视主要是由长时间近距离用眼导致睫状肌持续痉挛所致，而常规的负透镜处方会投射远视性离焦，诱发眼轴永久性拉长，从而加剧病情。基于视网膜递增离焦理论和毒物兴奋效应（hormesis）生物学原理，他提出了一种刺激眼球结构性缩短的方法。他的方案包括在模糊边缘进行“推远文字”（print pushing）训练、逐级降低看远处的处方度数、在操作电脑时使用低度数正透镜阅读镜，以及主动训练图像融合。在最后的问答环节中，Becker还解答了矫正双眼视力不平衡、屏幕人体工程学以及预防儿童近视等实际问题。 近视发生率与工业化、学校教育以及近距离用眼高度相关，而非纯粹由遗传决定；历史变迁证实了这一点，例如阿拉斯加爱斯基摩人群体在推行义务教育后，近视率从接近零跃升至50%以上。 (4:07) 视网膜递增离焦理论表明，近距离用眼时佩戴负透镜会使焦点落在视网膜后方，促使眼轴拉长；而正透镜则使光线聚焦在视网膜前方，从而刺激眼轴缩短。 (11:37) 具有毒物兴奋效应的“推远文字”方案是在日常阅读或看屏幕期间，保持在“模糊边缘”（D2）状态下训练视力，并辅以低度数正透镜（+1.00至+2.00 D）以促进眼部重塑。 (16:34) 针对远视力训练，Becker建议以0.50屈光度（-0.50 D）为幅度逐级调低负透镜处方，并练习主动对焦，将屈光性重影（复视）融合成单一清晰的轮廓。 (21:04)

Source quotes

[16:34] Todd Becker: If you really want to work on reversing your myopia, you have to read without glasses [38:59] Todd Becker: You basically can change the shape of your eye in either direction by using active focusing [31:28] Todd Becker: If you have the two different eyes, block one eye and work with the weaker eye, because your stronger eye is going to dominate and do more work for you.

Original transcript

[0:00] our speaker today is Todd Becker and [0:04] he's going to speak on myopia a modern [0:07] yet reversible [0:13] disease thank you it's great to be here [0:16] uh how many of you [0:17] wear glasses or contact [0:20] lenses that's a pretty good percentage [0:23] of the audience all right so we're going [0:25] to be talking about your eyes today and [0:27] I hope you you'll find the talk uh [0:28] interesting but I'd like to start out [0:30] with two pictures uh both of them [0:34] feature myself and my daughter the first [0:36] one on the left was on a merry gound at [0:39] the San Francisco Zoo when she was about [0:41] a year old and the one on the right was [0:43] more recently and you might notice some [0:47] differences between the picture well I [0:50] beside the fact that my hair is gray uh [0:53] I was wearing glasses and the one on the [0:55] left about uh 20 years ago and so part [0:59] of [1:00] The Talk today is my story about uh what [1:03] I did to learn about myopia and how I [1:05] got rid of my glasses but the talk [1:09] really has two parts the first part is [1:11] going to be about the causes of myopia [1:13] and you really have to start there if [1:15] you're going to be effective in [1:17] reversing myopia and the second half [1:20] will be uh a technique that I've [1:22] developed and it's similar to techniques [1:25] that others have developed but it's my [1:26] own particular Twist on it on how to use [1:29] active focusing to reverse [1:32] myopia the photograph there shows some [1:34] girls in uh High School in Singapore in [1:38] a language arts class using their iPads [1:41] and you can see that all the girls in [1:43] the class are wearing glasses and in [1:45] some of the Asian countries like [1:46] Singapore myopia is uh is very [1:50] prevalent so first of all what is myopia [1:53] well it's colloquially [1:54] nearsightedness and what it is [1:57] biologically is a refractor defect of [2:00] the eye where when you're looking in the [2:03] distance uh distant objects appear [2:06] blurred because uh the images are [2:09] focused in front of the retina rather [2:11] than on the retina it's really a very [2:14] common disorder probably the most common [2:17] refractive uh era of the eye and it's [2:19] becoming more prevalent and severe [2:21] myopia can lead to macular degeneration [2:24] cataracts eye floaters uh retinal [2:28] detachment in serious cases so it's [2:30] something to be concerned about now my [2:32] talks about myopia but some of you are [2:34] farsighted and have hyperopia it's the [2:38] opposite condition uh I had to focus the [2:40] talk so I chose myopia because it's more [2:42] common but a lot of the principles here [2:45] if you if you pay attention apply to [2:48] hyperopia as [2:52] well so question is uh is myopia caused [2:55] genetically or is it [2:58] environmental there's evidence [3:00] on both sides [3:02] uh for example twin studies and and and [3:05] parent child studies show a higher [3:08] correlation than you would get uh with [3:10] fraternal twins or just by chance [3:13] there's a number of gene mutations that [3:14] have been identified like SC2 which is a [3:17] has to do with copper metabolism which [3:19] are implicated in severe myopia and [3:22] there's wide variation between different [3:24] ethnic groups so for example it's much [3:26] higher in Asia you know 70 to 90% in [3:29] some countries [3:30] maybe a third of people in the US or [3:34] uh or Europe have myopia and it's much [3:37] less common in Africa on the other side [3:40] there's a lot of environmental factors [3:41] so for example there's been a large [3:44] increase among Aboriginal peoples for [3:46] example Eskimos once they were [3:49] introduced to Western schooling there's [3:51] a correlation between achievement level [3:54] in school or academic level in myopia [3:57] and there's some experimental [3:58] demonstrations that uh defocus uh [4:02] generated by close work is a cause of [4:05] myopia and we'll be getting into that in [4:06] some [4:07] detail if you go back some of the early [4:10] studies on myopia there's one from [4:12] Holland in the 1880s looking at military [4:16] recruits looking at the occupations of [4:18] where people came from when they were [4:20] coming into the army and if you looked [4:22] at farmers and fishermen it was about 2 [4:25] and a half% uh prevalence of myopia if [4:28] you looked at leather workers who Ed [4:30] their hands course work maybe about [4:33] 5% hand workers who were doing fine work [4:36] perhaps Jewelers it jumps up to 12% [4:40] Merchants who were doing a lot of uh you [4:41] know accounting work paperwork 15% and [4:45] advanced students about a third so that [4:47] was some indication that there might be [4:49] a relationship between the kind of [4:52] activity you're doing and the incidents [4:54] of [4:55] myopia if you look more recently myopia [4:58] has really increased since 19 70 all [5:01] right in all age groups and what this [5:03] shows here are different age groups from [5:06] youth to uh my age where the incidence [5:11] and prevalence of myopia has almost [5:12] doubled and the gray and black show the [5:16] incidence of the more severe or Advanced [5:18] types of myopia where you see [5:21] particularly a large [5:24] change uh so if you look also at [5:27] Aboriginal peoples I think a good [5:28] example is and this was a study done by [5:31] Francis young in 1969 in [5:34] Alaska uh if you look at the incidents [5:37] by age group it's very interesting [5:40] because in 1969 there had been a school [5:42] in operation for about 30 or 40 years so [5:46] those folks who were older than 40 had [5:49] not had Western education and you can [5:50] see there's virtually no incidents of [5:52] myopia there whereas those had who had [5:55] been introduced to Western schooling had [5:58] in some cases more than 50 % incidents [6:01] again some evidence of a an [6:03] environmental [6:05] Factor if you look at Germany there was [6:07] a study done just recently uh where uh [6:11] people who did not complete secondary or [6:13] vocational education had maybe you know [6:16] 20 30% or 20% myopia those who completed [6:20] their secondary education it bumped up [6:22] to maybe 35 and then those who completed [6:25] University more than half of them had [6:28] myopia and there's some Geographic uh [6:31] distribution that indicates um countries [6:34] where um particularly in Asia where [6:36] there's more schooling even at Young [6:38] ages like 7 to n we see that in uh [6:41] Singapore for example 34% myopia whereas [6:45] Nepal it's only 3% and that compares to [6:49] a modest maybe seven or 8% in the US [6:52] again in school [6:55] children [6:57] so uh there's another environmental [7:01] factor which is Diet all right and uh [7:04] there's some studies particularly by [7:05] cordan showing that uh for example [7:09] eating a lot of carbohydrates not [7:11] surprisingly might induce higher [7:13] incidents of myopia and it's been tied [7:16] to uh hyper insula to excess [7:19] carbohydrate intake to a deficiency of [7:21] fish oil and essential fatty acids and [7:23] to uh mineral deficiencies now cordain [7:26] took the view that actually genetics [7:28] were not that important because he was [7:29] studying uh children in the islands of [7:32] vatua who were in school 8 hours a day [7:34] and yet they only had about um 2% [7:38] myopia but you know as I'll argue later [7:41] it's not genetics or environment but I [7:43] think the two come together and if you [7:47] if you think about it in terms of [7:48] epigenetics or environment acting on the [7:51] genes it's kind of like alcoholism right [7:53] you can have a gene for predilection to [7:55] alcoholism but if you're not exposed to [7:57] alcohol you won't you won't have that [7:59] condition well there was a study done by [8:01] Douglas Frederick in [8:03] 2002 showing that uh if you had the the [8:07] genetic uh indicators for myopia and you [8:10] engaged in practices myop genic [8:12] practices like education near work uh [8:15] you could get strong myopia more than [8:17] two diopters uh whereas if you're not [8:20] predisposed and you had those habits you [8:21] you might get some milder myopia however [8:25] if [8:26] you had practices that were non-open [8:29] basically Bally either a low level of [8:32] Education or occupation that didn't [8:33] involve a lot of near work uh there was [8:36] either mild or no myopia it's very [8:38] interesting paper so let's get into the [8:41] biology you know H how can you explain [8:44] this all right so I think it's important [8:47] to start with uh an understanding of how [8:49] the eye focus is [8:51] light if you look at the [8:54] eye it has this lens in it the [8:57] crystallin lens which just as in a [8:59] camera can change shape to focus uh [9:03] light on the back of the retina where [9:05] you perceive the image now when you're [9:07] looking at distant objects and and most [9:09] of the rays are coming in parallel the [9:12] lens is fairly flat so there's not much [9:14] focusing needed however when you're [9:16] focusing close up the lens actually has [9:19] to expand and and become more curved um [9:23] and just like with a magnifying glass [9:25] you'll tend to be able to focus the [9:27] light now a healthy eye go back and [9:29] forth between those two focusing States [9:32] rather [9:34] easily however what happens in uh in [9:39] myopia it really is a process that [9:40] develops in a couple of stages so first [9:43] of all you as we saw in the previous [9:45] diagram you have a thinned lens when [9:48] you're looking at far objects and you [9:50] have a thickened lens when you're [9:52] looking at near objects if you spend a [9:54] lot of time working on the computer or [9:57] reading or looking at your smartphone [10:00] after a while [10:01] you'll the U when you're doing near work [10:04] the lens will spasm and it will be much [10:08] harder for it to thin out again when you [10:09] look in the distance so now when you [10:12] look in the distance rather than [10:13] focusing on the retina you're focusing [10:16] in front of the retina and you perceive [10:17] a blurred [10:18] image so this can be transient you know [10:21] and this is what happens when you uh [10:24] might be in grade school but if you if [10:26] you're doing a lot of n work or you're [10:28] looking at your smartphone all the time [10:30] that spasm becomes more permanent and so [10:33] you go to the optician and the [10:34] optometrist and they fit you with minus [10:37] lenses which are convex lenses and when [10:40] you put those in front of the eye it [10:42] sort of has the effect of making it look [10:44] as if you're seeing things in focus when [10:47] you're looking in the distance and all [10:48] is [10:49] well [10:51] however there's a problem here because [10:54] that distance correction now causes [10:57] focusing behind the retina when you're [10:59] looking up close and this induces a very [11:02] interesting process and I'll get into [11:04] the biology of it whereby the eye [11:07] elongates and the axis of the eye gets [11:09] longer all right and it has to do with a [11:12] biological mechanism having to do with [11:16] defocus now when the eye [11:18] elongates uh all of a sudden the eye is [11:21] longer this is fine when you're doing [11:23] near work where you're spending most of [11:25] the time however you you get the same [11:27] problem as you did with pseudo [11:30] in that you're now focusing in front of [11:32] the retina and those images are out of [11:34] focus so what do you do you go back to [11:37] the optician and get a stronger [11:38] prescription and the process repeats [11:41] itself over and over and over again and [11:44] this was my experience uh where I had to [11:47] get stronger and stronger prescriptions [11:48] in order to see and [11:51] focus so there's a theory called the [11:54] incremental retinal defocus Theory and [11:57] this was uh developed veloped by hung [12:00] and shiaa and there's some very [12:02] interesting recent data in humans [12:05] showing that if you actually fit a a [12:09] person with a [12:12] uh a minus [12:14] lens right the axis of the eye will grow [12:19] and here in just the course of an hour [12:22] the length of the eye is increased by [12:24] more than 5 millimeters which is [12:25] significant because the eye is only 25 [12:27] millimeters long on the other hand if [12:30] you put a plus lens in front of the eye [12:32] over the course of an hour it will [12:34] shrink right by about 10 millimeters and [12:37] if you just put a neutral lens on [12:39] there's no change now this is a study in [12:41] humans uh this is very recent a lot of [12:45] the older data was in primates and in [12:47] chicks but this is exciting because they [12:49] now have tools using a a photometer [12:52] where they can actually measure uh the [12:53] length of the eye when you're focusing [12:55] and this is I think pretty interesting [12:57] proof of what's going on [12:59] so what's actually happening is [13:03] that uh when you're fitting the eye with [13:05] this lens and you're focusing behind the [13:09] retina uh there's a process by which [13:12] there's a growth of scleral tissue and [13:15] the scleral tissue grows in response [13:17] some to some [13:18] neuromodulators that are secreted when [13:21] there's a [13:22] defocus um it's it's actually quite [13:25] interesting it's been experimentally [13:26] demonstrated so these neur modulators [13:30] increase the elasticity of the scleral [13:31] tissue and allow the eye to elongate the [13:35] same process by the way can happen in in [13:37] hyperopia where you're focusing uh in [13:40] the other direction and you can cause [13:42] the eye to become [13:46] shorter so let's see if we can put this [13:50] into a practice can we take this [13:52] learning and turn it into actually a [13:54] method for reversing myopia I mean there [13:56] you saw an experimental demonstration [13:57] how actually putting a lens in front of [13:59] the eye can change its [14:01] shape so in this regard I'd like to [14:04] touch on a a key principle that I write [14:07] about in my blog getting stronger and [14:09] that is hormesis hormesis is a [14:12] beneficial response of an organism to a [14:15] lowd dose stressor that's otherwise [14:16] detrimental or lethal at high doses and [14:19] it works by activating various defense [14:22] or repair mechanisms and there's a lot [14:24] of examples you might be familiar with [14:25] for example exercise and immunization [14:29] calorie restriction exposure to hot or [14:32] cold these provoke an Adaptive response [14:35] UV radiation phytonutrients formation [14:39] calluses if you play the guitar go [14:40] barefoot you get the growth of skin [14:42] there and I will argue that active [14:45] focusing is also uh analogous to U uh [14:48] exercise in this [14:50] respect exercise particularly [14:52] weightlifting is a great example of [14:54] hormesis right if you're lifting heavy [14:56] objects you're causing uh these micro [14:58] tears [14:59] uh microt trauma to the muscle and you [15:02] you get a super compensation as a result [15:05] as long as you don't overdo it your [15:06] muscles will grow back stronger the key [15:09] is you've got to do training optimally [15:11] at by working at the edge of failure if [15:15] you overtrain you'll damage the muscle [15:17] if you under Trin you don't get a [15:18] response and this is sometimes called [15:20] the specific adaptation to imposed [15:23] demand or the said principle uh so how [15:26] can we apply this to reversing myopia [15:29] but first imagine that you walked into a [15:33] gym and you wanted to get stronger and [15:35] you applied the same model that a [15:37] optometrist did now you go into the eye [15:39] doctor and what they're giving you when [15:41] they give you a pair of glasses or [15:42] lenses is essentially a crutch right you [15:46] want to have