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Sleep & Vision
Sleep & Vision
I was tired today and took a good afternoon nap. Consequently I could read
clearly the text on my TV screen, which normally I have to lean forward in
order to see. It's not the first time I have noticed the connection between
my vision and the amount of sleep I get. Is this a known phnomenon? My
feeling is that it's related to the eye muscle which function better after
rest and more sleep. Is that so? Can anubody comment on this?
--
MsBrainy
Message posted via * w w w .medkb . com
I was tired today and took a good afternoon nap. Consequently I could read
clearly the text on my TV screen, which normally I have to lean forward in
order to see. It's not the first time I have noticed the connection between
my vision and the amount of sleep I get. Is this a known phnomenon? My
feeling is that it's related to the eye muscle which function better after
rest and more sleep. Is that so? Can anubody comment on this?
--
MsBrainy
Message posted via * w w w .medkb . com
Re: Sleep & Vision
Hi MsBrainy, you're right. Sleep is a form of rest, and anything that
rests the eyes and mind will improve the vision. What you are noticing
is a known and common phenomenon, and I experience the same thing
(although personally, I never take naps, I only sleep at night), where
my vision is often crystal clear in the morning. For some reason the
doctors have chosen to ignore this hugely significant fact that rest
improves the sight - why, I don't know. But if they only acknowledged
this and took advantage of it, finding others ways to obtain rest (as
Bates himself did) they would surely make rapid progress in the
finding of a cure.
For some people on the other hand, sleep is more a strain to them than
it is a rest, so they will find their vision is worse after sleeping.
In other words, sleep is an unfavourable condition of the mind.
However all unfavourable conditions can be switched into optimums,
favourable ones, so that they cease to be a strain and become a rest.
If you suffer from restless nights, I would advise that you: 1. Learn
to sleep on your back. 2. Perform the long swing 50 times before
retiring. 3. Buy yourself an LED light, pick up some fine print and
read it with the LED as your only light source. 4. Keep that pendulum-
like motion up, whether it's physically or mentally. 5. Learn to
remember a period at night. If you can do all 5 of these things at
bedtime, a deep sleep will overcome you before you know it. Anyone
suffering from insomnia should try.
If you are interested in finding out more about how rest can improve
the sight, just read the Bates literature. In fact, the fundamental
principle of the cure of imperfect sight is rest.
As for the eye muscles functioning better after rest, yes that's a
truth.
Hi MsBrainy, you're right. Sleep is a form of rest, and anything that
rests the eyes and mind will improve the vision. What you are noticing
is a known and common phenomenon, and I experience the same thing
(although personally, I never take naps, I only sleep at night), where
my vision is often crystal clear in the morning. For some reason the
doctors have chosen to ignore this hugely significant fact that rest
improves the sight - why, I don't know. But if they only acknowledged
this and took advantage of it, finding others ways to obtain rest (as
Bates himself did) they would surely make rapid progress in the
finding of a cure.
For some people on the other hand, sleep is more a strain to them than
it is a rest, so they will find their vision is worse after sleeping.
In other words, sleep is an unfavourable condition of the mind.
However all unfavourable conditions can be switched into optimums,
favourable ones, so that they cease to be a strain and become a rest.
If you suffer from restless nights, I would advise that you: 1. Learn
to sleep on your back. 2. Perform the long swing 50 times before
retiring. 3. Buy yourself an LED light, pick up some fine print and
read it with the LED as your only light source. 4. Keep that pendulum-
like motion up, whether it's physically or mentally. 5. Learn to
remember a period at night. If you can do all 5 of these things at
bedtime, a deep sleep will overcome you before you know it. Anyone
suffering from insomnia should try.
If you are interested in finding out more about how rest can improve
the sight, just read the Bates literature. In fact, the fundamental
principle of the cure of imperfect sight is rest.
As for the eye muscles functioning better after rest, yes that's a
truth.
Re: Sleep & Vision
Here's some passages regarding the topic of sleep from the Better
Eyesight Magazine:
[...Question - If closing and resting the eyes is beneficial why won't
sleep cure defective vision?
Answer - Sleep is hard on the eyes because most people strain their
eyes more when they are asleep than when they are awake...]
- June, 1924
[...Q. Better Eyesight advises sleeping on the back. Will you kindly
give me explicit directions as to how to do this?
A. In lying on your back the arms should be parallel with the body and
the lower limbs completely extended. The height of the pillow is
immaterial. The head may or may not be turned to one side. It is a
good thing to go to sleep swinging or palming...]
- November, 1921
[...There was some discussion about eye strain during sleep. Many
people suffer very much from headache and imperfect sight on first
rising in the morning and the symptoms may continue for several hours.
A gentleman present related his experience. He obtained much benefit
by rising at 4 a.m. with the aid of an alarm clock, when he would
practise the "Long Swing" until relieved. He would then retire, sleep
the rest of the night and on rising find the eye strain much less or
absent altogether...]
- December, 1922
[...During sleep the refractive condition of the eye is rarely, if
ever, normal. Persons whose refraction is normal when they are awake
will produce myopia, hypermetropia and astigmatism when they are
asleep, or, if they have errors of refraction when they are awake,
they will be Increased during sleep. This is why people waken in the
morning with eyes more tired than at any other time, or even with
severe headaches. When the subject is under ether or chloroform. or
unconscious from any other cause, errors of refraction are also
produced or increased...]
- The Variability of the Refraction of the Eye, January 1920
[...Eyestrain During Sleep
Many people complain that when they awaken in the morning, they are
suffering from pain in their eyes or head. They often feel as weary as
though they had been working hard all night long. Many of them do not
recover from the pain and fatigue until after they have been up for an
hour or longer. Their vision also may be found to be reduced to a very
considerable degree. Some complain that they see illusions which are
occasionally very slow in disappearing. One patient complained that
the tiled floor of a bath room had a very strange appearance; although
the tiles were white, to him they appeared blue and red alternately. A
feeling of strain was always present and did not subside until the
illusion had disappeared. It seemed as though the eyes were under a
strain during sleep, because when the eyes were examined with the
ophthalmoscope while the patient was asleep, a strain could readily be
observed.
Sometimes, as in the case of many children, other parts of the body
may be under a strain during sleep. By an unconscious effort, the
muscles of the face, arms and limbs may be distorted as may be muscles
of different parts of the eyeball. In some cases, the strain produces
accommodation or myopia, while in other cases, hypermetropia or
astigmatism are produced by this unconscious effort. These eyes
frequently were found to be normal during the day.
The treatment to prevent eyestrain during sleep is not always
successful. Some patients obtain most relief by practicing the long
swing one hundred times or more just before retiring and the same
number of times in the morning immediately after awakening. Other
patients find that palming for twenty minutes before retiring is a
help, and frequently the palms are left in place with benefit after
the patients have lost consciousness...]
- January, 1928
[...Sleepiness and Eyestrain, By W. H. Bates, M.D.
How much sleep is necessary to maintain health? This is a question
which has never been satisfactorily answered. Theoretically, mental or
physical work should increase the need for sleep, but it is a matter
of common knowledge that many inactive persons seem to need just as
much sleep as those who work, or even more.
