All participant stories are taken directly from the forum.
Always unedited, and uncensored. Of course I am going for the inspiring stories here, though you can browse the support forum to see every participant question, feedback, and review. No secrets here, and lots of interesting experiences.
Let’s Look At Some Of The Highlights:
Gabriel: From Panic Attacks To 20/20
“I read the 20/20 line today.”
“I rolled out of bed and looked at he clock. The black and red numbers looked particularly bright in the morning. After I shut my alarm off I made an observation. I”m seeing very well, I thought. And I wanted to know just how well so I hauled out the snellen chart and gave it a glance.
I decided to take it outside as it was a warm fall day with the sun shining on my back. I measured out twenty feet and wondered what I could see. Instantly, the 20/50 line jumped out at me. Then I spent ten minutes or so trying to bring the other lines into focus. Eventually I got down to 20/20. I wore glasses for 20 years and I just read 20/20 in about a month of vision recovery.
Contrast this to a few months ago when I misplaced my glasses. I was nearly blind, I thought. I stumbled around my house searching for my missing spectacles acutely aware of my impairment. I got distraught. After a few hours I started tearing up and having a panic attack which was only stopped by finding my glasses sitting on a chair I had looked over a dozen times or more but couldn’t see.
Now I’m rarely using glasses even though my vision isn’t truly 20/20. Indoors, it varies from 20/50 to 20/100 so I don’t think my myopia has been cured in a month. What has happened is that I’ve gained a lot of confidence going without my glasses for most of the day and this feeling of being able to function without them is great. First, the tension headaches that I used to get on a regular basis are gone. Now, when I use my reduced prescription for computer work It’s easy to become aware of the strain on my eyes. Second, is the knowledge that I can see a lot better than I thought I could. And without glasses it’s really seeing. Not seeing through a pair of binoculars strapped to my face.
I’m working on clearing the snellen indoors with reduced lighting. I want to clear the DMV chart which means I need to see 20/40 or better and focus a lot faster than I normally do and in less than optimal lighting. So I’m trying to hammer in good vision habits, limiting glasses and close up focus, going for an hour walk every and staring at the hills, the trees, and watching all the cars go by in my periphery. I try to work at the edge of blur for several hours a day and I’m always trying to figure out what this active focus thing is. I’ll get it, I’m sure.
The important thing is I can see and it’s wonderful.”
Find his full story here.
Liam: From -5.25 to 20/20:
“I joined the web program in July this year after already getting some small improvements on my own.”
“I had some good habits in placed mainly because of all the free content on this site + sites like gettingstronger.org and I wanted to see if the web program could accelerate my progress, plus fill in gaps in my knowledge.
I had learned about and tried the Bates method two years ago but that gave me zero improvements. It had me walking around with no glasses when I needed them. Also when your optician tells you flatout that it is impossible to improve your eyesight it’s hard to believe otherwise. If I wasn’t so stubborn I would have given up a while ago.
Anyway, in July 2012 I was wearing glasses with this prescription:
Left: -5.25, 0.50 CYL
Right: -5.00
26th January 2013 I had a free eye test at the opticians:
Left: -4.50
RIght: -4.75
15th June 2013 I did a snellen test on my own (this is before I started the web program):
With -2.50 glasses I could read the 13ft line from 10 ft away, indoors. (Sorry about the awkwardness of this result, knowing what I know now I could have been more thorough)
Today I can see the 20/40 line consistently outdoors with no glasses, and if I let it clear I can usually read the 20/20 line too.
My cm readings are hard to pinpoint. They vary from 65cm to 90cm. On good days when I am extra relaxed I can push it over 100cm. I do what Alex recommends in #61.
The only glasses I wear now are a +2 for close-up work.
If I had found out about this site and joined the web program right from the beginning I think my improvements would have been even quicker. But I am really grateful for even coming across this site and the vision improvement community. I think it’s a real shame that most people who wear glasses don’t know it’s possible to improve their eyesight.”
The whole story and forum thread are here.
