Books, Links, And Articles

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Papers By Robert LIchtman

Myopia As An Adaptation: A New Theory On The Etiology Of Myopia
This paper discusses my conception of myopia in the contesxt of the neurology of vision and the psychology of attention. Had the research I cite been available 100 years ago, Bates's work would have been much more easily understood by the scientific community.

Decisionmaking in the Contemporary Operating Environment 2 MB
This is a paper I wrote for the US Army concerning strategies for decisionmaking, concluding that instinctive decisions based on experience are often much better and quicker than carefully reasoned out decisions.

Books, articles, etc by others

Perfect Eyesight Without Glasses (size 2MB)
This is Dr. Bates's original, 1920 book. Some people find it very cryptic. The key to comprehending it is to take it very literally and do not add your own assumptions to it.

Use Your Own Eyes (size 5.1 MB)
This book is an excellent companion to, and is sometimes more easily comprehensible than, Dr. Bates's original book. It was written by Dr. W.B. MacCracken, MD. Dr. MacCracken worked with Dr. Bates personally.

Dr. Roberto Kaplan is one of the world's foremost behavioral optometrists. He is especially insightful on how psychology affects vision, and for those interested in the psychological links to limited eyesight, I recommend his books, The Power behind your Eyes and Seeing Without Glasses. Note that Dr. Kaplan's books are, at best, an adjunct to Dr. Bates's writings. Here is a link to an essay he has written about nearsightedness

The Neuro-Psychology Of Myopia (size 1.6 MB)
This is the most up to date discussion on the causes of myopia (nearsightedness) I have seen. It is written by Dr. Ray Gottlieb, OD PhD and is recommended for anyone who is either nearsighted, or just fascinated with how the human brain works.

A Psychological Approach to the Improvement of Myopia (size 17.6 MB)
This study by Carolyn Zeiger demonstrates a correlation between myopia and stress, and proposes myopia as a coping mechanism. Interestingly, becoming more and more myopic can create a greater sense of control. She also concludes, "Those people who showed appreciable improvements in acuity also showed a more positive appraisal of the world in general."

The Psychology Of Attention (size 2.7 MB)
The classic work on attention by Theodule Ribot, first published in 1890. This is the original translation and includes the third section not in the Margaret Corbett 1946 translation.

Visions Of Joy
This is a link to the website of Esther Joy van der Werf. In addition to teaching vision improvement on the West Coast of the USA, she teaches proper breathing techniques. Her site contains many useful links to other websites.

Central-Fixation.com
A wonderful site with reprints of Dr. Bates's books and magazines, all available for free. The site also has software that encourages good vision habits, such as"Swing Windows".

I-See.org
This web site maintains a fantastic database of downloadable books and articles about improving eyesight.

Snellen Eye Chart (size 47 KB)
You can download and print out this standard eye chart and test your own vision. It includes charts for near and far.

Eye Surgeon's Warning On LASIK
The American Academy of Ophthalmology says that very short-sighted people "should not have" LASIK eye surgery

10 Reasons Not To Get LASIK
An attorney outlines the risks and misconceptions about laser eye surgery.

FDA on LASIK
This is the Food and Drug Administration's official position on LASIK.

The Salisbury Eye Evaluation Project
Download the Journal of the American Medical Association study that showed a purported link between working outdoors and developing cataracts.

To have a link to an article posted on this page, please contact Robert Lichtman