Common Vision Conditions

Nearsightedness

Seeing clearly up close, but blurry in the distance (a.k.a. Myopia or Shortsightedness).

The distance might start at 4 inches! Your “good sight” is in the near range. If you can read a book without glasses or contacts, but you need to hold it right up close to your face, that’s nearsighted. If you can read at normal reading distance (6 – 16 inches) but signs across the street are a little out of focus, that is also nearsighted.

Farsightedness

Seeing clearly in the distance, but blurry up close (a.k.a Hyperopia or Hypermetropia).

If you are the first in the car to be able to read the approaching street signs, but you're having trouble reading the speedometer numbers, that's farsighted. If you can see the rings of Saturn, but it's getting more difficult to thread a needle, that is also farsighted.

Presbyopia

Farsightedness that can occur in middle age.

Used to be called “Old Age Sight” but we are living longer. Often shows up in early 40’s. Also known as “Short-arm-itis”. [If you need to back out of a phone booth to read the phone book (WAIT! We don’t do that anymore!) 😉 ] Menus in dark restaurants can be especially challenging.

Astigmatism

Things might appear stretched, distorted or blurred at any distance.

A distortion in the vision that can occur at different distances, either eye, and different directions. One eye might see a traffic sign as square; the other eye sees it as a rectangle. Can also be stretched diagonally.

Amblyopia

One eye switches “off” for various reasons (a.k.a Lazy Eye).

This can be caused by several things, commonly caused by one eye turning in or out, maybe not enough to be seen by others, but enough for the brain to notice that the images from each eye can’t be merged into one, (convergence, or fusion) and so switches one off.

One vision teacher explained it this way: “I had no depth perception in middle school. Softball was terrible – In the outfield, I would run forward to catch the ball and it would sail over my head. But I could play soccer, the ball is bigger, lower to the ground and in amongst the other players”.

Strabismus

Eyes that don’t focus on the same thing at the same time.

Esophoria (also known as Cross Eyed): one or both eyes turn inward toward the nose.

Exophoria (also known as Wall Eyed): one or both eyes turn outward, “toward the walls”.

Cataracts

Blurry vision caused by opacities in the lens.

These usually develop slowly over time, and affect night vision and driving. Headlights and streetlights appear to have halos or big streaks. It might seem like the eye is filmy, or that there is fog or clouds, even in a room. Typically occurs in folks 60 years or older. One vision instructor told a story “I had a student who was 32 with a cataract. Very unusual. I asked him if any major stress happened in his life about the time it showed up and he replied ‘My sister was killed in a car accident’. So I looked up cataracts in Louise Hay’s book and it said “Inability to see ahead with joy”. Yes, this man was devastated that his beloved sister had passed. I could even see the cataract (as a white spot) in his pupil. But, as he learned to relax his vision and acknowledge the emotions, the white spot moved around and then disappeared!”

Glaucoma

Elevated pressure inside the eyeball

This can be caused by different factors and is defined as a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, the health of which is vital for good vision. This damage is often caused by an abnormally high pressure in your eye. Glaucoma can be difficult to detect without a regular eye exam until a significant amount of vision is lost. The reason it is so dangerous is that most people with glaucoma have no symptoms. Many have no pain or noticeable change in vision. Most vision lost to Glaucoma occurs before diagnosis. If left untreated, it can cause loss of peripheral vision and blindness.

Other

The Bates Method can help with many other eyesight conditions as well, including...

• Blepharitis
• Computer vision syndrome
• Convergence insufficiency
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Dry eyes
• Dry and wet macular degeneration
• Floaters
• Keratoconus
• Light sensitivity
• Night vision loss
• Nystagmus
• Ocular migraine
• Optic nerve atrophy
• Retinal detachment
• Retinitis pigmentosa
• Uveitis
• ...and more!