Summary
Bates Method teacher Esther Joy van der Werf joins the Surviving Healthcare podcast to discuss how corrective lenses can worsen vision over time and how natural vision improvement through the Bates Method offers an alternative. Esther shares her personal story of going from 16 years of blurry vision to 20/20 in just two weeks after reading a book on the method, then testing it on her boyfriend who went from practically blind (minus 4) to near-passing the driver's test in one month. She explains how the Bates Method works through relaxation rather than exercises, and why conventional glasses create a cycle of increasing dependency by allowing strain without natural feedback.
Key Points
- Esther improved from 16 years of blurry vision to 20/20 in two weeks using the Bates Method
- Her boyfriend went from minus 4 (unable to see the eye chart) to 20/50 in just one month without glasses
- Corrective glasses allow continued eye strain without natural feedback, perpetuating the problem
- The Bates Method focuses on relaxation, not exercises; it addresses root causes rather than symptoms
- Vision can improve at any age as long as you are willing to do the work
- Stress and tension in the body and mind directly impact visual acuity
- Esther has been teaching the Bates Method for 24 years with consistent results
Key Moments
From 16 years of blur to 20/20 in two weeks
Esther shares how she achieved 20/20 vision in just two weeks after 16 years of blurry vision simply by reading a book on the Bates Method and applying its principles of relaxation.
"Even before that training, I had already improved my eyesight because of the book that the teacher had written. And I was in 20-20 vision in just two weeks after 16 years of blurry vision."
Testing the method on a highly myopic partner
Esther tested the Bates Method on her boyfriend who was minus 4 and practically blind without glasses. After one month without glasses, he improved to 20/50, just one line from passing the driver's test.
"So I kind of teased him into not using his glasses for one week. And he finally agreed to do that. And in that week at the beginning, I put him in front of an eye chart. He couldn't even see the chart. He was peering in the direction of it."
Why the Bates Method remains unknown after 100 years
Esther and the host discuss why natural vision improvement remains virtually unknown despite being simple and effective, with Esther expressing frustration that nobody told her about it during 16 years of unnecessary blurry vision.
"So when I did improve in just two weeks to 2020, I was delighted, but I was also angry. Like, why had nobody ever taught me about this? It was so simple to improve my eyesight."