immediate satisfaction and [15:48] see things Crystal Clarity right away [15:50] you don't want to do any work well if [15:52] you went into the gym uh and instead of [15:56] working out they said here we're going [15:57] to put an exoskeleton on you and this is [15:59] not a joke the there's a defense [16:00] contractor who's actually proposing this [16:02] for soldiers who have to go on long you [16:04] know hikes and training missions that [16:06] you would wear this uh exoskeleton and [16:09] as you move that would amplify your [16:11] muscular strength and it would make life [16:12] easier well what do you think would [16:14] happen if you wore this exoskeleton all [16:16] the time right probably the same thing [16:19] that happens to astronauts in space [16:20] their their muscles atrophy they get [16:22] weaker and when they take off the [16:24] exoskeleton the problem's even worse [16:26] well my argument is this is exactly what [16:28] you're doing when when you're wearing [16:29] glasses you're weakening your [16:31] eyes so let's talk about then how we can [16:34] apply hormesis to make your eyes become [16:36] less myopic well there's a few [16:39] techniques first of all um there's uh [16:42] print pushing and plus lenses which you [16:45] use while you're reading secondly [16:47] there's uh for distance there's the use [16:50] of progressively weaker lenses or Fusion [16:52] of ghosted images which I'll talk [16:55] about [16:57] so you first have to understand how [16:59] myopic you are and the best way of doing [17:01] this is to use a Snelling chart you're [17:04] all familiar with this if you've gone to [17:05] the DMV or if you've gone to the eye [17:07] doctor it's a series of letters with [17:09] different lines and you stand 20 feet [17:12] back and see how far down you can read [17:14] so if you could read down [17:15] to uh line four there or line let's say [17:19] line five the [17:21] PEC FD you would have 2040 Snell and [17:25] score which means you can see at 20 ft [17:28] what normal person can see it 40 [17:30] ft and if you can only read the e at the [17:33] top well then you've got a [17:36] problem but if you translate that into [17:40] the prescription you'll get so if you [17:42] look at that 20 40 [17:43] person uh they they uh might get a [17:47] prescription that's about 75 diopters [17:50] which means they could see normal-sized [17:52] text about 52 inches in front of them [17:54] without glasses all right so you first [17:57] have to know your strength [18:00] now here's where the interesting thing [18:02] comes [18:03] in it if you really want to work on [18:07] reversing your myopia you have to read [18:10] without [18:12] glasses if you have uh so I'd like to [18:15] distinguish three different distances [18:17] and this is my daughter acting as a [18:19] model here in front of the computer so [18:21] you're sitting at the computer or a book [18:22] and you're [18:23] reading take off your glasses now if you [18:26] wear them and hold some printed matter [18:27] in front of you all [18:31] right hold it at a distance where you [18:33] can see things just in focus and Pull It [18:36] in that's D1 that's what I call the edge [18:38] of focus now push it out just a little [18:41] bit further until it just starts to blur [18:44] you just see that beginning of blur and [18:46] that's what I call the edge of blur and [18:47] that is [18:48] D2 push it back a little further away [18:52] and it starts to become indistinct [18:54] that's too far that's the edge of [18:55] readability well this is analogous to [18:58] when you go into the gy choosing the [18:59] proper weight right you want to pick [19:01] that weight that's putting you right at [19:03] the edge of [19:04] discomfort now what you want to [19:07] do is uh if you're [19:10] um go [19:13] here is move back and forth between D1 [19:16] and D2 while you're reading and just [19:18] keep pushing it a little bit and you'll [19:20] feel that it's a little bit [19:22] discomfort a little bit uncomfortable [19:25] but never painful and never difficult [19:27] and so you'll be reading between D1 and [19:29] D2 and do this for about 2 to 4 hours [19:32] every day take a break every 15 to 30 [19:35] minutes or so and eventually what you'll [19:38] find is you can increase D1 and D2 you [19:42] can push it a little bit further away [19:43] maybe the second day you'll get another [19:45] inch away all right keep keep doing this [19:48] um you'll be surprised actually by how [19:50] quickly it [19:52] works once you get to 20 in away if you [19:55] can see that you're in great shape now [19:57] you need to use Plus lenses right so if [20:01] your myopia is strong you don't need to [20:03] use anything but if your myopia starts [20:04] to get weaker now you use plus lenses so [20:08] here's what you do if your correction is [20:12] a little bit weaker uh if you need if [20:16] you have a correction of like less than [20:18] minus two diopters you go into the [20:21] pharmacy and you'll see these racks with [20:23] readers and you might try on the plus [20:25] one or the plus 1.25 or the plus 1.5 [20:28] pick a pick a uh pair so so that you can [20:32] read comfortably at you know 15 to 20 in [20:35] so now you're actually starting to [20:36] handicap yourself this is like going for [20:38] a run carrying weights right and you're [20:41] going to get stronger faster this way uh [20:44] you might buy several Pairs and as you [20:46] get stronger and stronger you might be [20:47] up to a plus two now you're going to [20:49] find that as you look at the distance [20:51] everything is starting to get clear and [20:52] that's pretty [20:53] exciting keep