Ruth Ann: First 30 Days Experiences
“I have been in the program 29 days now, and just wanted to share my experiences and observations.”
“I’m really happy I can already see progress these first four weeks. I’m enjoying my walks. There is a wind farm in the country where I live, and the windmills are set back from the road at least 500 feet, some more. There is a letter and number on the side of each one, which I could not read without my glasses when I began walking. One of them I even had to walk halfway up the gravel road closer to the windmill to read it. Now I can read them, even though they are blurry, with my right eye, but not the left eye. I noticed that with both eyes they are less blurry than with just the right eye, so the left eye must be contributing something, even though it is unreadable with the left eye alone.
I have also been keeping track of centimeter measurements.
Beginning of program,
August 9, morning, R 28 cm
L 17 cm
August 10, morning R 24 cm
L 15 cm
September 6, today, morning R 40 cm
L 18 cm
For the last four days, cm measurements for the R vary from 34-40 cm
L vary from 16-19 cm
My prescription is R -4.0, L -7.25. I got these glasses August 22.
August 23 I could read the Snellen with glasses at 20 feet:
R 20/15
L 20/25 blurry
Both 20/15 (missed one letter)
I checked the Snellen today, September 6: R 20/13 instant focus
L 20/20 blurry, slow focus
Both 20/13
So in two weeks I can read the next lower line, and can now just barely see 20/20 with my left eye. It was not correctable to 20/20 because of a cataract. So I am very happy to see this improvement.
Thanks, Alex, for this website.
Ruth Ann
Read the whole story and related forum thread here.
Samson: Recovering From High Myopia
“My name’s Samson and I’m 20 this year. It’s my first time posting here so I thought I’d share my experiences so far!”
“About 3 months ago, I had -7.75 diopters of myopia and -7 diopters in my right, according to the centimeter calculator. I stopped wearing my glasses about 3 years ago (it was -9 for my left and -8.5 for my right, probably insanely overpowered) after being introduced to the Bates method by a teacher of mine. It seemed to work for some time and my myopia decreased by about a diopter or so.
Not one to give up, I started googling for ways to reduce myopia. One day, by chance, I found the #endmyopia Method mentioned ever so fleetingly on someone’s blog! Rather intrigued, I began reading the articles on the site. They made sense to me, since they were all about changing habits instead of un-maintainable exercises. After getting a part-time job, I finally took the plunge and subscribed to the web program!
And week by week, my eyesight improved, just by following the instructions and suggestions in the installments! I’m now at -5.75 in my left eye and -5 in my right eye, and I’m still surprised I managed to drop 2 whole diopters in 3 months! Onward to 20/20!
And a big thank you to Alex for making his method available to so many through the internet!
See the full forum thread here, and the related blog topic discussing his case, here.
Kelly: Didn’t Start Out So Well
“It is wonderful to see all the posts of great progress but I am not one of them.”
“I am only doing the close up work currently so maybe I do need to buy lenses for long distance so I can do that work too?
Things I have been doing since the start of the programme (3 months ago).
My computer glasses do not feel like they have gotten stronger since the improvements in measurements.
In general, without glasses, I don’t feel there is any improvement in what I can see – guessing because I haven’t really made much improvement?
Is it time I started doing the distance focus work now and actually get a reduced normal prescription..I have been delaying this as tight on money for glasses since being ripped off by selectspecs (which could have been used for these)..but will try to find some if this is something I just to do now.
Any help in feeling like things are going right would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Kelly
Things came around, in a very encouraging way, about a month and a half later. Read the whole story here.
Neil: Ready to Remove the ‘Corrective Vision’ Restriction From his Drivers License:
“I’m amazed by how quickly my eyes have been improving over the past 15 days!”
“When I first started, I had just been (over-)prescribed at -2.00D/-1.75D after about a decade at -1.00D. I was wearing my minus lenses all day, even for close-up work (if only I had known then what I know now…).
On day 1 of the program I could clear 20/70 on my Snellen but not 20/50. I started wearing +0.5D glasses for close-up work.