Much time has been devoted to the investigation of the symptoms of
fatigue. Analyses have been made of the blood of fatigued subjects;
the action of the muscles. nerves and brain, the changes in the
structure of the cells, under the influence of fatigue, the changes
following sleep, have all been carefully studied. But so far very
little light has been thrown upon the nature of either fatigue or
sleep.
This is a fact, however: that eyestrain has always been demonstrated
when fatigue was present, and that fatigue has always been relieved
when eyestrain was relieved. Perfect sight is perfect rest, and cannot
coexist with fatigue. Even the memory or imagination of fatigue is
accompanied by the production of eyestrain and imperfect sight, while
the memory of perfect sight will relieve both eyestrain and fatigue.
Sleepiness is a common symptom of habitual eyestrain, and when the
sight improves the need for sleep is often markedly reduced.
One patient reports that after gaining normal sight without glasses
she was able to get on comfortably with seven hours sleep, whereas she
had formerly not been able to avoid continual sleepiness and yawning
even on nine and ten hours. The inclination to yawn on all occasions
had been so overpowering, she stated, that it often subjected her to
great embarrassment. On one occasion she yawned so incessantly during
a call made in the early evening that the visitor concluded, not
unnaturally, that her presence was a burden and departed in high
dudgeon, no explanations sufficing to convince her that the yawning
was not the result of boredom. The patient was made very unhappy by
this condition, but finally became reconciled to it in a measure,
thinking that what could not be cured must be endured. Great was her
surprise and delight, therefore, when, after discarding her glasses
and beginning to practice central fixation, she found herself sleeping
less and not yawning so much. She made no conscious effort, she said,
to check the yawning, and had indeed almost forgotten about it. She
now gets sleepy only at bedtime.
Another patient, although he never had any desire to sleep in the
daytime, found it very difficult to keep awake in the evening. At the
opera or theatre, at lectures and social gatherings, and at church, he
was always sleepy and often went to sleep. It was naturally more
difficult for him to keep awake when he was not interested, but
whether he was interested or not he was sure to become more or less
sleepy. He never went to a lecture without going to sleep, and the
world's most famous song-birds were not always able to keep him awake
at the opera. In the case of dull papers or sermons, it did no good to
think of something else, for the sound of the speaker's voice acted
like an opiate. When he learned how to relax by the aid of the memory,
imagination, shifting, swinging and palming, the trouble gradually
became less, and now he can stay awake at all times and in all places
where people are supposed to stay awake...]
- September, 1920
Here's some passages regarding the topic of sleep from the Better
Eyesight Magazine:
[...Question - If closing and resting the eyes is beneficial why won't
sleep cure defective vision?
Answer - Sleep is hard on the eyes because most people strain their
eyes more when they are asleep than when they are awake...]
- June, 1924
[...Q. Better Eyesight advises sleeping on the back. Will you kindly
give me explicit directions as to how to do this?
A. In lying on your back the arms should be parallel with the body and
the lower limbs completely extended. The height of the pillow is
immaterial. The head may or may not be turned to one side. It is a
good thing to go to sleep swinging or palming...]
- November, 1921
[...There was some discussion about eye strain during sleep. Many
people suffer very much from headache and imperfect sight on first
rising in the morning and the symptoms may continue for several hours.
A gentleman present related his experience. He obtained much benefit
by rising at 4 a.m. with the aid of an alarm clock, when he would
practise the "Long Swing" until relieved. He would then retire, sleep
the rest of the night and on rising find the eye strain much less or
absent altogether...]
- December, 1922
[...During sleep the refractive condition of the eye is rarely, if
ever, normal. Persons whose refraction is normal when they are awake
will produce myopia, hypermetropia and astigmatism when they are
asleep, or, if they have errors of refraction when they are awake,
they will be Increased during sleep. This is why people waken in the
morning with eyes more tired than at any other time, or even with
severe headaches. When the subject is under ether or chloroform. or
unconscious from any other cause, errors of refraction are also
produced or increased...]
- The Variability of the Refraction of the Eye, January 1920
[...Eyestrain During Sleep
Many people complain that when they awaken in the morning, they are
suffering from pain in their eyes or head. They often feel as weary as
though they had been working hard all night long. Many of them do not
recover from the pain and fatigue until after they have been up for an
hour or longer. Their vision also may be found to be reduced to a very
considerable degree. Some complain that they see illusions which are
occasionally very slow in disappearing. One patient complained that
the tiled floor of a bath room had a very strange appearance; although
the tiles were white, to him they appeared blue and red alternately. A
feeling of strain was always present and did not subside until the
illusion had disappeared. It seemed as though the eyes were under a
strain during sleep, because when the eyes were examined with the
ophthalmoscope while the patient was asleep, a strain could readily be
observed.
Sometimes, as in the case of many children, other parts of the body
may be under a strain during sleep. By an unconscious effort, the
muscles of the face, arms and limbs may be distorted as may be muscles
of different parts of the eyeball. In some cases, the strain produces
accommodation or myopia, while in other cases, hypermetropia or
astigmatism are produced by this unconscious effort. These eyes
frequently were found to be normal during the day.
The treatment to prevent eyestrain during sleep is not always
successful. Some patients obtain most relief by practicing the long
swing one hundred times or more just before retiring and the same
number of times in the morning immediately after awakening. Other
patients find that palming for twenty minutes before retiring is a
help, and frequently the palms are left in place with benefit after
the patients have lost consciousness...]
- January, 1928
[...Sleepiness and Eyestrain, By W. H. Bates, M.D.
How much sleep is necessary to maintain health? This is a question
which has never been satisfactorily answered. Theoretically, mental or
physical work should increase the need for sleep, but it is a matter
of common knowledge that many inactive persons seem to need just as
much sleep as those who work, or even more.
Much time has been devoted to the investigation of the symptoms of
fatigue. Analyses have been made of the blood of fatigued subjects;
the action of the muscles. nerves and brain, the changes in the
structure of the cells, under the influence of fatigue, the changes
following sleep, have all been carefully studied. But so far very
little light has been thrown upon the nature of either fatigue or
sleep.
This is a fact, however: that eyestrain has always been demonstrated
when fatigue was present, and that fatigue has always been relieved
when eyestrain was relieved. Perfect sight is perfect rest, and cannot
coexist with fatigue. Even the memory or imagination of fatigue is
accompanied by the production of eyestrain and imperfect sight, while
the memory of perfect sight will relieve both eyestrain and fatigue.
Sleepiness is a common symptom of habitual eyestrain, and when the
sight improves the need for sleep is often markedly reduced.
One patient reports that after gaining normal sight without glasses
she was able to get on comfortably with seven hours sleep, whereas she
had formerly not been able to avoid continual sleepiness and yawning
even on nine and ten hours. The inclination to yawn on all occasions
had been so overpowering, she stated, that it often subjected her to
great embarrassment. On one occasion she yawned so incessantly during
a call made in the early evening that the visitor concluded, not
unnaturally, that her presence was a burden and departed in high
dudgeon, no explanations sufficing to convince her that the yawning
was not the result of boredom. The patient was made very unhappy by
this condition, but finally became reconciled to it in a measure,
thinking that what could not be cured must be endured. Great was her
surprise and delight, therefore, when, after discarding her glasses
and beginning to practice central fixation, she found herself sleeping
less and not yawning so much. She made no conscious effort, she said,
to check the yawning, and had indeed almost forgotten about it. She
now gets sleepy only at bedtime.