going and keep Che testing [20:57] your snellin you know every week to see [20:59] if you can read further and further down [21:01] on those [21:02] lines [21:04] okay what do you do when you're not [21:06] reading say you're going for a walk [21:09] watching TV you're sitting in in a room [21:11] like this and you want to improve maybe [21:15] you're riding as a passenger in a car I [21:16] wouldn't advise this when you're driving [21:19] all right so what you do there is you [21:21] get weaker lenses so let's suppose your [21:24] prescription is [21:25] for a minus three right so get a minus [21:30] 2.5 now maybe your optometrist is [21:33] cooperative and we we'll do that for you [21:35] but if not go to uh online go to zeni [21:39] optical.com put in your prescription and [21:41] you have here some frames about $7 and [21:44] with the lenses it might cost $20 order [21:46] yourselves a few pairs of progressively [21:48] weaker so if you're at minus three get a [21:52] minus 2.5 get a min-2 get a minus 1.5 [21:57] and then as you get better and better [21:59] move down to the weaker [22:01] lenses okay now now I'm going to talk [22:03] about a technique which is really fun [22:06] and very playful in the spirit of Daryl [22:08] Edwards and this is a real story how did [22:11] I actually discover this technique well [22:12] I was vacationing and I left my [22:15] glasses at home on the other side of the [22:18] of the US so I was without glasses for [22:21] two weeks and at first I was very [22:22] frustrated I'd brought some good books [22:24] to read and my eyes were all blurry so I [22:27] went for a walk and said okay I'm just [22:29] going to see what I can do without [22:31] glasses what I noticed is that when I [22:33] looked in the distance particularly at [22:36] objects that had sharp contrast like the [22:38] edge of a building or overhead telephone [22:42] wires that I could see a crisp image and [22:45] then I saw next to that a very faint [22:49] secondary image and this is sometimes [22:51] called diplopia or double vision it's [22:53] not a serious problem unless it's in a [22:55] single eye which then you should see [22:57] your eye doctor but generally it's just [22:59] a refractive issue when you're when your [23:01] eyes are have mild myopia not very [23:03] strong myopia you'll see these two [23:05] images sometimes you'll see more than [23:07] two and it's really just anra a [23:09] refractive uh uh [23:12] phenomenon but it's actually quite [23:14] useful because the more you stare at [23:17] this you'll find that one of those two [23:19] images is darker than the other right [23:22] and as you keep staring you'll find that [23:25] one gets darker and the other gets [23:26] lighter and fainter and eventually it [23:30] fuses and this was very exciting [23:32] Discovery For Me That by looking at [23:35] distant objects particularly with high [23:36] contrast I could start fusing the images [23:40] so this was my method for active [23:42] focusing and looking in the distance and [23:44] the plus lenses for working at the [23:47] computer okay so there's some some key [23:50] questions here does the method really [23:51] work how much time should I spend each [23:54] day doing this how long before my vision [23:56] improves and is this the same as the [23:58] baates [23:59] method well a couple facts first of all [24:02] it worked for me and for really dozens [24:04] of others and I write a blog getting [24:07] stronger. org that's had over 1.3 [24:09] million views uh there's two posts in [24:12] particular that i' encourage you to look [24:14] at that have to do with vision [24:16] improvement uh one of them is called [24:18] improve vision and throw away your [24:20] glasses and then I have a forum where [24:22] there's a thread called eyesight without [24:24] glasses and these have you know over [24:26] 100,000 views and also Al I'll show you [24:29] some uh slides with references at the [24:32] end of the talk uh and they'll be on my [24:34] website if you're skeptical or if you [24:36] want to follow up on the science behind [24:39] this how much time should you spend at [24:41] it um first of all you got to have the [24:43] right mindset these are not exercises [24:47] that you do like going to the gym these [24:49] are activities you integrate into your [24:51] daily activity while you're working at [24:52] the computer while you're at work every [24:54] day or while you're going for walks [24:56] spend at least two to four hours print [24:58] pushing without plus lenses if you have [25:01] mild myop if you have strong myopia and [25:03] with plus lenses if you have mild [25:06] myopia and take breaks it's very [25:09] important don't sit there looking at the [25:11] screen all the time look in the distance [25:13] look up close look look near look [25:17] far um key Point again it should feel [25:20] awkward but never painful if you do get [25:23] red eye or strain [25:26] stop take a few few days off try it [25:29] again how long does this take to work [25:32] that's the other question I always get [25:34] again be patient it took years for your [25:37] eyes to get into this Condition it's not [25:38] going to change overnight how do you [25:40] approach exercise going to the gym and [25:42] diet you don't expect immediate results [25:44] you've got to work at this however keep [25:48] in mind that you're going to see clearly [25:51] um and that's going to be exciting I [25:53] mean the one thing I have to say here is [25:56] that this was the most exciting thing [25:59] for me to be able to take off my glasses [26:02] and see everything in crisp detail to [26:04] see Expressions to see the leaves on [26:07] trees fine little you know branches to [26:09] see little patterns in the in the sky [26:12] that I'd never seen before if that [26:14] doesn't motivate you I don't know what [26:16] what can it's just incredibly liberating [26:19] to be free of your glasses and not to [26:22] have contact [26:24] lenses so typically most people see some [26:26] improvements within a few weeks and the [26:28] rate of improvement is generally faster [26:30] in the beginning uh it's common to see a [26:33] sudden Improvement and then no change [26:35] for a while and then a sudden [26:37] Improvement but that's the way it works [26:39] with going to the gym right or losing [26:41] weight it's not a steady line but again [26:44] the excitement comes at the end when you [26:47] don't need glasses [26:49] anymore is this the same as the Bates [26:51] method well not [26:53] really Bates had a theory that he you [26:56] need to relax the eye and he had a a [26:58] faulty idea of physiology he thought [27:01] that focusing the eyes muscles had to do [27:03] with uh muscles that surrounded the eye [27:07] tensing or relaxing and that you were [27:09] actually changing the shape of the eye [27:11] we now know that's not the case it's the [27:13] silary muscles and the Crystal changing [27:16] the shape of the crystallin lens I mean [27:18] he was probably right about uh eye [27:21] strain and uh uh the fact that you need [27:25] to relax however he only addressed [27:27] really half the problem which is what I [27:30] call [27:30] pseudomyopia right that initial period [27:33] where you're not being able to see and [27:35] focus he really didn't address axial my [27:38] myopia because he didn't know that the [27:39] eye would get longer or shorter and [27:42] unfortunately his methods of relaxation [27:45] and distance viewing they're great right [27:47] I think they're fantastic but they [27:49] really don't do anything for those of us [27:51] who are sitting at a computer all day [27:53] right because you can only spend a [27:54] certain amount of time looking in the [27:57] distance and what we know from the [27:58] incremental retinal defocus theory is [28:00] that it's kind of the time averaged [28:03] exposure to different focal lengths [28:06] that's important so if you're going to [28:07] be spending a lot of time with the [28:08] computer you need a technique and that's [28:10] where the print pushing idea comes right [28:14] holding the piece of paper or the screen [28:17] at that right distance not getting too [28:19] close not relying on your lenses but [28:22] working right at that threshold between [28:24] focus and blur focus and blur it's a [28:26] very tiny threshold and you can find it [28:28] pretty easily all right so that's what [28:31] bats didn't [28:32] offer okay so I would like to [28:35] summarize your eyes are adaptive organs [28:38] just like your muscles just like your [28:40] metabolism just like everything about [28:42] you you've been reading closeup for [28:45] years you've been working with [28:46] smartphones those are a particular [28:49] problem with kids right they're they're [28:51] looking at their smartphone or their [28:52] video game all the time and as a result [28:56] your lenses are in Sp [28:59] you need progressively stronger lens [29:01] prescriptions to correct that problem [29:03] but that only makes your eye get longer [29:05] and your myopia [29:06] worse so reverse the process do the [29:10] opposite right use that same [29:12] adaptability to reverse the process and [29:15] use active Focus take time out from your [29:18] busy routine look at distant objects [29:21] move back when you read if you're [29:23] sitting watching a TV program sit as far [29:26] back as you can if you're in a lecture [29:27] hall [29:28] sit as far back as you can to see [29:30] everything without your glasses um if [29:33] your myopia is weak and your eyes are [29:35] getting really good use plus lenses to [29:38] accelerate the process right and when [29:41] you take those plus lenses off you'll [29:42] find wow everything is really crystal [29:44] clear so stimulate your eyes it's very [29:47] important play with your eyes have fun [29:50] with this this is not a chore build it [29:53] into your daily life make it a habit but [29:55] make it a game when you're walking along [29:58] a [29:58] trail look at every little Branch right [30:02] Trace those [30:03] branches look at the Shadows see what [30:06] you can make out right there's a this [30:08] wonderful world around you you're not [30:10] not noticing but a fraction of the [30:12] details and it's just so stimulating to [30:14] be able to do that without your glasses [30:17] what I can tell you is the more you do [30:18] this and the more disciplined you are [30:20] about doing it the better your results [30:21] will be um so anyway that's all I have [30:25] to offer you today and um happy to take [30:35] questions uh first before I take [30:37] questions I just wanted to flash on here [30:39] some [30:40] references um on the epidemiology and on [30:44] the biological mechanism right this will [30:46] be on the video and you can take a [30:48] snapshot and finally on on methods that [30:51] you can use to improve your vision and [30:53] some websites I particularly recommend [30:55] uh uh the d'angelus book and the [30:58] Severson book and Otis Brown really good [31:01] uh methods in my site uh getting [31:04] stronger. org [31:28] or are you just kind of [31:30] cured so just as you would uh when [31:33] you're fit you go to the gym every so [31:36] often right um I would say periodically [31:39] I I have a pair of plus lenses if I'm [31:41] reading a lot I'll