Been wearing the same normalized glasses forever, getting no more 20/20 gains?  Well darling … you’re most likely hanging out on a plateau.

Let’s discuss.

There must be a million posts by now, discussing plateaus (tip:  Google “endmyopia plateau” and similar keywords to find posts).  

Here’s a new one from the support forum, starting with the case:

I signed up over 6 months ago and have been wearing my normalized since June. I had already been wearing a pair of differentials for a while for reading as I had tried the Bates Method. I feel like I have made no progress. My vision on most days is quite clear wearing .50 diopters less than my doctor prescribed, but I don’t feel like it has gotten clear enough that I can drop the numbers any lower yet. I can’t imagine going back to my old prescription, though. I haven’t found an instance where I felt like I couldn’t see what I needed to see. It’s just not total clarity, especially after dark or in a dark parking garage. I see 20/30 clearly on the eye chart and can make out 20/25. I don’t seem to improve on the cm measurements.

I read for an hour or so in the mornings, occasionally do computer work (mostly to pay bills), and read a bit before bed, so I’m still not doing a ton of close up work. When I do read I try to practice active focus, but I can’t say that I’ve ever experienced the letters getting any clearer.

Please advise. I truly want and believe that this can work. I’ve just been a little frustrated and doubtful here lately.

Happens plenty.  Here are the ancient scrolls of wisdom, explaining what to do:

The principles for reducing negative refractive state are quite simple. Manage strain, create stimulus.

We can rule out strain / ciliary spasm since you’re not doing a whole lot of close-up. So that leaves the stimulus part. And this isn’t entirely an uncommon problem. At some point if we have the same correction for long enough, we’re habituated and we’re just not getting the stimulus necessary for change.

Easy fix, though! ?

Get the next lower 0.25 normalized. You didn’t mention any numbers so I can help there, but most likely just a simple 1/4 spherical reduction will do the trick.

Depending on current total diopters, if you’re low to average myopia, start with a no-glasses walk in a familiar environment (being safe, of course). Then whenever the blur gets uncomfortable, put on the reduced normalized. Of course don’t wear the previous normalized before, for this experiment. Continue the walk. Take this opportunity to practice active focus reading as many challenging signs as possible.

You have to take advantage of the perceived difference in blur and clarity to challenge your vision.

See zero diopter reset here: http://backto2020.endmyopia.org/myopia-forums/topic/how-to-best-reduce-normalized-the-guru-way/

Remember that almost nothing will happen without stimulus, challenging your distance vision. You do need at least an hour a day (which I think you easily get with your habits) and a good habit of looking up, around, and reading text that presents a challenge. Not as an exercise, but a habit – something you end up doing reflexively after a while.

Get out of the habituated blur with the lower normalized, but then be sure to *use* them for stimulus (otherwise the same habituation will just happen again).

Then go back to the previous normalized if/when that gets definitely too challenging or uncomfortable. Especially for driving or in less light. Again here, important to use the perceived difference in clarity to practice active focus.

That’s the key. Imagine going to the gym, spending an hour inside, but not stepping on a treadmill or lifting any weights. The lenses are the gym, challenging focus is the workout. 

Helpful?  Let’s hope so!

And if you’re wondering, above is from the BackTo20/20 support forum – pretty much the only place the old and last of the living eye gurus does case specific support.  People often ask about ‘free trials’ and discounts and such whatnots.  My answer always is the same – everything here is free, except a guru’s time for individual, case specific questions.  

Now go get off that plateau, back to making some 20/20 gains!

Cheers,

-Jake