Another patient, although he never had any desire to sleep in the
daytime, found it very difficult to keep awake in the evening. At the
opera or theatre, at lectures and social gatherings, and at church, he
was always sleepy and often went to sleep. It was naturally more
difficult for him to keep awake when he was not interested, but
whether he was interested or not he was sure to become more or less
sleepy. He never went to a lecture without going to sleep, and the
world's most famous song-birds were not always able to keep him awake
at the opera. In the case of dull papers or sermons, it did no good to
think of something else, for the sound of the speaker's voice acted
like an opiate. When he learned how to relax by the aid of the memory,
imagination, shifting, swinging and palming, the trouble gradually
became less, and now he can stay awake at all times and in all places
where people are supposed to stay awake...]
- September, 1920
Re: Sleep & Vision
[...Eye Strain When Sleeping
By W. H. Bates, M. D.
Many persons strain their eyes when sleeping. When they awake in the
morning, they feel pain in their eyes with imperfect sight and often
with severe headache. They may feel all tired out, not refreshed or
rested by a sleep of eight hours or longer. In some cases the sleep
may not have been disturbed by dreams. Dreams are not always
remembered for any great length of time. There are people who can
recall dreams in their early childhood twenty, thirty, forty years
ago, but their recent dreams cannot be remembered longer than a few
minutes or a few hours after awakening. To keep accurate records of
dreams requires that they be recorded as soon as possible. Pleasant
dreams do not always mean relaxation, but dreams of snakes,
nightmares, fighting, crimes and horrible experiences of all sorts are
usually followed by imperfect sight caused by eye strain.
Some of my patients with a severe trouble of the eyes have told me
some very awful dreams. During sleep the ticking of a clock or the
outside noises in the street may be the starting point of a very
exciting, disagreeable or uncomfortable dream which is due to strain.
I am tempted to relate my personal experiences in dreams. Recently I
awakened in the morning with a feeling that I had been dreaming. I got
into a fight with a drunken man and had soaked the bedpost with my
fist with disastrous results to the skin of my knuckles. Afterwards I
noticed that the white tiled floor instead of being white the blocks
were alternately pink and blue and this illusion continued for a half
hour when it gradually disappeared. On another occasion, I awakened
after a dreamless sleep and noticed that the ceiling was covered with
a very white cloud similar to a veil. This illusion disappeared in
five or ten minutes.
Many patients ask: "Why do I have so much pain, discomfort, imperfect
sight in the morning after a good sleep?"
My answer is: "Because you strain your eyes and all the nerves of your
body when you are asleep."
But for me to explain the facts further is something I cannot do. All
I know is the fact that it is so. New born babies, half an hour after
birth and later, by simultaneous retinoscopy produce a deformation of
the eyeball, nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hypermetropia),
astigmatism of variable degree, at short intervals of a few hours. At
one time, myopia will be found of the same amount in each eye; or one
eye may be normal while the other eye may be myopic. At the second
examination, both eyes may be normal, hypermetropic, or with any form
of astigmatism. The child may produce any combination of errors of
refraction by eye strain when asleep which may persist for a longer or
shorter period when awake. At times the eyes become normal when the
child is awake. Squint or strabismus in its various forms always
occurs and is also variable. The use of strong atropine, 3 ½ per cent,
instilled into both eyes does not prevent the manifestations of eye
strain in new born children when asleep.
In adults, simultaneous retinoscopy demonstrates the production of
near-sightedness and other deformations of the eyeball by eye strain
during sleep but which usually become less or disappear and the eyes
resume their normal shape in a few hours after awakening. Just as in
babies atropine does not prevent, during sleep, the results of eye
strain.
Hypnotism, ether, chloroform and nitrous oxide gas are all accompanied
by well marked eye strain during sleep produced by these agents.
Eye strain during sleep may produce in the normal eye severe pain with
hardness of the eyeball simulating the increased tension of an attack
of glaucoma. In all diseases of the eyes, inflammations of the
eyelids, cornea, iris, lens (cataract) retina and optic nerve eye
strain during sleep increases the severity of the symptoms with a
corresponding loss of vision, temporary or more permanent. Detachment
of the retina has been aggravated or produced by eye strain during
sleep.
The results of eye strain during sleep are so disastrous that I
believe proper treatment is essential. Some patients have been
benefited by "Palming" for half an hour or longer before dropping off
to sleep. "Go to sleep while palming. Palm if you wake up during the
night. Practice the long or short "Swing" before retiring," I advise.
Some people seem to sleep longer than is necessary and the eye strain
may appear increased. Some observations made of a four hour period of
sleep during the night with or without a nap in the day time seemed to
show less eye strain.
Posture during sleep has been studied. Lying on the face has generally
been accompanied by an increase of eye strain. Sleeping on the back
with the arms and limbs extended with slight flexion is undoubtedly
better than sleeping on the right or left side. A cramped posture is
always wrong. The patient is not always conscious of his posture when
asleep. In a number of cases observed by friends of the patient, one
or both arms were held behind the head while asleep and strenuously
denied by the patient when awake.
The correction of this and other strained positions of the arms and
limbs has been followed by decided benefit to the vision.
Eye strain during sleep produces or increases the symptoms of strain
in various parts of the body. Some months ago I suffered from an
attack of the grippe and had a very strong cough without
expectoration. This cough was spasmodic and did not bother me very
much during the day and when it did it was very easy for me to obtain
sufficient relaxation to control it. But at night it was terrible, it
would wake me up a few hours after I had retired and the coughing
would be so severe and continuous that it was impossible for me to
obtain relaxation of the eye strain while the room was dark. I was
compelled to get out of bed and light the room in order to practice
the long swing which gave me relief in an incredibly short time, a few
minutes or less. I would then go back to bed and sleep for a few hours
or the rest of the night without being disturbed by the cough. It was
interesting to me that the relief of the eye strain was also a benefit
to the bronchial or other lung tension.
For some years I had been afflicted with a chronic tuberculosis of the
right elbow joint which at times caused great pain. When I became able
to relax the eye strain, to remember or imagine perfect sight, the
pain in the elbow disappeared. One evening I retired as usual and
slept very comfortably until one o'clock when I was awakened with an
intense pain in the elbow. The pain was so severe that I lost all
control of my mind and became practically insane. I was unable to
remember even my own name or any of the letters on the Snellen Test
Card which I read every day. The doctor who was summoned gave me a
hyperdermic with morphine every little while but without any
appreciable relief. I kept saying, "Somebody help me to remember
black," but my attendants sat around the room saying nothing and all
they seemed able to do was to watch me suffer and give me morphine.
This continued for four hours. During all this time I instinctively
was trying to remember or imagine something that I had seen before.
All of a sudden I remembered a large black C and the pain let up. In a
few minutes I became able to remember all the letters on the Snellen
Test Card and fell asleep. I woke up an hour later, six o'clock,
apparently perfectly well without any sign of pain or soreness in the
elbow. I dressed without any trouble, went downtown to the office and
did a day's work without any return of the eye strain or pain in the
elbow...]