pull them out and use [31:43] them for a bit but not very much [31:45] actually because what I tend to do is [31:47] just sit back a little bit further from [31:49] my screen and try to avoid the bad [31:51] habits in the first [31:55] place um with the screen being such a [31:59] potentially negative um part of the [32:01] environment um I noticed that the you [32:03] know the your daughter was modeling in [32:05] front of the screen is it better to try [32:06] to train with books um and not look at [32:09] screens um is there a certain volume [32:12] of you know time to look at a screen um [32:15] considering how much you said the the [32:17] the smartphones and the computers are [32:19] damaging our [32:20] eyes yeah I think it's preferable to [32:22] have a well-lit uh book in front of you [32:25] would be ideal but sometimes you don't [32:28] have that option so if you are doing [32:29] computer work uh I don't see any real [32:32] difference as long as you have good [32:34] lighting um and uh you're healthy you [32:38] can use a computer or a book [32:41] thanks uh okay so it seems that in my [32:44] family we run [32:46] myopia my brother has two eyes that are [32:51] around [32:52] 21,000 so he just can't do anything [32:55] without [32:56] glasses I have have an unusual problem [32:59] that this eyee is perfect and this eye [33:01] is really myopic when when I go to the [33:04] Snelling charts I can't read the biggest [33:06] letter anymore but the problem is that I [33:08] remember what it is [33:10] so um so you so your two eyes are [33:14] different very different and this is by [33:15] the way very common it's called ambal [33:17] Opia I have it too in fact I have one ey [33:20] that's slightly farsighted one that's [33:22] slightly nearsighted so here's what you [33:24] do well right if you have the the two [33:27] different eyes uh block one eye and work [33:31] with the weaker eye because your [33:33] stronger eye is going to dominate and do [33:34] more work for you you can put a patch on [33:37] your glasses you can just hold your hand [33:39] like this or you can [33:41] wink right wink from one eye to the [33:43] other and it's awkward at first but your [33:45] winking muscle gets stronger yeah [33:48] because I have 2020 and 2400 so I find [33:52] that it my problem is I can read right [33:55] here and I can read right here and it's [33:58] only like right here that's difficult [34:00] because my eyes are not used to vying [34:02] predominance and they don't like that um [34:05] so I should probably read a lot right [34:07] here so my eyes get used to seeing thre [34:08] dimensionally would that be yeah but [34:11] your eyes are so different I think you [34:12] probably want to work your weaker eye [34:14] first until it gets closer because it's [34:16] much easier to do this method when your [34:17] eyes are close so in my case it was you [34:22] my left eye that was weaker and I spent [34:24] a lot of time working that until the two [34:26] were even so would you have have some [34:28] advice for my brother who would probably [34:29] have to be about this close to the [34:30] computer before he could be at the edge [34:33] of readability that's tough but that's [34:35] where you start maybe his nose will get [34:37] in the way yeah now that that's where [34:38] you start one thing he can do is use [34:40] weakened prescription so cut a few [34:42] diopters off the prescription so that [34:44] you're at a reasonable distance uh in [34:46] this case it would be a minus [34:48] prescription but just weaken the [34:50] prescription and start there great [34:52] thanks for someone with a really strong [34:55] prescription if they go through this [34:57] process are they going are they going to [34:58] have to replace their glasses along the [35:00] way because it can be pretty pricey yes [35:03] and that's why I recommended this [35:05] website zeni optical.com very [35:08] inexpensive frames you know get several [35:10] pairs for $ 155 or $20 frames or [35:14] glasses about $6 for the frames and with [35:17] lenses it might be$ 20 to $30 total okay [35:21] thanks similar question about uneven [35:24] like I have a minus 6.5 and a minus5 do [35:26] I work work on like do I just do like a [35:29] do a like a negative -6 and leave this [35:31] the same or do I kind of Step them both [35:33] back at the same time I mean how do you [35:35] work with this you know without the [35:37] blinking thing or whatever yours are [35:39] pretty close so they might work but if [35:42] you want wink or or block the stronger [35:45] eye and work with the minus 61 first [35:48] until it's down to a minus5 and you can [35:50] you can use the smell the Snelling chart [35:52] there too with a single eye you know [35:54] read as far as you can and wait till [35:56] your eyes are more even and then they'll [35:58] proceed together it's just like what [35:59] what if you went into the gym and you [36:01] had one a strong right arm and a weaker [36:03] left arm you you would want to work the [36:05] weaker arm first until they were both [36:06] similar so I could get glasses that I [36:08] only am stepping down one lens first [36:10] something like that if I get those or [36:12] just put a patch or diffuser in front of [36:14] one lens I see okay thank you hi um I [36:17] was just curious to see how much your [36:19] axial length has actually changed since [36:22] um doing this method unfortunately I [36:24] don't have the device for measuring my [36:27] axal that requires a sophisticated [36:30] apparatus however the study that I cited [36:32] there uh uh you can read about 28 [36:35] different patients and and see all the [36:37] measurements