# Is it possible to improve your eyesight naturally? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778 "2013-09-02T01:22:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/21 "2013-09-03T16:39:11Z")
You need to check again on lens replacement. It’s been available here for several years just for vision correction. I’m waiting for them to perfect the multi-focal lenses, as I’m already starting with presbyopia, but IIRC you’re way to young to worry about that. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/22 "2013-09-03T17:44:40Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > Contacts until then? What’s wrong with eyeglasses, seriously? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/23 "2013-09-03T17:47:39Z")
> [@redtail23](#): > > You need to check again on lens replacement. It’s been available here for several years just for vision correction. I’m waiting for them to perfect the multi-focal lenses, as I’m already starting with presbyopia, but IIRC you’re way to young to worry about that. Not really - I’ve had bifocals about 5 years now. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/24 "2013-09-06T19:02:58Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > What’s wrong with eyeglasses, seriously? Medically - absolutely nothing. I think opting for eye surgery is a personal thing. I had it after wearing contacts since about aged 12 - 30 odd years - and had to go back to specs as my eyes eventually had had enough of contacts. There was no permanent damage, just your eyes can eventually become sort of ‘allergic’ or some such. I wore contacts because of a violent incident when I was very young where a close family member ended up in hospital (my specs were knocked off in the incident). No long-term damage there either. I was just suggesting contacts as you’d had a few consultations about surgery and were knocked back. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/25 "2013-09-06T22:55:56Z")
Frankly, I’ve always viewed contacts as a bother and a risk of infection. Between my allergy meds tending to dry out my eyes, itchy eyes from allergies, and working in a high-dust environment I’m not sure contacts are a good choice for me. Don’t get me wrong - I think the more alternatives the better. It’s just that so far glasses still seem to be the best fit for me. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/26 "2013-09-07T00:17:00Z")
There’s [Orthokeratology](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthokeratology), the use of contact lenses to reshape the eye. Bausch & Lomb call it [Vision Shaping Treatment](http://www.bausch.com/en/Our-Products/Contact-Lenses/Vision-Shaping-Treatment). The contacts are worn overnight, not during the day (possibly except for an initial period of a few days). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/28 "2013-10-16T17:57:44Z")
> [@mosse](#): > > Check this website for more: [eyesightrestore.net](http://eyesightrestore.net) Looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, guess what? It is [eyesight quackery](http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/eyequack.html). [sub]yes, yes, **Trinopus** already linked to the debunking site, but it bears repeating…[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/29 "2013-10-16T20:25:27Z")
It’s like playing Whack-a-Mole. They keep popping up… ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/31 "2014-02-06T15:14:47Z")
[QUOTE=elfenome] There is one thing you should know, opticians are trained to believe that eyesight improvement is impossible, so very few of them have tried it. So, if they have not tried it before, why they are sure that it does not work?. [/quote] Because it doesn’t work for those who do try it. > [@](#): > > In fact, ophthalmology industry does not encourage natural eyesight improvement, because its profits come from selling glasses and drugs. Responsible ophthalmologists don’t encourage this kind of thing because it doesn’t work. If it did, they could make a profit from selling it, just as physical therapists make a profit from doing physical therapy. Saying that ophthalmologists don’t push non-drug therapies because they don’t make a profit is like saying cardiologists don’t push diet and exercise because they make a profit from drugs and surgery. > [@](#): > > Nowadays, there are also many eye doctors, vision scientists work to help you to improve vision. They are known as behavioral optometrists or functional optometrists. I suggest a very famous doctor: Dr Jacob Liberman, OD, PhD. He is the inventor of the Color Receptivity Trainer, Spectral Receptivity System and EYEPORT Vision Training System, the first FDA-cleared medical device that significantly improves visual performance. Think about it, if his work was SCAM, he would lose his medical license. Is this the same Jacob Liberman who claims you don’t have to eat if you stare at the sun? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/32 "2014-02-06T20:40:56Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Because it doesn’t work for those who do try it. > Responsible ophthalmologists don’t encourage this kind of thing because it doesn’t work. If it did, they could make a profit from selling it, just as physical therapists make a profit from doing physical therapy. Saying that ophthalmologists don’t push non-drug therapies because they don’t make a profit is like saying cardiologists don’t push diet and exercise because they make a profit from drugs and surgery. > Is this the same Jacob Liberman who claims you don’t have to eat if you stare at the sun? > > Regards, > Shodan I started to respond to elfenome this morning, but on preview I noticed his(her?) post had been disappeared (along with, apparently, the user). As a former but longtime optician who worked for optometrists and later in the same building as (but not for) ophthalmologists I would add that most OMDs don’t sell glasses or drugs, they only prescribe. One ophthalmologist I knew told me he wished it did work, because he could make a killing if it did. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/34 "2014-02-06T20:55:41Z")
