Mind and Vision (A Handbook For The Cure of Imperfect Sight Without Glasses)

Introduction

Preservation of good eyesight is almost impossible without proper eye education and mental relaxation. The quieter the mind, better is the eyesight preserved.

It is a fact that glasses help many to relieve their discomforts of their head and eyes and enable people to see well at a distance or near, and their use in many cases is imperative. But this is also true that glasses do not check further deterioration and the number of glasses goes on increasing. Often glasses become an added torture to increase the pain and suffering and loss of eyesight. The fast deterioration in eyesight and the development of some serious complication are not prevented by the use of glasses, injections and pills. Therefore, the number of blind people amongst the educated class is fast increasing in spite of all possible medical aid.

The orthodox belief is that for cases of defective eye-sight as myopia and hypermetropia and astigmatism, there is not only no cure, but practically no preventive also. Any rational mind will think such a claim as dogmatic, an imperfection in the ophthalmic science. When the sight begins to deteriorate, there must be some cause for it, and the cause is always an effort to see or strain. The eye being a sense organ is closely associated with the mind in its functioning, and like other sense organs makes no effort to see in its normal course. The normal eye when it makes an effort to see at a distance, its distant vision becomes defective and myopia is produced. When the normal eye makes an effort to see at a near point, its near vision becomes defective and hypermetropia is produced. Glasses neutralize the effect of such conditions but do not relieve the cause of the trouble. So, in many cases, the cause continues increasing by the use of glasses and the sight goes on deteriorating.

It is a well-known fact that vision is a process of mental interpretation. The picture which the mind sees is not the impression on the retina, but a mental interpretation of it. For example, to the good eye the white centre of letter O seems to be whiter than the margin of the page, this is because the mind interprets the retinal image in this way. therefore, our vision mostly depends on our mind's imagination. Wh4en the imagination is perfect, sight is perfect. But if the imagination is imperfect, sight also is recorded imperfect.

The old writers on ophthalmology did not consider that the mental strain could play an important part in the formation of errors of refraction, hence they isolated the eye while determining the cause and treatment of visual defects and retinal disorders. To rectify the effect of errors of refraction they prescribed glasses. But very little has ever b been claimed about their usefulness except that these contrivances neutralize the effects of the various condition for which they are prescribed, as a crutch enables a lame man to walk. This incurability of errors of refraction is based on the theory that the eye changes its focus for vision at different distances by altering the curvature of the lens.

It struck to Dr. W. H. Bates M. D., an American Scientist, that further experiments and observations were necessary to determine the facts about accommodation and errors of refraction. His experiments are a proof that the lens is not a factor in accommodation. The eye adjusts its focus for different distances just like a camera, by a change in the length of the organ, and this alteration is brought about by the action of external eye muscles, called oblique muscles. Dr. Bates has made many remarkable discoveries regarding the refraction of the eye but the most remarkable discovery of Dr. Bates is FINE PRINT IS A BENEFIT TO THE EYES WHILE LARGE PRINT IS A MENACE. The reason is that while reading fine print one sees a tiny are at a time, while in reading large print one has to see a large area at a time and the eye feels strain in such an attempt.

Dr. Bates' discoveries are a boon to humanity. Thousands of cases, so-called incurable, have been benefited by his simple methods of treatment. For example, a woman who had developed total night blindness was completely cured in about a month's time. And a boy, who had become semi-blind, gained normal vision in a couple of weeks. A German lady who had developed squint by the wrong use of the eyes was cured in about two weeks time. Cases of incipient cataract, retinal disorders, floating specks, amblyopia, etc., have derived great benefit by the system of eye education.

All along it has been my experience that mental relaxation is the key to success in life, in education and treatment. Under the present conditions of life, man's mind is under a severe strain, hence preservation of good eyesight has become almost impossible without eye education. One may have good eyesight today but will not be able to preserve it after some time. If children and adults are taught about the proper use of the eyes, most of the visual defects will fade away in due course of time and man will enjoy perfect eyesight. Though glasses are also necessary in some cases, yet unless the prescription of glasses is supplemented by eye education deterioration in eyesight and blindness cannot be prevented.

For practical working in an efficient way a synthesis of all the systems of medicine is necessary. In this synthesis eye education will play an important part in the prevention and cure of most eye troubles. Here I give a few hints about eye education:

1. Blinking: Blinking is a continuous habit of good eyes. By blinking the eyes work unde4r rest, the habit of staring is checked. While reading one should blink at each line, while seeing some distant object shift the sight from part to part and blink.

