I'm starting the Bates method, but I have a few questions.

[u/VanillaKlutzy8278]

I’m starting the Bates Method, but I have some questions. I’m 16 years old, and my vision has suddenly gotten worse over the past year. My left eye is -2 diopters and my right eye is -0.25 diopters of myopia. I also see floaters, and when I squint both eyes at night, the light beams stretch out. It’s been like this for a year. I generally don’t wear glasses because they make my vision much worse. I’ve tried practicing the Bates Method before, but I didn’t really know what I was doing, and I didn’t set aside much time for it. Right now, palming and sunning help me relax. As far as I understand, I shouldn’t strain my eyes, but I’m not sure what exactly is meant by “straining.” I could use some guidance. I haven’t been able to find much information about the Bates Method online.

Note: Please excuse my poor English.

[u/Evgeny_E]

Yes, relaxation is a difficult concept to grasp in the Bates Method; it will probably come naturally once everything is done. In any case, the central fixation exercise with the Snellen chart and visualization exercises (for example, imagining a black dot with your eyes closed) should also bring you closer to results.