A gradual decline in my visual acuity coincided with my transition into secondary school. Having been raised in a dialect speaking home where no mainstream languages were used, the move from primary to secondary school, in which English was the medium of instruction, was all the more daunting for a 13 year old boy. This stress was further exacerbated by the rigorous demands of a meritocratic school curriculum. Coupled with a gradually deteriorating vision, this proved to be a very stressful period of my life.
These difficult moments were not aided by the fact that I was seated near the back of the classroom. The distance made it even harder for me to see the writings on the blackboard. After a month, I had no choice but to tell my father I needed a pair of glasses. I still remember when I used to tease my primary school classmates when they were wearing glasses, a fate that has now befallen me. Although wearing glasses was quite common among students, I still felt a strange feeling of sadness that I too had succumbed to the same fate.
Not being exceptionally academically orientated, I struggled to cope with the schoolwork. I was further bogged down by constant episodes of severe headaches, and this was initially diagnosed to be caused by a hereditary condition. The frequency of my headaches reduced over time and eventually subsided, much to my relief. Unfortunately this did not alleviate my vision, which continued to deteriorate further, and I eventually had to get a new pair of glasses with a higher power.
This progressive increase in my short-sightedness frustrated me, and prompted me to find a treatment without having to go through ever thickening glasses. These trying times also coincided with the growing adolescent period where we are quite mindful of our looks. A bespectacled teenager was not considered “good-looking”. These naive sentiments further fuelled my desire to find a ‘cure’ as soon as possible.
Driven by this notion, I headed to the old National Library and browsed aisle after aisle, shelf upon shelf of journals and books. I had no idea what I was looking for, but was hoping that I would be somehow rewarded with a good lead. True enough, with a stroke of good fortune, I chanced upon this book: “Better Eyesight without Glasses” (Revised edition) by Dr. William H Bates.
The content of this book proved to be so riveting, that I finished three quarter of the book in one sitting. Even though some aspects of the book’s content proved to be slightly beyond my comprehension at that time, I was eager to put into practice the basics that I had learnt. My first step involved practicing the vision technique as recommended, as well as printing an enlarged version of the ‘Snellen Eyechart’ and putting it up in my bedroom wall.
Motivated by my enthusiasm and slight vision improvement, I conscientiously practiced these vision techniques over a period of two to three months. During this time, I did notice change in my vision and personal confidence in seeing. As with all young men in Singapore, the day of enlistment came and I did not have the liberty of doing these vision techniques during the 2 ½ years in army training. This lull period dented the continuous practice of the vision techniques and hence my improvement.