- February, 1923
[...Eye Strain When Sleeping
By W. H. Bates, M. D.
Many persons strain their eyes when sleeping. When they awake in the
morning, they feel pain in their eyes with imperfect sight and often
with severe headache. They may feel all tired out, not refreshed or
rested by a sleep of eight hours or longer. In some cases the sleep
may not have been disturbed by dreams. Dreams are not always
remembered for any great length of time. There are people who can
recall dreams in their early childhood twenty, thirty, forty years
ago, but their recent dreams cannot be remembered longer than a few
minutes or a few hours after awakening. To keep accurate records of
dreams requires that they be recorded as soon as possible. Pleasant
dreams do not always mean relaxation, but dreams of snakes,
nightmares, fighting, crimes and horrible experiences of all sorts are
usually followed by imperfect sight caused by eye strain.
Some of my patients with a severe trouble of the eyes have told me
some very awful dreams. During sleep the ticking of a clock or the
outside noises in the street may be the starting point of a very
exciting, disagreeable or uncomfortable dream which is due to strain.
I am tempted to relate my personal experiences in dreams. Recently I
awakened in the morning with a feeling that I had been dreaming. I got
into a fight with a drunken man and had soaked the bedpost with my
fist with disastrous results to the skin of my knuckles. Afterwards I
noticed that the white tiled floor instead of being white the blocks
were alternately pink and blue and this illusion continued for a half
hour when it gradually disappeared. On another occasion, I awakened
after a dreamless sleep and noticed that the ceiling was covered with
a very white cloud similar to a veil. This illusion disappeared in
five or ten minutes.
Many patients ask: "Why do I have so much pain, discomfort, imperfect
sight in the morning after a good sleep?"
My answer is: "Because you strain your eyes and all the nerves of your
body when you are asleep."
But for me to explain the facts further is something I cannot do. All
I know is the fact that it is so. New born babies, half an hour after
birth and later, by simultaneous retinoscopy produce a deformation of
the eyeball, nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hypermetropia),
astigmatism of variable degree, at short intervals of a few hours. At
one time, myopia will be found of the same amount in each eye; or one
eye may be normal while the other eye may be myopic. At the second
examination, both eyes may be normal, hypermetropic, or with any form
of astigmatism. The child may produce any combination of errors of
refraction by eye strain when asleep which may persist for a longer or
shorter period when awake. At times the eyes become normal when the
child is awake. Squint or strabismus in its various forms always
occurs and is also variable. The use of strong atropine, 3 ½ per cent,
instilled into both eyes does not prevent the manifestations of eye
strain in new born children when asleep.
In adults, simultaneous retinoscopy demonstrates the production of
near-sightedness and other deformations of the eyeball by eye strain
during sleep but which usually become less or disappear and the eyes
resume their normal shape in a few hours after awakening. Just as in
babies atropine does not prevent, during sleep, the results of eye
strain.
Hypnotism, ether, chloroform and nitrous oxide gas are all accompanied
by well marked eye strain during sleep produced by these agents.
Eye strain during sleep may produce in the normal eye severe pain with
hardness of the eyeball simulating the increased tension of an attack
of glaucoma. In all diseases of the eyes, inflammations of the
eyelids, cornea, iris, lens (cataract) retina and optic nerve eye
strain during sleep increases the severity of the symptoms with a
corresponding loss of vision, temporary or more permanent. Detachment
of the retina has been aggravated or produced by eye strain during
sleep.
The results of eye strain during sleep are so disastrous that I
believe proper treatment is essential. Some patients have been
benefited by "Palming" for half an hour or longer before dropping off
to sleep. "Go to sleep while palming. Palm if you wake up during the
night. Practice the long or short "Swing" before retiring," I advise.
Some people seem to sleep longer than is necessary and the eye strain
may appear increased. Some observations made of a four hour period of
sleep during the night with or without a nap in the day time seemed to
show less eye strain.
Posture during sleep has been studied. Lying on the face has generally
been accompanied by an increase of eye strain. Sleeping on the back
with the arms and limbs extended with slight flexion is undoubtedly
better than sleeping on the right or left side. A cramped posture is
always wrong. The patient is not always conscious of his posture when
asleep. In a number of cases observed by friends of the patient, one
or both arms were held behind the head while asleep and strenuously
denied by the patient when awake.
The correction of this and other strained positions of the arms and
limbs has been followed by decided benefit to the vision.
Eye strain during sleep produces or increases the symptoms of strain
in various parts of the body. Some months ago I suffered from an
attack of the grippe and had a very strong cough without
expectoration. This cough was spasmodic and did not bother me very
much during the day and when it did it was very easy for me to obtain
sufficient relaxation to control it. But at night it was terrible, it
would wake me up a few hours after I had retired and the coughing
would be so severe and continuous that it was impossible for me to
obtain relaxation of the eye strain while the room was dark. I was
compelled to get out of bed and light the room in order to practice
the long swing which gave me relief in an incredibly short time, a few
minutes or less. I would then go back to bed and sleep for a few hours
or the rest of the night without being disturbed by the cough. It was
interesting to me that the relief of the eye strain was also a benefit
to the bronchial or other lung tension.
For some years I had been afflicted with a chronic tuberculosis of the
right elbow joint which at times caused great pain. When I became able
to relax the eye strain, to remember or imagine perfect sight, the
pain in the elbow disappeared. One evening I retired as usual and
slept very comfortably until one o'clock when I was awakened with an
intense pain in the elbow. The pain was so severe that I lost all
control of my mind and became practically insane. I was unable to
remember even my own name or any of the letters on the Snellen Test
Card which I read every day. The doctor who was summoned gave me a
hyperdermic with morphine every little while but without any
appreciable relief. I kept saying, "Somebody help me to remember
black," but my attendants sat around the room saying nothing and all
they seemed able to do was to watch me suffer and give me morphine.
This continued for four hours. During all this time I instinctively
was trying to remember or imagine something that I had seen before.
All of a sudden I remembered a large black C and the pain let up. In a
few minutes I became able to remember all the letters on the Snellen
Test Card and fell asleep. I woke up an hour later, six o'clock,
apparently perfectly well without any sign of pain or soreness in the
elbow. I dressed without any trouble, went downtown to the office and
did a day's work without any return of the eye strain or pain in the
elbow...]
- February, 1923
Re: Sleep & Vision
[...How My Eyestrain was Relieved
By Charlotte Robertson
I have had such wonderful relief by following Dr. Bates' method of
treating imperfect sight and I eyestrain that I should like to tell of
my experience. It may be the means of giving courage to those who
suffered as I did, but who hesitate to leave off their glasses. I had
worn glasses but my eyes were not benefited. In fact they became
worse. I went to Dr. Bates and am pleased to give some of the
"exercises" advised by him which I have found very beneficial.
1. The Snellen test card I read upon arising in the morning, at noon
and again in the evening, first with two eyes together and later with
each eye separately. 2. Palming six times a day or more for a few
minutes to half an hour, decreasing the length of time as my eyes
improved.