Today, I cleared 20/25 on my Snellen for the first time! (This was mid-day, in natural light, after a long walk where I was practicing pulling focus; my vision still isn’t anywhere near this good at night, but that’s expected.) I’ve moved up to +1.25D glasses for close-up work, which puts the edge of blur at around 65 cm. I only put my minus glasses on now when I need to be able to read text on the TV or on a whiteboard or screen across the room at work.
I’m amazed that just making the following small changes has had such a drastic effect:
– wearing plus lenses for all close-up work
– 10 minutes of peripheral vision exercises each day (2×5 minutes)
– making an active effort to try to read distant signs when I’m out walking (walking is my primary mode of transportation so I do this for 1-2 hours/day)
I haven’t started adding more carrots to my diet yet, but I’ve now found a local source of organic vegetables so I’ll be starting that later this week.
The legal requirement for driving here is 20/50 binocular vision. At some point I’ll have to go swing by the licensing office and get them to remove the “corrective lenses required” restriction on my license, which will be a really exciting milestone. Right now I can’t be bothered standing in line for an hour just to get that changed, but it’s nice to know I should be able to pass the vision test now!
Thanks for all your work on writing down your program and making it available to us online, Dr. #endmyopia. After years of automatically believing what doctors told me about myopia being irreversible it’s really fun watching my vision improve. 
I’m looking forward to being 20/20 again someday!”
The full story here: http://www.frauenfeldclinic.com/myopia-forums/topic/day-15-progress/
Matthew: An Improvement Of 30% In Just 46 Days:
“Just received my normalized prescription contact lenses today (-3.00D; clean without any astigmatism correction). *Note: They simply arrived before my normalized glasses, so I popped them in and was so overwhelmed with joy that everything was still clear except the very, very far street signs (approximately 100m or further).”
“So of course I had to perform a quick Snellen test. Got home, went outside, measured 20ft, and made sure the noon sun was fully illuminating the chart.
At first, the best I could read was the 20/13 line. I pulled focus (was an amazing feeling) for about 5-10 minutes and was able to READ the 20/10 line!
Obviously this is very pleasing for me considering I was only able to read the 20/10 line with sunlight 46 days ago only with my full prescription (-4.00D, -0.50, 180; equivalent to -4.25 clean/no astigmatism).
*Note: Indoors is still a tiny, tiny bit blurry at distances but still seems very clear and much clearer than I was expecting.
My only real question for Dr. Alex is:
1) In certain cases, is it ever OK to progress 1/4 diopter sometime before the 4-6 week provided the passing of a Snellen test at a certain level? (say 20/10 in sunlight) If not, that’s fine, just curious. For now, I couldn’t be happier! Good luck to everyone else and I hope this was helpful.
Cheers,
Matthew
P.S. Perhaps the reason for my quick progress is my age and dedication level. I’m 28. Also, my motivation. I am EXTREMELY motivated and excited every day about this process. It means A LOT to me to get back to 20/20 without glasses as soon as possible (within reason of course; I want to do this right).”
Full Story: http://www.frauenfeldclinic.com/myopia-forums/topic/30-improvement-in-46-days/
Sara: Success With The Child Myopia Web Program:
“It’s been several weeks now that Zachary has been following you program. He has developed much better habits, better distancing, regular breaks, plenty of outdoor time and his +lenses for close up ( especially for computer use).”
“We have recorded his measurements morning and afternoon and are pleased to say that in the last 6 weeks he has gone from 90 cm to 226 cm!! He has gradually improved every day and hasn’t has a backward measurement for the last 4 weeks, it’s truly fantastic!! We cannot thank you enough
He is currently on the 20/25 line on the Snellen, not sure what diopter that is but must be certainly an improvement to his -1.
Out of interest if he continues with his habits and pushing will his eyes naturally recover to 20/20 or does he need to do anything else?
I’m also assuming that when his eyes fully recover it would still be worthwhile to use appropriate + lenses for close up work to prevent developing myopia in the future ?
