Normalized Prescription (Part II)

Hi, [s2Get user_field=”first_name” /]. Time to look at some more getting-ready for normalized.

As you know by now, stimulus is everything. The way you control stimulus, is by controlling the diopter bubble. How far do you need to see clearly? At what distance do you want to introduce a little bit of blur?

Adding to the challenge is the fact that your vision changes, depending on your environment.

If it’s brighter, your bubble grows. Indoor lighting, bubble shrinks. Stress, lack of sleep, too much close-up, smaller bubble. The trick is to find the right normalized for the average bubble, and for your own individual preference.

You might spend a lot of time on the subway, and indoors even for distance vision. Maybe you live in Hong Kong, and that’s just how “outdoor” can be a lot of the time.

Or maybe you live in a small town and your outdoor doesn’t get that much opportunity to focus on nearby street signs and billboard ads.

In general though, and just to keep ourselves from paralysis-by-analysis, the indoor, naturally lit 20/30 is a good starting point. I suggest this based on over a decade of experience. Knowing what is going on, and then opting to keep it simple. That’s how you get the best, most consistent progress.

Here’s a few things to mull over, while you wait on your normalized prescription.

(Future) Action Items

Don’t go from wearing your current full prescription, to normalized, in the same day (on the first day).

Your brain plays a huge role in vision. You don’t want your visual cortex first impression to be, “this sucks”.

So, don’t grab your new normalized and just put it on.

Rather, you want to get ready for it, the way you would for Christmas. Or a fine wine. Or desert. Get yourself ready in your mind, first.

And ideally start on a relaxing part of your week. Weekend morning, if that’s your schedule. Start the day with the usual no glasses. Then do a little close-up, with no glasses. Do some active focus. Everything to start off the experience with challenge, and blur.

Then go outside. No glasses for 10-20 minutes. (be safe, high myopes!)

Become aware of your peripheral vision. Relax a bit. If you’re into meditation, find a comfortable place to sit, stare off into the distance.

Visual cortex. Perception is reality. Prime it correctly.

Nobody else will tell you this. Because nobody knows. I know you’re possibly tired of my ranting about the Internet, and optometrists, the lens-therapy monkeys, and all the rest of the nonsense out there. Seriously though … so many people go for all that and then give up, never to discover a strategy that could actually save their eyes.

Prep is key, is what I’m saying.

Try to find a sign outside, one that you could probably read with 20/30 vision. Correct distance. Now finally, put on those new normalized.

BAM. Appreciate the clarity they provide. From a morning of blur and challenge, to almost 20/20.

This is what you want. A through-and-through positive experience for your visual cortex. That part of your brain, incredibly sophisticated as it is, is about as accessible to you as would be a small child. You can’t reason with the visual cortex. You can’t make logical arguments. Just like you would a small child, you have to connect to it with the right actions.

From blur, to clear vision. That’s the way it works.

And this simple morning of mindfulness will save you from having a less than amazing first experience with normalized. When you read about people quitting, or studies where reduced lenses don’t work, now you are starting to see why.

You have to work with your brain first, and your eyes second. Always create a positive experience.