In her own words

My eyesight was perfect when I was a child; but my vision changed at the age of 18 when I was in business college in The Netherlands, where I grew up.  When my parents noticed my excessive squinting as I tried to read TV subtitles, I had to have my eyes tested by an optometrist, who promptly prescribed a pair of glasses for nearsightedness.
I hoped these glasses would make me look more intelligent ...No such luck... 

I didn't particularly like wearing the glasses.  They made me feel like I was no longer part of the whole picture, instead they gave me the impression of being a mere observer of the world around me.  The glasses really seemed more of an obstacle than a help to me.  So I cunningly 'lost' them, to the dismay of my parents. In my mid-twenties I tried eye-exercises from a book about the Bates Method.  Alas, I did not have enough discipline to stick with the exercises for very long, and I did not notice any improvement.  So I got used to the blur and made do with this slightly deteriorated visual acuity for sixteen years.

Learning about health
My first introduction to holistic health came in 1991 when I read the book Fit for Life written by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond.  That led me to learn more about the science of health, especially the effect of diet on health.  Studying health was a proverbial 'eye-opening' experience for me, and it caused a major change of direction in my life.  In 1998 I decided to leave my well-paid NATO job in Germany and I began traveling, in search for something more healthful to do. 

In 1999 I attended a health expo in San Francisco, where I met Tom Quackenbush, author of Relearning to See.  I was very skeptical about natural vision improvement due to my previous failed attempt with eye exercises, but Tom told me the Bates Method was not about eye exercises at all.  His book intrigued me, and I wondered if by reading it I could perhaps keep my eyesight from getting worse.  If I could remain at my slightly blurry level of 20/50 vision, I reasoned, then I could avoid needing glasses for the rest of my life.  So, I invested in Tom's book, and threw it in the back of my van where it stayed with the rest of my belongings which accompanied me on my nomadic journey.

Improving my eyesight
It was several months later, during a 14 day water-only fast, when I finally took time to read Tom's book.  I was living in Costa Rica at that time, a country well known for its natural beauty.  To my amazement and delight this natural beauty increased as my eyesight improved by following the suggestions outlined in Relearning to See.  The abundant flowers became even more colorful than before, and my clarity improved to 20/20.  This happened within just two weeks. This method seemed to work!  And it really didn't involve any eye-exercises.  Wow.  Not only could I maintain my visual acuity, but I was actually able to improve it!  I was thrilled with my renewed vision.

My first student
These quick results caused me to ask my friend Ted to join me in an eyesight experiment.  Ted was much more nearsighted than I was; he used glasses a lot for seeing in the distance.  I challenged him to go without his glasses for a trial period of one week.  He hesitantly agreed, and I hid his glasses to make sure he wouldn't cheat.

We checked his current visual acuity with an eye-chart.  I was astonished that he could not even read the large top letter from 20 feet away.  So his vision was worse than 20/200 (or worse than 6/60 or 10% in European numbers).  Not letting that discourage us, we went through the book together, discussed its contents, and began to apply the newly learned natural vision habits on a daily basis.  We were both amazed with the improvements he made.  Four weeks after handing me his glasses, he was still not using them, not even missing them, he could read the top 4 lines of the eye-chart, and began to be able to read the 5th line (20/50 acuity).  In my enthusiasm I sent a "Thank you!" e-mail to Tom Quackenbush, at the same time expressing my interest in learning more about natural vision improvement.  A few months later I was enrolled in Tom's Teacher Training Program.

Further personal progress
During the Teacher Training Program (Summer of 2000) I discovered that my left eye was amblyopic, meaning that I favored my right eye for seeing.  My brain basically ignored the picture coming in through the left eye.  So I had some 'unlearning' to do, and the muscles around my eyes were at times sore as they slowly gave up the tension that I had held there for so long.

By the end of Tom's training my visual acuity had progressed to 20/15, better than average, and my mental approach to vision became much more relaxed.  A few years later, in the Summer of 2003, my left eye somehow 'woke up' and I was suddenly able to see depth.  I realized I had never before seen the 'spaces' between things of different distances the way most people see it.  This wonderful new 3-D vision was an enormous thrill to me! 

While teaching an eyesight class in October 2005 I checked my own distance acuity and was very happy to read the 20/10 line.  Another check in January 2006 confirmed it holding steady at 20/10.  I am delighted with my current eyesight, and look forward to improving even further.

Found my mission
As part of the teacher training I found some more friends who willingly let me practice my teaching skills on them.  Their improvements added to my enthusiasm for this work and I realized I had found my purpose in life.  I have been teaching natural eyesight improvement ever since my certification, and derive great pleasure from my new life's mission.

With love,
      Esther Joy van der Werf