3. I have practiced reading a little fine print daily, also some of
the pages from Dr. Bates' book, "Perfect Sight Without Glasses," which
I have always found encouraging. At night on retiring I have used the
swing together with central fixation on the small O, and by so doing
have lost the wretched strain which I have been conscious of for
months, always on awakening in the morning. This exercise consists of
swinging the O to the left and seeing the right side best, to the
right and seeing the left side best. Also swinging the black period
with the O to the left, seeing the period on the right side of the O
best, and to the right, seeing the period on the left side of the O
best. First by the practice of this exercise, also with a soothing
swinging motion as that of drifting in a boat in a comparatively quiet
sea, I obtained relaxation when falling to sleep. My morning eye
strain had completely disappeared and in its place I awake feeling
rested, refreshed and ready for the day's work...]
- May, 1923
[..."For many years," Ire related, "I have suffered from insomnia, and
in recent months it has been nothing unusual for me to remain awake
the entire night. Frequently I stay up all night, realizing the
futility of trying to induce sleep. A short time ago I did this twice
in a single week. When I do sleep my slumber has been very light and
disturbed by the wildest imaginable dreaming - fires, murders,
hairbreadth escapes, etc. As a result of the insomnia and eyestrain I
frequently had splitting headaches, sometimes everyday, and sometimes
even twice a day. From these I could secure relief only by the use of
what I knew to be harmful medicines. Since I came to you I have been
sleeping very much better, the dreams have become much less
disturbing, and the headaches have practically ceased."...]
- January, 1921
Lastly, here is an interesting article written by Rishi Gatti on the
subject of insomnia and its cure by means of rest methods used
simultaneously in the cure of imperfect sight:
* w w w .sistemabates . it /insonnia e cura della vista.htm
It's in Italian, so you need a translator to read it.
[...How My Eyestrain was Relieved
By Charlotte Robertson
I have had such wonderful relief by following Dr. Bates' method of
treating imperfect sight and I eyestrain that I should like to tell of
my experience. It may be the means of giving courage to those who
suffered as I did, but who hesitate to leave off their glasses. I had
worn glasses but my eyes were not benefited. In fact they became
worse. I went to Dr. Bates and am pleased to give some of the
"exercises" advised by him which I have found very beneficial.
1. The Snellen test card I read upon arising in the morning, at noon
and again in the evening, first with two eyes together and later with
each eye separately. 2. Palming six times a day or more for a few
minutes to half an hour, decreasing the length of time as my eyes
improved.
3. I have practiced reading a little fine print daily, also some of
the pages from Dr. Bates' book, "Perfect Sight Without Glasses," which
I have always found encouraging. At night on retiring I have used the
swing together with central fixation on the small O, and by so doing
have lost the wretched strain which I have been conscious of for
months, always on awakening in the morning. This exercise consists of
swinging the O to the left and seeing the right side best, to the
right and seeing the left side best. Also swinging the black period
with the O to the left, seeing the period on the right side of the O
best, and to the right, seeing the period on the left side of the O
best. First by the practice of this exercise, also with a soothing
swinging motion as that of drifting in a boat in a comparatively quiet
sea, I obtained relaxation when falling to sleep. My morning eye
strain had completely disappeared and in its place I awake feeling
rested, refreshed and ready for the day's work...]
- May, 1923
[..."For many years," Ire related, "I have suffered from insomnia, and
in recent months it has been nothing unusual for me to remain awake
the entire night. Frequently I stay up all night, realizing the
futility of trying to induce sleep. A short time ago I did this twice
in a single week. When I do sleep my slumber has been very light and
disturbed by the wildest imaginable dreaming - fires, murders,
hairbreadth escapes, etc. As a result of the insomnia and eyestrain I
frequently had splitting headaches, sometimes everyday, and sometimes
even twice a day. From these I could secure relief only by the use of
what I knew to be harmful medicines. Since I came to you I have been
sleeping very much better, the dreams have become much less
disturbing, and the headaches have practically ceased."...]
- January, 1921
Lastly, here is an interesting article written by Rishi Gatti on the
subject of insomnia and its cure by means of rest methods used
simultaneously in the cure of imperfect sight:
* w w w .sistemabates . it /insonnia e cura della vista.htm
It's in Italian, so you need a translator to read it.
Re: Sleep & Vision
"MsBrainy via MedKB . com " <u33689@uwe> wrote
> feeling is that it's related to the eye muscle which function better after
> rest and more sleep. Is that so? Can anubody comment on this?
Which muscle is acting to help you focus better? I had the impression you
and I were about the same age.
More likely it's subtle changes in your cornea that result from having your
eyes closed. It normally swells a few percent overnight.
-MT
"MsBrainy via MedKB . com " <u33689@uwe> wrote
> feeling is that it's related to the eye muscle which function better after
> rest and more sleep. Is that so? Can anubody comment on this?
Which muscle is acting to help you focus better? I had the impression you
and I were about the same age.
More likely it's subtle changes in your cornea that result from having your
eyes closed. It normally swells a few percent overnight.
-MT
Re: Sleep & Vision
"Mike Tyner" <mtyner@mindspring . com > wrote in message
news:bvSdnbP13Z5AK7TVnZ2dnUVZ_vednZ2d@giganews . com ...
>
> "MsBrainy via MedKB . com " <u33689@uwe> wrote
>
>> feeling is that it's related to the eye muscle which function better
>> after
>> rest and more sleep. Is that so? Can anubody comment on this?
>
> Which muscle is acting to help you focus better? I had the impression you
> and I were about the same age.
>
> More likely it's subtle changes in your cornea that result from having
> your eyes closed. It normally swells a few percent overnight.
Yes, Scott Read at the QUT, Brisbane, released some results last year
suggesting that even reading with a downward gaze can impact on corneal
structure. Helps explain the frequent reports of people having blurry vision
after long hours on the computer. Ptosis can also impact on the cornea. I
had the opposite problem for a few years: waking up with blurred vision.
Fatigue can impact on vision. That could be a neurologic issue. Just as we
are slow in the mornings and the old noggin aint quite up to speed(dopamine
still rising hence the cuppa!), so too we should not be surprised that
vision is affected by fatigue.
>
> -MT
>
>
"Mike Tyner" <mtyner@mindspring . com > wrote in message
news:bvSdnbP13Z5AK7TVnZ2dnUVZ_vednZ2d@giganews . com ...
>
> "MsBrainy via MedKB . com " <u33689@uwe> wrote
>
>> feeling is that it's related to the eye muscle which function better
>> after
>> rest and more sleep. Is that so? Can anubody comment on this?
>
> Which muscle is acting to help you focus better? I had the impression you
> and I were about the same age.
>
> More likely it's subtle changes in your cornea that result from having
> your eyes closed. It normally swells a few percent overnight.
Yes, Scott Read at the QUT, Brisbane, released some results last year
suggesting that even reading with a downward gaze can impact on corneal
structure. Helps explain the frequent reports of people having blurry vision
after long hours on the computer. Ptosis can also impact on the cornea. I
had the opposite problem for a few years: waking up with blurred vision.
Fatigue can impact on vision. That could be a neurologic issue. Just as we
are slow in the mornings and the old noggin aint quite up to speed(dopamine
still rising hence the cuppa!), so too we should not be surprised that
vision is affected by fatigue.
