| A school teacher had observed over many years | | | | The main aim of the pupils is therefore not so |
| that most of her students became more or less | | | | much to gain useful knowledge, but to avoid |
| short-sighted (myopic) toward the end of the | | | | punishment and to please the teachers and the |
| term, so that they could hardly see the | | | | parents. Under such unnatural conditions children |
| blackboard. After she introduced short daily Bates | | | | tend to become unhappy, unruly or neurotic, and |
| exercises with the test card on the wall, all | | | | most of them develop visual defects. Their eyes |
| children maintained their good vision. In the | | | | malfunction because they do not enjoy what they |
| following eight years her classes practiced these | | | | see, they begin to reject and resent the teacher |
| exercises for a few minutes each day, and none | | | | and the school. Usually they become short-sighted |
| of her students became short-sighted at any time | | | | in a subconscious attempt to withdraw into their |
| during the term. But the school board and local | | | | own safe world. |
| opticians objected and claimed that the practice | | | | This habit then tends to stay with them for the |
| interfered with the school routine, and it was | | | | rest of their life. They have lost the natural |
| discontinued. | | | | eagerness to absorb fascinating useful knowledge |
| The method was developed by William H. Bates, a | | | | and to think creatively. They get into the habit of |
| New York eye doctor who also taught at several | | | | straining, tensing and staring, and they will pass |
| universities. (See website below). He discovered | | | | these habits on to their children. Many will resort |
| that most people first get visual defects in school. | | | | to legal or illegal drugs like Prozac, Valium, alcohol, |
| In most schools they are forced under threat of | | | | cannabis or cocaine to deaden the inner pain. |
| punishment to sit for hours each day, year after | | | | Others become food- or TV-addicts, or they |
| year, and memorize material that they find boring | | | | become workaholics. |
| or meaningless. | | | | Are we condemned to continue this vicious cycle? |