Bates method

Bates method
Alternative medicine
	William Bates and his assistant
Claims	The need for eyeglasses can be reversed by relaxation.
Related fields	Ophthalmology, optometry
Year proposed	1891
Original proponents	William Horatio Bates; Bernarr Macfadden

The Bates method is an ineffective and potentially dangerous alternative therapy aimed at improving eyesight. Eye-care physician William Horatio Bates (1860–1931) held the erroneous belief that the extraocular muscles effected changes in focus and that "mental strain" caused abnormal action of these muscles; hence he believed that relieving such "strain" would cure defective vision.^[1]^[2] In 1952, optometry professor Elwin Marg wrote of Bates, "Most of his claims and almost all of his theories have been considered false by practically all visual scientists."^[3]^[4]

No type of training has been shown to change the refractive power of the eye.^[5] Moreover, certain aspects of the Bates method can put its followers at risk: They may damage their eyes through overexposure to sunlight, not wear their corrective lenses when they need them (e.g., while driving), or neglect conventional eye care, possibly allowing serious conditions to develop.^[3]^[6]

^ Worrall RS, Neyvas J, Barrett S (6 July 2018). "Eye-Related Quackery". Quackwatch. Archived from the original on 22 May 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
^ Pollack, Philip (1956). "Chapter 3: Fallacies of the Bates System". The Truth about Eye Exercises. Philadelphia: Chilton Company.
^ ^a ^b Chou, Brian (15 September 2004). "Exposing the Secrets of Fringe Eye Care". Review of Optometry. 141 (9). Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
^ Marg, Elwin (April 1952). "Flashes of clear vision and negative accommodation with reference to the Bates Method of visual training" (PDF). American Journal of Optometry & Archives of American Academy of Optometry. 29 (4): 167–84. doi:10.1097/00006324-195204000-00001. PMID 14923801. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2008.
^ Cite error: The named reference AAO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Grierson, Ian (2000). "Exercises for Eyes as an Alternative to Glasses". The Eye Book: Eyes and Eye Problems Explained. Liverpool University Press. pp. 58–60. ISBN 9780853237556. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2016.

[qw-1] Worrall RS, Neyvas J, Barrett S (6 July 2018). "Eye-Related Quackery". Quackwatch. Archived from the original on 22 May 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.

[pollack-2] Pollack, Philip (1956). "Chapter 3: Fallacies of the Bates System". The Truth about Eye Exercises. Philadelphia: Chilton Company.

[Chou-3] Chou, Brian (15 September 2004). "Exposing the Secrets of Fringe Eye Care". Review of Optometry. 141 (9). Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.

[Marg-4] Marg, Elwin (April 1952). "Flashes of clear vision and negative accommodation with reference to the Bates Method of visual training" (PDF). American Journal of Optometry & Archives of American Academy of Optometry. 29 (4): 167–84. doi:10.1097/00006324-195204000-00001. PMID 14923801. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2008.

[AAO-5] Cite error: The named reference AAO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Grierson-6] Grierson, Ian (2000). "Exercises for Eyes as an Alternative to Glasses". The Eye Book: Eyes and Eye Problems Explained. Liverpool University Press. pp. 58–60. ISBN 9780853237556. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2016.

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