I was 12 when I got my first pair of glasses.
The doctor sat me in a chair, went through a series of “Which is clearer – 1 or 2?” questions.
Then he told my mom that I needed glasses.
The above scenario happens to hundreds of kids each day, and each of them are then seemingly condemned to wearing glasses or contacts for the rest of their life.
In Take Off Your Glasses and See
He says that this is not a coincidence. For the first time in our lives, we’re told to sit in the same position for 8 hours a day and then forced to visually focus on things that cause near-point stress (like reading) for the entire day.
When I was in elementary school we had a 15 minute break in the morning, a 15 minute break in the afternoon and a half hour for lunch. The rest of the time we were working – severely violating the 10-10-10 rule.
Add on top of that the stresses of fitting into a new environment, dealing with the stress of new rules, homework etc. It can be quite a shock to such a young body!
Dr. Liberman explains that as kids, we’re exposed to completely new levels of stress. We’re not taught to exercise our eyes properly, and that, combined with the regular stresses of being a child, cause the muscles in our eyes to tense up.
How Wearing Glasses Begins
When we start squinting to see the board, our teacher tells our parents that we need to go to the eye doctor and have our eyes examined.
They do a series of tests – and do it while putting your eyes under unnatural conditions (really, when was the last time you sat in a classroom and had to view everything through a small hole like they make you do during an eye exam?). Then, if your vision is slightly off according to their chart, they prescribe you a pair of glasses.
You are now condemned to wearing glasses for the rest of your life. The industry is assured of another $200-$800 each year when you are conveniently prescribed a stronger prescription and need to replace your glasses and contacts.
Do you see how this creates a vicious cycle? How once we get caught in the conspiracy we’re trapped for the rest of our life?
An Alternative Way to Glasses
Instead of prescribing glasses as a crutch, we should instead take a holistic look at what’s going on the child’s life.
Are they stressed at school? Is there stress in the home? Are they stressed socially?
What if instead of prescribing glasses, the eye doctors prescribed a vigorous regiment of eye exercises that would help the eyes relax and allow the muscles to regain their flexibility?
Our natural vision is a precious gift. And we’ve been lied to about the best way to take care of our eyes.
I personally recommend pinhole glasses instead of regular glasses. They not only completely relax your eyes, they strengthen them as well and are extremely easy to use.
The public needs to be informed about this. Your vision should be your choice and you should be informed about what the best way is to take care of your eyes!
In the meantime, start doing eye exercises and using pinholes to relax your eyes. It will be a great start to getting back to the way your eyes are meant to be – glasses free and with clear, natural vision!
Good luck!
Gavin
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