that were made on their [36:39] eyes but typically if you look at the um [36:42] the results that they got it would be by [36:44] several millimeters uh so I saw sorry [36:48] several microns yes okay um so I think [36:51] one of the things that your method [36:52] teaches is um improving your uh visual [36:56] Acuity and not necessarily [36:58] um changing of the Optics of the eye [37:00] which is um which can help but I just [37:04] want to um say that it is the the [37:08] optical issues that are in place um are [37:11] not being uh corrected for it's just [37:14] improving your visual Acuity through [37:16] practice I just want to say that yeah if [37:17] you have other eye conditions outside of [37:20] you know myopia uh yes this doesn't deal [37:23] with [37:25] those thank you for a very side F talk I [37:28] I have a question about the font size [37:31] when you're doing this a lot of people [37:32] especially here in the Bay Area in Tech [37:34] are using bigger font size but they're [37:36] staying at the same distance um so would [37:39] you still recommend um even if you use a [37:42] bigger font size to move away from the [37:44] screen is that a right obviously there's [37:47] a connection between font size and [37:49] distance so the recommendation here was [37:51] for normal size font if it's larger you [37:54] would have to move back farther to get [37:55] the same benefit so being being on a [37:57] short distance even if even [37:59] um despite using a beer fund the problem [38:03] is focusing on a at a short distance is [38:05] that correct that's right so you want [38:08] you want to increase the distance [38:09] whatever the font size is by moving back [38:11] farther and farther progressively thank [38:14] you um if you have kids who have 2020 [38:18] Vision how do you prevent them from [38:21] ending up with glasses like I have yeah [38:25] good question so first of all good high [38:27] which means don't work too close up [38:30] right work fur their way but if they [38:33] want to do that they can go by weak plus [38:35] lenses like the plus ones the readers [38:38] very inexpensive just go into any [38:39] pharmacy they're there if they're doing [38:41] extended work have them wear those a lot [38:44] of people look at this as a preventive [38:46] technique and uh do it an experiment [38:49] have them put the plus lenses on and [38:51] read for an hour and take them off and [38:53] ask them do you now see the world more [38:55] crisply and clearly than you did before [38:57] just ask them thank [38:59] you okay I think uh two more questions [39:02] um I've never had an issue with myopia [39:04] but I'm getting to a point where I need [39:05] glasses to read um and and more recently [39:09] um driving at night is less comfortable [39:11] wondering any ideas around around those [39:13] two [39:15] issues I think the two go together as [39:17] you age it it is you know your your [39:19] vision does deteriorate and it's harder [39:21] to see things at night in particular uh [39:24] one thing I didn't touch on is you know [39:25] good diet I think that helps a lot in [39:27] terms of a low insulin type diet um and [39:31] also plenty of uh phytonutrients to make [39:34] your have your rods and cones healthy so [39:36] you can detect color and low light but I [39:38] also just think that these methods of uh [39:40] of of of healthy focusing are going to [39:43] be helpful at night because you'll see [39:45] the car lights and the details that you [39:46] need to see more crisply so same same [39:49] principles that you the same principles [39:51] yeah [39:52] okay final question what would happen if [39:56] people kept going after Vision became [39:57] normal again would it continue improving [40:01] ah there's one post on an interview that [40:03] I did on my site with a student who had [40:06] poor vision he got to 2020 and he said I [40:09] want to do better than this I want super [40:10] vision and he got himself down to [40:12] 2015 um go on my it's called how one [40:15] person improved his vision or one person [40:18] improved his eyesight and he used the [40:19] method to get all the way to 2015 and if [40:22] he kept going like that would that [40:24] create the opposite problem for [40:26] myopia uh ah no I mean so you can you [40:29] just get better and better distance [40:30] Vision right but you can use the same [40:33] process for hyperopia if you cannot see [40:36] things uh that close up then you and you [40:39] have to read like this then do the [40:41] opposite pull them in pull them in until [40:43] they're at the edge and eventually [40:44] you'll be able to read more close up you [40:47] basically can change the shape of your [40:48] eye in either direction by using active [40:51] focusing right so with continuing after [40:54] it was normal like after [40:57] myopia fixed create hyperopia not [41:00] necessarily no I mean because it's it's [41:03] right you're as long as you're flexible [41:05] and you're able to exercise your eyes so [41:08] that you're looking both close up and [41:09] then the vision and I I advocate [41:11] alternating the two it's it it increases [41:14] the range of focus from near to far [41:17] thank you I got a [41:21] question um if you improve your myopia [41:25] using your Technique do you think that's [41:27] going to reduce your chances of Macar [41:31] degeneration uh it it may if you look at [41:35] some of the causal contributors to [41:38] macular [41:39] degeneration retinal detachment eye [41:41] floaters you'll see myopia listed [41:43] prominently there it's not the only [41:45] cause but there is a connection [41:48] there okay thank you very much