The single biggest improvement you can make is … If your eyes be closed, open them up! j/k 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/35 "2014-02-06T21:11:56Z")
My dad was entusiastic about Aldous Huxley (yes , the famous writer) book on eye improvement. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/36 "2014-02-06T22:34:39Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > I started to respond to elfenome this morning, but on preview I noticed his(her?) post had been disappeared (along with, apparently, the user). [Moderator Note] Yes, **elfenome** was banned as a spammer. I guess **Shodan** had already quoted him before he and his post were vaporized. Colibri ---
**Author:** ![berkxz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9de0a6/32.png) [@berkxz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berkxz)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/37 "2014-04-12T05:56:57Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > Get LASIK! Everything after that is in HD vision and your eyesight will probably be better than 20/20. I dissagree with this, lasik surgery oftens cost thousands of dollars and the risk to consume more and totally ruin your eyesight. Look for ms kathy griffin’s video testimonial on how lasik surgery ruin her eyesight. I suggest you get a program on \How To Improve Eyesight Naturally\. The legit one! ---
**Author:** ![berkxz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9de0a6/32.png) [@berkxz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berkxz)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/38 "2014-04-12T06:07:23Z")
Btw i found this testimonial a minute ago, and i think this should be shared so that will have a better understanding on > [@JustinC](#): > > Get LASIK! Everything after that is in HD vision and your eyesight will probably be better than 20/20. \ **Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/39 "2014-04-12T07:11:45Z") Spam reported. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/42 "2014-04-13T15:01:12Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > My dad was entusiastic about Aldous Huxley (yes , the famous writer) book on eye improvement. My father also believes exercises helped him. But he wears glasses to drive, as legally required. The scientific studies say the exercises doesn’t work, and I already pointed out what one state driver’s test shows. Here’s another piece of anecdotal evidence, pulled from Wikipedia’s [Huxley biography:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldous_Huxley) > [@](#): > > . . . some ten years after publication of The Art of Seeing, in 1952, Bennett Cerf was present when Huxley spoke at a Hollywood banquet, wearing no glasses and apparently reading his paper from the lectern without difficulty: “Then suddenly he faltered—and the disturbing truth became obvious. He wasn’t reading his address at all. He had learned it by heart. To refresh his memory he brought the paper closer and closer to his eyes. When it was only an inch or so away he still couldn’t read it, and had to fish for a magnifying glass in his pocket to make the typing visible to him. It was an agonising moment.” I truthfully tell my Dad that I like glasses, because I feel they protect my eyes from flying irritants. ---
**Author:** ![MycroftHolmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbce88/32.png) [@MycroftHolmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MycroftHolmes)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/43 "2014-05-09T19:39:12Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > The optometrists are right. If you don’t trust them, ask an ophthalmologist\*. Chances are they’ll not only go into great detail about how it’s all quackery, they’ll provide all the pertinent references so you can check them yourself. There actually are optometrists who say otherwise, mainly behavioral optometrists. I talked to one who said that it is indeed possible to reverse nearsightedness, but only to a limited extent. Once it becomes “embedded”, he said, it’s too late. He said that the most that one could hope to reverse would be about 2 diopters. However, another optometrist [reported](http://www.oepf.org/sites/default/files/journals/jbo-volume-5-issue-5/5-5%20Orfield.pdf) having reversed her own nearsightedness by 3.5 diopters. She says it took her seven years, which gives us an idea of the practical problems of applying such methods. ---
**Author:** ![MycroftHolmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbce88/32.png) [@MycroftHolmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MycroftHolmes)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/44 "2014-05-09T21:22:43Z")
Regarding Huxley, that Bennett Cerf quote makes it sound as though Huxley was committing fraud, acting as if he was reading something which he actually had memorized. Absent another witness to clarify this, it seems more likely that Huxley had made notes for himself, and then couldn’t read them when he tried to refer to them. Huxley had scarred corneas, and did not claim to have gotten his eyesight back to normal or even close, only to have improved from where he was. ---
**Author:** ![MycroftHolmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbce88/32.png) [@MycroftHolmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MycroftHolmes)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778/45 "2014-05-10T20:22:11Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > The “Bates Method” is an old scam, and it pops up every so often, even today. I knew someone at my old workplace who peddled the scam. She made videos, and got herself interviewed by ignorant local news stations, and made a shit-load of claims that were all outright lies. She was in it for the money. My opinion is that she belonged in jail… How did this turn out? Did she get shut down? Or is she still doing this, as far as you know? It’s a bit unfair to always associate vision improvement with Bates. He was one man, who died 83 years ago. He could have been right on some things and wrong on others. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-improve-your-eyesight-naturally/667778.md?page=3)