>
> -MT
>
>
Re: Sleep & Vision
"John Hasenkam" <johnh@goawayplease . com > wrote
> Fatigue can impact on vision. That could be a neurologic issue. Just as we
> are slow in the mornings and the old noggin aint quite up to
> speed(dopamine still rising hence the cuppa!), so too we should not be
> surprised that vision is affected by fatigue.
If someone actually measures a difference in vernier acuity, I will be
surprised.
-MT
"John Hasenkam" <johnh@goawayplease . com > wrote
> Fatigue can impact on vision. That could be a neurologic issue. Just as we
> are slow in the mornings and the old noggin aint quite up to
> speed(dopamine still rising hence the cuppa!), so too we should not be
> surprised that vision is affected by fatigue.
If someone actually measures a difference in vernier acuity, I will be
surprised.
-MT
Re: Sleep & Vision
"Mike Tyner" <mtyner@mindspring . com > wrote in message
news:DdWdnbFmcPCZW7fVnZ2dnUVZ_sWdnZ2d@giganews . com ...
>
> "John Hasenkam" <johnh@goawayplease . com > wrote
>
>> Fatigue can impact on vision. That could be a neurologic issue. Just as
>> we are slow in the mornings and the old noggin aint quite up to
>> speed(dopamine still rising hence the cuppa!), so too we should not be
>> surprised that vision is affected by fatigue.
>
> If someone actually measures a difference in vernier acuity, I will be
> surprised.
>
> -MT
>
"Occupational health problems in modern work environment
14/05/2008 9:52PM
Occupational health problems in modern work environment
Medicina (Kaunas) 2004; 40(9)
During detailed clinical-experimental trials that
included 104 people working with the computer (the
mean age of the subjects was 33.8 years), the main
sight disorders during work were the following: deteriorated
vision (85.6%), reddened eyes (42.3%) and
eyestrain (46.1%). These symptoms and the impairment
of the optic function define the syndrome of the
strain or fatigue of the vision analyzer, called asthenopia.
The stability of asthenopia is characterized by time
during which the indicated symptoms disappear and
the optic function is reestablished. According to the
findings of the performed studies, in 44% of all the
subjects the symptoms disappear after the discontinuation
of the computer work, in 44% of cases they remain
for several hours after work, and in 12% cases
they are felt the next day.
...
The findings of psycho-physiological studies show
that computer work results in a significant fatigue of
the central nervous system, impairs attention
...
The stability of acute vision decreases by 35.2%, and
the fluctuation of the acute/blurred vision periods increases
to 20.0 times/min, while the respective values
in the control group were, accordingly, 10.4% and 6.7
times/min.
"Mike Tyner" <mtyner@mindspring . com > wrote in message
news:DdWdnbFmcPCZW7fVnZ2dnUVZ_sWdnZ2d@giganews . com ...
>
> "John Hasenkam" <johnh@goawayplease . com > wrote
>
>> Fatigue can impact on vision. That could be a neurologic issue. Just as
>> we are slow in the mornings and the old noggin aint quite up to
>> speed(dopamine still rising hence the cuppa!), so too we should not be
>> surprised that vision is affected by fatigue.
>
> If someone actually measures a difference in vernier acuity, I will be
> surprised.
>
> -MT
>
"Occupational health problems in modern work environment
14/05/2008 9:52PM
Occupational health problems in modern work environment
Medicina (Kaunas) 2004; 40(9)
During detailed clinical-experimental trials that
included 104 people working with the computer (the
mean age of the subjects was 33.8 years), the main
sight disorders during work were the following: deteriorated
vision (85.6%), reddened eyes (42.3%) and
eyestrain (46.1%). These symptoms and the impairment
of the optic function define the syndrome of the
strain or fatigue of the vision analyzer, called asthenopia.
The stability of asthenopia is characterized by time
during which the indicated symptoms disappear and
the optic function is reestablished. According to the
findings of the performed studies, in 44% of all the
subjects the symptoms disappear after the discontinuation
of the computer work, in 44% of cases they remain
for several hours after work, and in 12% cases
they are felt the next day.
...
The findings of psycho-physiological studies show
that computer work results in a significant fatigue of
the central nervous system, impairs attention
...
The stability of acute vision decreases by 35.2%, and
the fluctuation of the acute/blurred vision periods increases
to 20.0 times/min, while the respective values
in the control group were, accordingly, 10.4% and 6.7
times/min.
Re: Sleep & Vision
Nonetheless, fatigue doesn't appreciably decrease vernier acuity, nor does
resting improve it.
Of course fatigue influences accommodation, binocularity, attention, the
ability to _sustain_ clear vision. All of the above. But it doesn't affect
the resolution of retinal receptors, and it doesn't explain why a presbyopic
myope might experience decreased distance blur at rising.
Back to my question - which muscle gets rested overnight in order to improve
focus first thing in the morning? The constrictor pupillae?
-MT
> "Mike Tyner" <mtyner@mindspring . com > wrote
>> If someone actually measures a difference in vernier acuity, I will be
>> surprised.
>>
"John Hasenkam" <johnh@goawayplease . com > wrote
>
> "Occupational health problems in modern work environment
>
> 14/05/2008 9:52PM
>
> Occupational health problems in modern work environment
>
> Medicina (Kaunas) 2004; 40(9)
>
> During detailed clinical-experimental trials that
>
> included 104 people working with the computer (the
>
> mean age of the subjects was 33.8 years), the main
>
> sight disorders during work were the following: deteriorated
>
> vision (85.6%), reddened eyes (42.3%) and
>
> eyestrain (46.1%). These symptoms and the impairment
>
> of the optic function define the syndrome of the
>
> strain or fatigue of the vision analyzer, called asthenopia.
>
> The stability of asthenopia is characterized by time
>
> during which the indicated symptoms disappear and
>
> the optic function is reestablished. According to the
>
> findings of the performed studies, in 44% of all the
>
> subjects the symptoms disappear after the discontinuation
>
> of the computer work, in 44% of cases they remain
>
> for several hours after work, and in 12% cases
>
> they are felt the next day.
>
>
>
> ...
>
> The findings of psycho-physiological studies show
>
> that computer work results in a significant fatigue of
>
> the central nervous system, impairs attention
>
> ...
>
> The stability of acute vision decreases by 35.2%, and
>
> the fluctuation of the acute/blurred vision periods increases
>
> to 20.0 times/min, while the respective values
>
> in the control group were, accordingly, 10.4% and 6.7
>
> times/min.
>
>
>
Nonetheless, fatigue doesn't appreciably decrease vernier acuity, nor does
resting improve it.
Of course fatigue influences accommodation, binocularity, attention, the
ability to _sustain_ clear vision. All of the above. But it doesn't affect
the resolution of retinal receptors, and it doesn't explain why a presbyopic
myope might experience decreased distance blur at rising.
Back to my question - which muscle gets rested overnight in order to improve
focus first thing in the morning? The constrictor pupillae?
-MT
> "Mike Tyner" <mtyner@mindspring . com > wrote
>> If someone actually measures a difference in vernier acuity, I will be
>> surprised.
