You may really dread the thought of wearing glasses, despite how much you need them. And maybe you’ve wondered how to improve your eyesight naturally.
This is where Vishen’s story can inspire you. The founder of Mindvalley was able to heal his eyesight in two weeks, from 20/40 to 20/25 (that’s two lines of improvement on a standard eye chart).
Keep in mind: this method encourages you to let go of everything you’ve been conditioned to believe about deteriorating eyesight. But this might just be the breakthrough moment for you and your eyes.
Vishen’s experience with vision correction
I had my first Lasik correction in 2004. It was near miraculous.
I was 28 years old and had been wearing glasses since I was 9. My short-sightedness (also called myopia) was -7.00 — which was considered insanely high. I could not recognize a face three feet in front of me.
Yet, within 48 hours of my Lasik surgery, I was functioning without glasses. But surgeries sometimes go wrong and a botched procedure in my left eye left me with mild astigmatism.
I continued without glasses for the next 12 years. However, in 2016 during a trip to Sydney with my family, I realized I could not see the details of the Sydney Opera House that my son was pointing out to me.
I went to an ophthalmologist only to find that age and poor reading and writing habits had caused my eyesight to deteriorate to the point where I needed glasses again. I was testing at 20/40 on the eye chart and now had developed astigmatism and mild nearsightedness in both eyes.
My 12-year run without glasses had come to an end.
The problem was — my old friend, Lasik, was no longer available to me. As a man in my 40s, I was warned by the doctor that Lasik for a second time would be too risky.
So I started my life once again with glasses.
Dave Asprey and vision coaching
The thing is, glasses were a major inconvenience to me.
I had heard from my friend Dave Asprey that he had successfully learned how to improve eyesight naturally and overcome the need for glasses. And that intrigued me.
Dave is the famous bio-hacker behind Bulletproof Coffee. Working with an eye coach, he trained with intense eye exercises for one hour every week for 12 weeks. By the end of that time period, he no longer needed glasses.
I decided to give it a go and signed up for online courses on vision correction. I interviewed and then hired a vision coach.
It was shocking how fast I was able to train my brain to correct my short nearsightedness. In two weeks of training for 15 minutes a day, my vision went from 20/40 to 20/25. Not perfect, but it meant I did not need glasses for day-to-day activities.
I sometimes went for weeks without ever putting them on. My glasses usage went from 40% of the time to 4% of the time.
I’m still experimenting. But I’m now on my third set of lenses and my lenses have been getting thinner and thinner each time.
So how can you replicate this? This is what I know. Keep in mind I’m still in the midst of my research. I’m still experimenting.
But if you’re looking to…
- Prevent bad eyesight from developing in your kids
- Learn how to improve eyesight fast
- Prevent the onset of age-related vision problems like farsightedness
- Reduce your need for glasses
…Here’s what you need to know.
The right and wrong way to test your vision
The first big mistake people make is that they test their vision at a store selling eyeglasses. Do not do this. Any store that sells glasses will be incentivized to sell you glasses.
I tested my eyes at an eyeglass shop and at a proper medical clinic. The results that came back were vastly different.
The eyeglass shop and its simplistic vision testing machine showed a reading vastly different from my medical doctor. They prescribed me glasses that were far too strong for what I needed. Their test was also a 12-minute procedure. At a proper clinic, I spent 45 minutes getting my vision tested. (I believe eyeglass stores have no business testing people’s vision.)
If your vision is less than -1.00 myopia, you should not jump to glasses. The right eye exercises can heal your vision rapidly.
My improvement was from -0.75 to -0.25 in two weeks. But if you test your eyesight in an eyeglass store, you’re going to be pressured to buy a pair of glasses.
So test your eyesight with your doctor. If you’re found to need glasses, then go to an eyeglass store with your doctor’s prescription.
One more tip. Your vision can vary from week to week. Stress, for example, can cause your vision to test more poorly than normal. So go for your eye test during a time when you’re fairly well rested, such as during the weekend or after a vacation.
Vishen’s tips on how to improve eyesight naturally
1. Get glasses one increment down from your actual vision
Vision therapists I’ve spoken to agree that you should get spectacles that are approximately 0.25 below your tested vision.
