Irmina has prodded me for some time now to write some more about my experience with Natural Vision Improvement (NVI). I have been hesitant because my progress, until recently, has not been as encouraging as I felt it should be prior to writing about it and trying to sound like I’m an expert. So let me start the discussion with that; I’m not a trained NVI coach or any kind of medical or eye doctor. And even though I am on the cusp of being able to say I have perfect sight, I’m not yet there. However, I am more than happy to share with you my experience and what I have learned from a great deal of research.
Since you are asking about a corrective procedure, let me describe my experience. I underwent a Refractive Keratotomy (RK) in 1983. I had one of the best eye surgeons in the world, Dr. Richard Volk. Since the procedure involved the reshaping of the cornea using a diamond-tipped scalpel, one eye at a time was done with a one-week period between eyes. That was a cautionary measure designed to ensure the health of the corrected eye before starting on the still-healthy, uncorrected one. Yes, that’s right, I said healthy, uncorrected. Poor vision in the vast majority of people is not caused by unhealthy eyes. Myopia, hypermetropia, presbyopia, and the like are not diseases or deficiencies of the eyes. These conditions, as I now realize, are a result of how we have learned to use them and how we manage the stress that causes strain on them. The results of my RK procedure were remarkable; since no eye patch was required, I was reading street signs with unbelievable clarity on the way home with my brand-new 20/15 vision.
Once the painkiller and valium had worn off, it was extremely uncomfortable, but I didn’t mind. I now had a perfect vision just as I always knew that I would. But there was one thing nagging at the back of my mind; the extremely vivid warning from my eye surgeon that my eyes would regress; perhaps quickly, perhaps slowly. The procedure, he told me, would also not prevent the most likely onset of presbyopia as I aged. But that was a bridge I decided to cross when I came to it. Seventeen years later I reached the bridge and I’m a bit embarrassed that it has taken me eighteen years to cross it. Why? Because I accepted conventional wisdom and the warning of my eye surgeon when he said “…eventually you will need either an additional procedure or corrective lenses.” I chose to wear glasses. After all, my real issues were reading the fine print on my airline tickets and seeing the monitors properly in the airport. And some issues with the computer screen. I would just wear them as I needed; I was still better off than I was prior to the RK.
My friend, once you start with glasses, it is like taking an addictive drug. You keep needing something just a bit stronger. What good vision I had left spiraled downward and I soon was in glasses all the time. The nature of RK made it risky, I was told, to attempt further corrective procedures. By then, I was a bit jaded about the idea of another procedure that would leave me with poor vision again at some point down the road. Intuitively, I believed that there had to be a way to get my perfect 20/15 back. One of the things that convinced me of that was my clear flashes. Every now and then, I would turn my head or shift my position and suddenly, I would have a brief moment of clear vision! If that was happening, I knew that my eyes were capable of seeing clearly. Then I discovered the world of Bates.
Let me now return to the subject of correcting vision using surgical or other procedures. Want my advice? DON’T!!! If you do, like me, you will be amazed at the clear vision you most likely will achieve. Keep in mind that there are risks, and you may be one of the few unfortunates for whom things don’t work out well. However, I’m not here to scare you out of doing it; I have heard of very few corrective procedures that turned out badly. With 100% percent surety, however, sooner or later, your vision problems will return. Why? Because you corrected the symptom, not the issue. As a martial artist and a yoga practitioner, you are familiar with exercising the power of your mind over your body. You can do so with your vision. If you want to learn more about the Bates Method, just google it and you’ll find a ton of information. If you do opt for the LASIK, still research NVI; it can keep you from slipping into Presbyopia or regressing back into myopia. But if you do elect for LASIK, then you will have to deal with the side effects, one of the worst and most common is how your eyes handle light glare at night. This can make night driving hellish; I say this because I experienced it. Regardless of the direction, you take, Godspeed in your search for perfect vision!
Yours sincerely,
Ron