We are so thankfull to have found you and cannot thank you enough for this wonderful website full of life changing material! It has totally transformed Zachary’s world, he frequently comments on how much more he sees daily! Only yesterday he returned to school after a weeks holiday and his first comments through the door were that the school looks different as now he can see the board from the back of the room pushing on blur….it’s wonderful news .”
Full story: http://www.frauenfeldclinic.com/myopia-forums/topic/massive-improvement/
Bruno: Progress Using the Web Program:
“My latest centimeter measurements are implying it is time for another prescription change. I’m at around 80 cm = -1.25 now (both eyes). My left eye seems to have improved lately so both eyes are around the same.”
“With my normalized prescription(L-1.25 and R -1.0) I lately felt like my left eye had sharper sight than my right. Today I could read 20/30 easily and half of 20/20 on my snellen. So I think it’s about time to drop down to -1.00 on both eyes. What do you think?
Btw thanks for the article on astigmatism. It is the first explanation that made actually sense to me.”
Full Story: http://courses.endmyopia.org/forums/topic/good-news/
Jordan: ‘Clear Flash’ While Using The Program:
“While practicing on the Snellen today I had a clear flash and could read the line of letters perfectly. It was a beautiful experience. It wasn’t a clear flash per se in the same way it would be if I were wearing lenses.”
“The best way I can describe it is it was like when I would wear contacts swimming, get a little water in my eye, look and see clear with a little bit of blur overtop. Does that analogy make sense? It was as if I had slight double vision with the clear letters underneath and the light blur floating on top. I tried to keep focusing on the clear letters rather than the blur. After blinking, I would lose it, but seemed to be able to get it back with conscious effort. Needless to say, I am very excited. Is there any way you can explain what is going on here and how best to maximize and quicken this phenomenon?
Thanks!”
Full Story: http://courses.endmyopia.org/forums/topic/clear-flash-while-using-the-snellen/
and this one: http://courses.endmyopia.org/forums/topic/belated-hello-my-story/
Jennifer’s optometrist visit:
“I’ve been following the program from the beginning, but I didn’t really have anything important to say until now. I’m one of the higher myopes in the program (I think). I started working on vision rehabilitation about six month ago.”
My original prescription (which had been stable for the last 10 years) was OD -6.5 -1.00×180 and OS -6.25 -.5×015. I just went for an eye exam on October 22 and the measurement there was OD -4.75 -0.75×180 and OS -4.75.
The other really great new was that my doctor was very intrigued by the positive change in my vision and was interested in more information on the subject of vision rehabilitation.
http://courses.endmyopia.org/forums/topic/optometrist-visit/
Jake: Playing With New Prescriptions
“I started at -4.00 (seven months now). Night and day from being so blind, to now having a total ball with rehab, improving, and playing with new glasses.”
Now -2.25 spherical, dropped astigmatism correction completely (Alex suggestion).
Full Story: http://courses.endmyopia.org/forums/topic/im-so-blue/
Cora: Reporting Improvements
“So, I’m excited to tell that I have improvements, I think! I’m the one lagging way behind, so this is very exciting as I had almost (but not quite) given up on my eyes.”
“My Snellen started out with a pretty solid 20/30 and 20/25, with no change during the day. A few days ago I tested again and found myself at an easy 20/20 and 20/15! And this morning I checked again and could make out 20/15 and 20/13. This however, was with a bit of straining to read, but I got the letters right after all. So: EXCITING! I have to test again this evening to see where I’m at then. 
I already have had some very light retinal detachment and thinning out, so every bit of relief for my retina is most welcome.
I do feel like it is uncomfortable reading with my full prescription contacts, but I felt that right away when I first could compare using reading glasses. I think at -7 point something that is probably just the case.
I’m liking this. ”
Full Story: http://courses.endmyopia.org/forums/topic/improvements/
Take a look through the forum for more stories, experience, progress reports, and dialog. Or to start your own eyesight health project, take a look at the Vision Improvement Course.