2. Palming: By palming I mean to close the eyes and cover them with the palms of hands in such a way that there is no pressure on the eye-balls and not light enters the eyes. Now a complete black field will be observed before the eyes. Palming when done in the right way, makes the mind quiet and gives good relaxation.

3. Sun Treatment: Facing the morning sun with eyes closed for a few minutes while moving the body gently from side to side like a pendulum improves the health of the eyes and cures day blindness.

4. Reading Snellen Test Card daily is very helpful to prevent and cure myopia and other visual defects in the schools.

5. Reading fine Print daily is extremely beneficial to the eyes.

Blind Notions: Reading fine print is commonly supposed to be harmful to the eyes, and reading print of any kind is dim light and close to the eyes is regarded as a dangerous pratice. Due to such a belief a student suffered a lot. He had pain in the eyes and pain in the head, he was in a state of agony and lost his peace of the mind and his health was affected. When he began to read fine print in candle light and good light alternately at a close distance, surprisingly all his pain in the eyes was chased away in three days and was relieved from headache.

In the School for Perfect Eyesight we have evolved a system of practical working based on the synthesis of all the systems of medicine. We believe that all the methods of treatment as glasses, medicines, operation and eye education have their utility but the efficacy of eye education and mental relaxation is so great that often one can successfully treat cases of visual defects and eye trouble even without a diagnosis. The reason is that when a patient complains of pain, headache and loss of vision, it is an indication of pain, headache and loss of vision, it is an indication of eye strain and mental strain; and the treatment which will relieve the strain will be beneficial to the eyes. I may mention here about the discovery of a new technique called 'the art of seeing pictures and view-card.' This technique when done perfectly beings quick cure in some cases of visual defects. Two girls had developed bad eyesight both for distance and near, a condition of semi-blindness (Amblyopia). Formerly such cases usually took about two weeks or more for the cure but by the art of seeing pictures they got cured in a few minutes. They we4re given a view-card of Taj Mahal Agra and were taught the art of seeing with the mind perfectly relaxed. When the flatness of the picture disappeared and the three-dimensional character of the picture was clearly perceived, the picture appeared so beautiful to the eyes of the girls that their minds got deeply absorbed in seeing the Taj. They observed that the fine details of the picture were sharply coming up and the vision was getting improved. Then when the eyesight was tested on the Snellen Eye Testing Chart, it was recorded normal in 15 minutes.

We aim to create a new type of doctors who will bring perfection in eyesight and in general capacities of the mind and the body. Intuition will be their guide. Their knowledge will be based on the synthesis. They will be their guide. Their knowledge will be based on the synthesis. They will be more concerned with the health than with the pathology. To achieve this aim the School for Perfect Eyesight provides a course in Ophthalmic Science. And I admit this fact that it is by the Grace of the divine Mother and Sri Aurobindo that it has been possible to write this book 'MIND AND VISION' There was a strong inspiration to express my thoughts and experiences, and in a strange way the opportunities arose with all facilities to complete this work. Often, Sri Aurobindo encouraged me with His letter5s and inner guidance to promote the work and lift it to its summit. His words 'These methods are perfectly effective' are a great hope to the humanity to recover their lost eyesight.

1	The Organ of Sight	1-17
2	Examination of the Eye	29-32
3	Glasses	36
4	The Cause and cure of Errors of Refraction	40-56
5	Sun-Treatment and Eye-bath	57-64
6	Relaxation Methods Central Fixation	65-91
7	Relaxation Methods-Contd. Palming	92-99
8	Relaxation Methods-Contd. Memory as an Aid to Eyesight	103-111
9	Relaxation Methods-Contd. Imagination as an Aid to Vision	114-124
10	Relaxation Methods-Contd. Shifting and Swinging	126-142
11	Routine Treatment	143-154
12	Eyesight of School Children	157-165
13	Diet	170-179
14	Errors of Refraction Myopia	181
15	Errors of Refraction-Contd. Hypermetropia	203
16	Errors of Refraction-Contd. Astigmatism	210
17	Errors of Refraction-Contd. Presbyopia or Old Age Sight	221
18	Floating Specks	232
19	Squint	241
20	Double Vision	257
21	Blindness or Amblyopia	265
22	Cataract	272
23	Glaucoma	280
24	Eye-Strains	284
25	Questions and Answers	290
26	How to Proceed with the Treatment	311

Sample Pages