Better Eyesight: The Complete Magazines of William H. Bates

William Bates was a scientist, researcher, visionary, and a rebel. In his magazines are presented a multitude of case histories about his patients. We get to hear the stories of a wide variety of individuals, their temperaments, and what techniques worked for them. The style is dated, but the essence of his teachings are timeless. An invaluable resource in your 'vision' library. It's large, but can be digested in bite size articles. A wonderful collection.

I am amazed by how much this book has helped me. Bates' principles really do work! I have only been reading the book for about a month, yet my eyesight is improving. I can't wait until my next eye appointment so I can surprise my ophthamologist (who gave me stronger glasses at my last eye exam -- they are now too strong for me to wear!).

This book is an important addition to Better Eyesight Without Glasses and Relearning to See.

This books is more easier to understand then the other book by Thomas Quackenbush. This book is more practical in that it explains the principles of better eyesight and how to improve on it. The Relearning to See book is great but it's more of a scientific academic fact kind of book. This book is more motivating as it gives case studies and proof that the method works. You can't get this priceless information anywhere else. It is my opinion that this book is the best book out there on natural improvements of eyesight. If you have only one book to choose for eyesight. Get this one. It's a legend in it's own right.

In his introduction the author refers to the contents of the Better Eyesight magazines as a treasure chest. Actually this compilation is priceless! It is chock-full of absorbing information ---articles by Dr. Bates, case studies and many testimonials from people of all ages and all walks of life --- covering supposedly irreversible conditions such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, cataracts, glaucoma and many more. If you are not amazed by what you read in at least one case history, then you'd better have someone check you for a pulse. The book also confirms that Dr. Bates' teachings had nothing to do with eye aerobics and everything to do with relearning how to RELAX the mind and the eyes for better vision and improved overall health.Even though I'm not a novice at natural vision improvement (see Relearning to See review), this book has greatly inspired me. The moment I began reading Better Eyesight, it was like stepping back in time to get personal advice from Dr. Bates in his clinic. It was also uncanny to read many unique observations so similar to my eye re-education experiences. I'm on the homeward stretch of my 20/20 goal (or keener!) and Better Eyesight has bolstered my motivation. It's helped remind me to quickly recognize and correct myself when I lapse into poor vision habits and my progress has surged.Dr. Bates humbly stated that he had no external cure to improve eyesight. It was nature's way of healing and he cited cases where people improved their vision with no knowledge of his teachings. (I know of two adults who hated their prescribed glasses as kids, quit wearing them, and their sight returned to normal.) However Dr. Bates found that most people, especially those who'd worn lenses for any length of time, needed to relearn the relaxed use of their eyes to have any chance of reversing locked-in strain and blur.Dr. Bates appeared to have high scientific principles, yet knew the limitations of science and the dangers of submissive adherence to authoritative dogma. He once believed the orthodox teachings and it took him many years to reconcile their errors to his satisfaction. His findings were well documented and published in the medical journals and scientific literature of the day and apparently went unchallenged. Instead Dr. Bates was ostracized and ridiculed in such a bigoted and arrogant manner. He seemed to take it all in stride with a sense of humor by interspersing his wit in many articles squarely aimed at the nay-sayers.Better Eyesight also gives glimpses of Dr. Bates beyond the eye clinic. His ethics, values and philosophy towards industrialization, mass-education and modern medicine closely parallel views of more contemporary social critics such as author Ivan Illich. In Limits to Medicine --- Medical Nemesis, Illich provides a definition from a medical dictionary of iatrogenic conditions or disorders. In essence, they are those caused by medical intervention. Progressive myopia has to