I'll quickly chime in here, so anybody who's interested can PM me.
I started wearing glasses in 6th grade, most likely due to the fact I would stay on the computer late at night fairly often. By the time I hit high school, was vision was -2.25 in both eyes, and about 20/140 on the Snellen. Knowing that I could not get into the military rating I was interested in, I vowed I would find a way to correct my vision without glasses, contacts, or laser eye surgery. After some fumbling around for awhile, I eventually came across the Bates' Method. In about 6 months of hard, dedicated practice, I brought my uncorrected vision down from -2.25, to -1.25 in both eyes, and about 20/90 on the Snellen. I qualified for my rating, and I've been consistently performing the practice when I can. If I'm not too busy for the week, and can practice a lot, I've had my vision get as good as a consistent 20/35, with clear flashes coming and going at times of 20/20 or better. On the other hand, if I don't practice (which is mostly relaxation techniques for the eyes and mind), I can feel the strain in my eyes, and my vision will deteriorate again, but usually not worse than 20/50. My sister, who started wearing glasses the same time as me, has never tried the method. Me and her were pretty much the same diopter, same bad vision for the few years I've worn glasses. Now she's up at 20/400, and I have no doubts I would be up there as well had I not been dedicated to making this thing work.
Now, I'm a skeptical person myself, and the Bates' Method is constantly under attack by the vision industry, but it works for me, and it's worked for others. Some have improved their diopter from upwards of -11! A lot of us have experienced clear flashes, and for some people who finally found the source of their stress, and corrected it, have had a clear flash that hasn't gone away. One of those guys used to be a frequent poster on the forum I visit, and his story is truly remarkable. IIRC he started at approx. 20/200, got stuck around the same area I'm in now, but kept his intensity in his techniques, and one day as he was driving home he had a clear flash that has never gone away. At the time he was 20/25 permanently, but still didn't drop the techniques, and instead thought how much more he could benefit from practice. Over the next year, his vision has improved from 20/25, to 20/15.
Stories like his are rare, and there's only been a handful of people who have completely cleared their vision problems. Most people do see a lot of success with the techniques, but most will struggle with the last hurdle (20/80 or better down to 20/20). People can criticize the method, or me for using the method. However I've found success with it, and regardless of the fact my vision isn't perfect, the only times I need to wear glasses is when required by law.
If anybody is interested, please PM me. There is no cost to the Bates' method, although a lot of websites offering "kits" are using his name to rip people off. I have a link to some great sites, along with a friendly forum where people can discuss techniques, and what has and has not worked for them.