>>
"John Hasenkam" <johnh@goawayplease . com > wrote
>
> "Occupational health problems in modern work environment
>
> 14/05/2008 9:52PM
>
> Occupational health problems in modern work environment
>
> Medicina (Kaunas) 2004; 40(9)
>
> During detailed clinical-experimental trials that
>
> included 104 people working with the computer (the
>
> mean age of the subjects was 33.8 years), the main
>
> sight disorders during work were the following: deteriorated
>
> vision (85.6%), reddened eyes (42.3%) and
>
> eyestrain (46.1%). These symptoms and the impairment
>
> of the optic function define the syndrome of the
>
> strain or fatigue of the vision analyzer, called asthenopia.
>
> The stability of asthenopia is characterized by time
>
> during which the indicated symptoms disappear and
>
> the optic function is reestablished. According to the
>
> findings of the performed studies, in 44% of all the
>
> subjects the symptoms disappear after the discontinuation
>
> of the computer work, in 44% of cases they remain
>
> for several hours after work, and in 12% cases
>
> they are felt the next day.
>
>
>
> ...
>
> The findings of psycho-physiological studies show
>
> that computer work results in a significant fatigue of
>
> the central nervous system, impairs attention
>
> ...
>
> The stability of acute vision decreases by 35.2%, and
>
> the fluctuation of the acute/blurred vision periods increases
>
> to 20.0 times/min, while the respective values
>
> in the control group were, accordingly, 10.4% and 6.7
>
> times/min.
>
>
>
Re: Sleep & Vision
You chase your ideas Mike, I'm chasing mine. I have heard that retinal
dopamine function is quite important for vision.
...
PD causes a progressive loss of dopaminergic cells predominantly in the
retina and possibly in other areas of the visual system. This retinal
dopamine deficiency produces selective spatial-temporal abnormalities in
retinal ganglion cell function, probably arising from altered receptive
field organization in the PD retina.
The four most common sight-threatening conditions in older adults in North
America are cataract, ARM, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. Even in their
moderate stages, these conditions cause visual sensory impairments and
reductions in health-related quality of life, including difficulties in
daily tasks and psychosocial problems. Many older adults are free from these
conditions, yet still experience a variety of visual perceptual problems
resulting from aging-related changes in the optics of the eye and
degeneration of the visual neural pathways. These problems consist of
impairments in visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, color discrimination,
temporal sensitivity, motion perception, peripheral visual field
sensitivity, and visual processing speed. PD causes a progressive loss of
dopaminergic cells predominantly in the retina and possibly in other areas
of the visual system. This retinal dopamine deficiency produces selective
spatial-temporal abnormalities in retinal ganglion cell function, probably
arising from altered receptive field organization in the PD retina. The
cortical degeneration characteristics of AD, including neurofibrillary
tangles and neuritic plaques, also are present in the visual cortical areas,
especially in the visual association areas. The most prominent
electrophysiologic change in AD is a delay in the P2 component of the flash
VEP. Deficits in higher-order visual abilities typically are compromised in
AD, including problems with visual attention, perceiving structure from
motion, visual memory, visual learning, reading, and object and face
perception. There have been reports of a visual variant of AD in which these
types of visual problems are the initial and most prominent signs of the
disease. Visual sensory impairments (e.g., contrast sensitivity or
achromatopsia) also have been reported but are believed more reflective of
cortical disturbances than of AD-associated optic neuropathy.
PMID: 13677819 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
This is fascinating:
Given that therapy with L-dopa plus occlusion initially improved visual
acuity by approximately 1.7 lines following the termination of standard
therapy, L-dopa plus occlusion may reset baseline visual acuity and lead to
long-term improvement in visual acuity after recidivism.
PMID: 12458842 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
ONCLUSION: Though levodopa and carbidopa therapy may not be able to
ameliorate amblyopia on its own on a long-term basis, it may be considered
nonetheless to be an important adjunct to conventional therapy because it
may improve patient compliance for occlusion by improving visual acuity in
the amblyopic eye. Thus, it offers promise of improving the functional
outcome in these cases. However, longer follow-up trials are needed to
substantiate these conclusions.
PMID: 11911549 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE
Quail and retinal dopamine
Combining the PERG and the morphological results, it would seem that the
retinal DA plays an important role in the visual functions studied, and that
loss of retinal DA could underlie some of the visual changes which occur
during ageing.
PMID: 9196729 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
"Mike Tyner" <mtyner@mindspring . com > wrote in message
news:Z4adnXEmoNnMcbfVnZ2dnUVZ_rbinZ2d@giganews . com ...
> Nonetheless, fatigue doesn't appreciably decrease vernier acuity, nor does
> resting improve it.
>
> Of course fatigue influences accommodation, binocularity, attention, the
> ability to _sustain_ clear vision. All of the above. But it doesn't affect
> the resolution of retinal receptors, and it doesn't explain why a
> presbyopic myope might experience decreased distance blur at rising.
>
> Back to my question - which muscle gets rested overnight in order to
> improve focus first thing in the morning? The constrictor pupillae?
>
> -MT
>
>
>> "Mike Tyner" <mtyner@mindspring . com > wrote
>>> If someone actually measures a difference in vernier acuity, I will be
>>> surprised.
>>>
>
> "John Hasenkam" <johnh@goawayplease . com > wrote
>>
>> "Occupational health problems in modern work environment
>>
>> 14/05/2008 9:52PM
>>
>> Occupational health problems in modern work environment
>>
>> Medicina (Kaunas) 2004; 40(9)
>>
>> During detailed clinical-experimental trials that
>>
>> included 104 people working with the computer (the
>>
>> mean age of the subjects was 33.8 years), the main
>>
>> sight disorders during work were the following: deteriorated
>>
>> vision (85.6%), reddened eyes (42.3%) and
>>
>> eyestrain (46.1%). These symptoms and the impairment
>>
>> of the optic function define the syndrome of the
>>
>> strain or fatigue of the vision analyzer, called asthenopia.
>>
>> The stability of asthenopia is characterized by time
>>
>> during which the indicated symptoms disappear and
>>
>> the optic function is reestablished. According to the
>>
>> findings of the performed studies, in 44% of all the
>>
>> subjects the symptoms disappear after the discontinuation
>>
>> of the computer work, in 44% of cases they remain
>>
>> for several hours after work, and in 12% cases
>>
>> they are felt the next day.
>>
>>
>>
>> ...
>>
>> The findings of psycho-physiological studies show
>>
>> that computer work results in a significant fatigue of
>>
>> the central nervous system, impairs attention
>>
>> ...
>>
>> The stability of acute vision decreases by 35.2%, and
>>
>> the fluctuation of the acute/blurred vision periods increases
>>
>> to 20.0 times/min, while the respective values
>>
>> in the control group were, accordingly, 10.4% and 6.7
>>
>> times/min.
>>
>>
>>
>
>
You chase your ideas Mike, I'm chasing mine. I have heard that retinal
dopamine function is quite important for vision.
...
PD causes a progressive loss of dopaminergic cells predominantly in the
retina and possibly in other areas of the visual system. This retinal
dopamine deficiency produces selective spatial-temporal abnormalities in
retinal ganglion cell function, probably arising from altered receptive
field organization in the PD retina.
