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Rating: 
Summary: Your eyes are important; it pays to keep them in shape!
Review: Despite all the emphasis today on healthy lifestyles and physical fitness, I can't recall seeing any other recent book that has advocated applying those same principles to a person's eyes. As Ms. Roy points out in "Eyerobics", the eyes contain muscles that need a good workout, too, in order to stay strong and limber. Many years ago, as a teenager, I struggled with the fact that I was nearsighted and had no choice but to wear the heavy "nerdy-looking" glasses that were available back in the 50's. I was intrigued when I found a paperback book that described a variety of exercises that one could perform in order to improve vision. The book seemed to be based on sound principles, but unfortunately, it treated eye exercises as if they were the "calisthentics" that were so popular in those days: something boring and uncomfortable that was "good for you". The book sat on a shelf for years, filled with good ideas that never became a reality. I eventually learned of the newly-available contact lens, and was able to take advantage of this wonderful development to shed my glasses for a while. However, at some point the discomfort of contact with smoke and dust overcame my vanity, and I decided that a pair of lightweight, wire-rim glasses was really not so bad. Now, as I approach the big "50", I have found that I have a new challenge, one that we all face eventually: the tendency to have difficulty with close work when wearing my regular glasses. I have tried using the latest version of "bi-focals", and I find a lot of disadvantages. I believe that with a little work, I can improve my close vision so that the single-vision lenses will be sufficient. I may decide at some point to undergo laser vision correction for cosmetic reasons, but I know that the close-vision issue will remain unless I develop healthy, flexible eye muscles. I have found "Eyerobics" to be a source of inspiration and a kind of "owner's manual for the eyes". The exercises are designed to fit into today's busy schedules, and seem to be more like an interesting little games than like "calisthentics". Marilyn Roy has brought some important eye-care issues to the attention of the general public in a readable, down-to-earth book. Perhaps it should be made into a "Dummies" book, because it deserves to be just as popular.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't let the Doctor's review fool you, it works
Review: If you're looking for a book with eye EXERCISES that was written by someone with curiosity who EXPERIMENTED and STUDIED at the same time to improve their vision, with advice that may help you, you've found it. I used to be in eye therapy at the Alderwood Vision Clinic in WA, I know these exercises work and I know that without daily exercises... your vision will tend towards what you mainly look at. I was nearsighted, then eventually didn't need glasses thanks to the vision therapy, then I played video games for 3 years as well as computer games and gradually got worse. The only exercise I miss from the book is "eccentric circles", I believe they have a version using squares. Looks kinda like
[ []] [[] ] and you have to make them look like one square or 3 squares by focusing in, then focusing away. (using a window helps). I believe the internet lacks resources for vision therapy... One more tip: Take your most nearsighted eye, and with your finger, pull the skin on the outer side back. It will make your vision blurrier, but focus it right and you'll get 20/20 vision or better temporarily. Took me some time... the theory behind it is that I have a muscle there that got used to focusing in, so I focused it out. There's also the factor of making the eye round again because muscle strain made it oval-shaped. Either way, it deals with your muscles... (also, think about what squinting does... relate it to the above). Unfortunately you do have to work for better vision. Remember to rest your eyes every now and then. But, doctor$ do exi$t and if you'd like to give them your ca$h you can always believe their "expert" review$, which I'm sure are more ba$ed on your benefit than their profit. Be careful. And do what works for you. This book is an excellent start, and much cheaper than eye therapy. I do believe it will correct your vision a noticeable amount within a year if you keep at it... might fix it totally within 2.
Rating: 
Summary: a physical approach
Review: The author presents vision improvement in a way that likens relaxed use of the eyes to other forms of fitness that keep the body, or various aspects of it, working smoothly and efficiently. The material isn't strictly the Bates Method, but it's basically in line with it, with some things added that some Bates teachers may not agree with. The book goes over why glasses are not the solution, then it gets into specific exercises that are to help refractive errors.
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