Eyeglasses are like a crutch. You don’t want to get used to them because if you do, you will need them more and more. And you’ll see your vision deteriorate accordingly.
I started out with -2.50 when I was 9. By the time I was 16, I was at -7.00.
Short-sightedness and farsightedness are measured in diopters
Lens powers that correct myopia are preceded by a minus sign (–), and are usually measured in 0.25 D increments.
For example, the severity of nearsightedness is often categorized like this:
- Mild myopia: -0.25 to -3.00 D
- Moderate myopia: -3.25 to -6.00 D
- High myopia: greater than -6.00 D
So if you’re diagnosed with 1.00 myopia. Do not get a -1.00 lens. Rather get a lens -0.75 (one increment down). With the right exercises, you’ll be able to rapidly improve your vision.
So always get lenses one increment lower than your current power. This prevents eyeglasses from becoming a crutch and causing your vision to deteriorate. It gives you room to improve your vision.
As soon as your vision catches up, get a new set of lenses one step down. And so on. Using this approach, I got my myopia down from -0.75 to -0.25 in my right eye.
2. Test your vision at home once a week
William Horatio Bates, M.D. (1860–1931), who popularized an early but highly inefficient form of vision correction therapy called the Bates Method, once did a study in classrooms. Bates would hang an eye chart in classrooms and get the teacher to make the students do a simple vision test for a minute or so daily.
At the beginning of that period, 6% of the children were nearsighted. By the end of the year, only 1% were nearsighted.
Because of this success in one school, the system of using an eye chart was introduced into all the schools of Grand Forks, North Dakota, where Bates worked. These schools used charts continuously for 8 years, with as many as 2,000 schoolchildren.
But there was an unexpected result. The kids actually began to see better than normal. Children who already had normal sight, 20/20, became able to read 20/15 or 20/10. This was regardless of the light conditions in the room.
Now, imagine if every school did this?
Adults should do the same. Hang an eye chart on your wall. And test your vision periodically. Once a day is perfect.
But once a week works too. Doing so can be an important part of improving your eyesight naturally at home.
You can find eye charts on Google that you can download and print.
3. Hire a vision coach or take an online vision course
I’ve been experimenting with vision programs and vision coaches. The results have been promising. But I can’t recommend a specific program for you yet.
Due to the faith you guys place in me, I will not recommend anything unless I have done my research, tested it out, and can solidly give it a big thumbs up — be it health coaching, therapy approaches, or the latest training methods.
There are many amazing vision correction programs out there. This whole industry is going to boom. And I don’t want to give an unfair edge to any one player because that means giving a disadvantage to others. So until I complete my own research you’ll need to dig on the internet to find a vision coach or vision correction course that’s right for you.
Sorry guys. But am doing this for the good of the industry. So to find the right exercise program simply search for “eyesight improvement course.”
A coach will cost you around $1,000 for 10-12 sessions. A good vision course will run from $99 to $199. That’s money well spent given this is your eyesight we’re talking about.
But one tip. The Bates Method continues to be popular. But it’s one of the slowest and least effective methods.
William Bates died in 1931 and his work has not advanced much. Vision improvement research has gone way past Bates’s early discoveries and modern courses offer so much more.
While I value Bates and his classic 1920 book Better Vision Without Glasses, the whole field has advanced a lot and more modern methods get better results. So avoid the popular, but archaic Bates Method.
See for yourself
When you think about how to improve your eyesight naturally, it might seem unbelievable. This is why, to see better, you need to see for yourself first. So maybe try out these few tips from Vishen and notice the impact they have on your vision.
You may even be surprised.
Understanding that your eyesight is connected to the proper functioning of your whole body and system will help you along your journey. And miraculous things can happen when you take care of yourself through holistic approaches.
This is where Mindvalley comes into play. If you wish to create transformation in your health and overall well-being, the HoloBody Coaching Certification might be the answer for you. And the best part of it all is that once you contribute to your own healing, you’ll learn step-by-step how to support others in doing the same.
Get ready to step into your greatness and connect to your healthiest happiest self. Your best one.
Welcome in.