The four most common sight-threatening conditions in older adults in North
America are cataract, ARM, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. Even in their
moderate stages, these conditions cause visual sensory impairments and
reductions in health-related quality of life, including difficulties in
daily tasks and psychosocial problems. Many older adults are free from these
conditions, yet still experience a variety of visual perceptual problems
resulting from aging-related changes in the optics of the eye and
degeneration of the visual neural pathways. These problems consist of
impairments in visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, color discrimination,
temporal sensitivity, motion perception, peripheral visual field
sensitivity, and visual processing speed. PD causes a progressive loss of
dopaminergic cells predominantly in the retina and possibly in other areas
of the visual system. This retinal dopamine deficiency produces selective
spatial-temporal abnormalities in retinal ganglion cell function, probably
arising from altered receptive field organization in the PD retina. The
cortical degeneration characteristics of AD, including neurofibrillary
tangles and neuritic plaques, also are present in the visual cortical areas,
especially in the visual association areas. The most prominent
electrophysiologic change in AD is a delay in the P2 component of the flash
VEP. Deficits in higher-order visual abilities typically are compromised in
AD, including problems with visual attention, perceiving structure from
motion, visual memory, visual learning, reading, and object and face
perception. There have been reports of a visual variant of AD in which these
types of visual problems are the initial and most prominent signs of the
disease. Visual sensory impairments (e.g., contrast sensitivity or
achromatopsia) also have been reported but are believed more reflective of
cortical disturbances than of AD-associated optic neuropathy.
PMID: 13677819 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
This is fascinating:
Given that therapy with L-dopa plus occlusion initially improved visual
acuity by approximately 1.7 lines following the termination of standard
therapy, L-dopa plus occlusion may reset baseline visual acuity and lead to
long-term improvement in visual acuity after recidivism.
PMID: 12458842 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
ONCLUSION: Though levodopa and carbidopa therapy may not be able to
ameliorate amblyopia on its own on a long-term basis, it may be considered
nonetheless to be an important adjunct to conventional therapy because it
may improve patient compliance for occlusion by improving visual acuity in
the amblyopic eye. Thus, it offers promise of improving the functional
outcome in these cases. However, longer follow-up trials are needed to
substantiate these conclusions.
PMID: 11911549 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE
Quail and retinal dopamine
Combining the PERG and the morphological results, it would seem that the
retinal DA plays an important role in the visual functions studied, and that
loss of retinal DA could underlie some of the visual changes which occur
during ageing.
PMID: 9196729 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
"Mike Tyner" <mtyner@mindspring . com > wrote in message
news:Z4adnXEmoNnMcbfVnZ2dnUVZ_rbinZ2d@giganews . com ...
> Nonetheless, fatigue doesn't appreciably decrease vernier acuity, nor does
> resting improve it.
>
> Of course fatigue influences accommodation, binocularity, attention, the
> ability to _sustain_ clear vision. All of the above. But it doesn't affect
> the resolution of retinal receptors, and it doesn't explain why a
> presbyopic myope might experience decreased distance blur at rising.
>
> Back to my question - which muscle gets rested overnight in order to
> improve focus first thing in the morning? The constrictor pupillae?
>
> -MT
>
>
>> "Mike Tyner" <mtyner@mindspring . com > wrote
>>> If someone actually measures a difference in vernier acuity, I will be
>>> surprised.
>>>
>
> "John Hasenkam" <johnh@goawayplease . com > wrote
>>
>> "Occupational health problems in modern work environment
>>
>> 14/05/2008 9:52PM
>>
>> Occupational health problems in modern work environment
>>
>> Medicina (Kaunas) 2004; 40(9)
>>
>> During detailed clinical-experimental trials that
>>
>> included 104 people working with the computer (the
>>
>> mean age of the subjects was 33.8 years), the main
>>
>> sight disorders during work were the following: deteriorated
>>
>> vision (85.6%), reddened eyes (42.3%) and
>>
>> eyestrain (46.1%). These symptoms and the impairment
>>
>> of the optic function define the syndrome of the
>>
>> strain or fatigue of the vision analyzer, called asthenopia.
>>
>> The stability of asthenopia is characterized by time
>>
>> during which the indicated symptoms disappear and
>>
>> the optic function is reestablished. According to the
>>
>> findings of the performed studies, in 44% of all the
>>
>> subjects the symptoms disappear after the discontinuation
>>
>> of the computer work, in 44% of cases they remain
>>
>> for several hours after work, and in 12% cases
>>
>> they are felt the next day.
>>
>>
>>
>> ...
>>
>> The findings of psycho-physiological studies show
>>
>> that computer work results in a significant fatigue of
>>
>> the central nervous system, impairs attention
>>
>> ...
>>
>> The stability of acute vision decreases by 35.2%, and
>>
>> the fluctuation of the acute/blurred vision periods increases
>>
>> to 20.0 times/min, while the respective values
>>
>> in the control group were, accordingly, 10.4% and 6.7
>>
>> times/min.
>>
>>
>>
>
>
Re: Sleep & Vision
"John Hasenkam" <johnh@goawayplease . com > wrote
> You chase your ideas Mike, I'm chasing mine. I have heard that retinal
> dopamine function is quite important for vision.
The OP was asking why her vision was better after a nap.
Does everybody's acuity improve after sleep? I didn't know that.
-MT
"John Hasenkam" <johnh@goawayplease . com > wrote
> You chase your ideas Mike, I'm chasing mine. I have heard that retinal
> dopamine function is quite important for vision.
The OP was asking why her vision was better after a nap.
Does everybody's acuity improve after sleep? I didn't know that.
-MT
Re: Sleep & Vision
"Mike Tyner" <mtyner@mindspring . com > wrote in message
news:SfadnUwk_qz0kbbVnZ2dnUVZ_jWdnZ2d@giganews . com ...
>
> "John Hasenkam" <johnh@goawayplease . com > wrote
>
>> You chase your ideas Mike, I'm chasing mine. I have heard that retinal
>> dopamine function is quite important for vision.
>
> The OP was asking why her vision was better after a nap.
>
> Does everybody's acuity improve after sleep? I didn't know that.
>
> -MT
Actually Mike I thought it was the converse, that upon waking vision is not
optimal, hence my chasing the dopamine angle but unfortunately couldn't find
anything on circadians and vision.
Why are the Batesonians here? They have their own forums, we do not go there
and stay there. Let me guess: there here to save everyone from you evil
specialist bastards who are involved in a cosmic conspiracy to deprive
everyone of perfect eyesight.
"Mike Tyner" <mtyner@mindspring . com > wrote in message
news:SfadnUwk_qz0kbbVnZ2dnUVZ_jWdnZ2d@giganews . com ...
>
> "John Hasenkam" <johnh@goawayplease . com > wrote
>
>> You chase your ideas Mike, I'm chasing mine. I have heard that retinal
>> dopamine function is quite important for vision.
>
> The OP was asking why her vision was better after a nap.
>
> Does everybody's acuity improve after sleep? I didn't know that.
>
> -MT
Actually Mike I thought it was the converse, that upon waking vision is not
optimal, hence my chasing the dopamine angle but unfortunately couldn't find
anything on circadians and vision.
Why are the Batesonians here? They have their own forums, we do not go there
and stay there. Let me guess: there here to save everyone from you evil
specialist bastards who are involved in a cosmic conspiracy to deprive
everyone of perfect eyesight.
