Dave: -4.75 To No More Glasses | Shortsighted Podcast | Jake Steiner
Summary
TLDRIn this podcast episode, Dave shares his remarkable journey of improving his eyesight from -4.75 in 2017 to seeing 20/20 without glasses. He discusses his active focus technique, lifestyle changes including diet and screen time, and the significant role of controlling his diabetes. Dave's story is a testament to the potential of vision improvement and the importance of a holistic approach to eye health.
Takeaways
- π Dave started with a vision of -4.75 in 2017 and has significantly improved his eyesight to 20/20 without glasses.
- π½οΈ Dave's improvement may be related to changes in his diet and managing his diabetes, which can contribute to myopia.
- π Dave's journey was faster than average, possibly due to his dedication to lifestyle changes and specific eye exercises.
- π« The script suggests avoiding a particular method that only helps relax the ciliary muscle and does not address modern eye strain from screens.
- π± Dave discovered the importance of 'letting go' and allowing his eyes to focus naturally without straining.
- π± Dave reduced his screen time and made a conscious effort to look at distant objects to help improve his distance vision.
- π₯ Dave visited an optometrist to get his prescription reduced and eventually stopped wearing glasses altogether.
- π Dave experimented with different types of sunglasses to find ones that increased contrast without distorting colors.
- πͺ Dave's story is a testament to the importance of perseverance and self-experimentation in vision improvement.
- π£οΈ Dave's active participation in the Facebook group helps others by sharing his experiences and insights on achieving better eyesight.
Q & A
What was Dave's initial prescription for his glasses in 2017?
-Dave's initial prescription was -4.75 in the left eye and -4.5 in the right eye.
How has Dave's eyesight improved since starting his journey in July 2017?
-Dave's eyesight has improved to the point where he can see 20/20 without any correction, as measured by his eye chart app on his phone.
What role did diet play in Dave's journey to improve his eyesight?
-Dave is a diabetic and had extremely high blood sugar, which can contribute to myopia. After getting his blood sugar under control, his eyesight improved significantly.
What method did Dave initially try that did not work for him?
-Dave initially tried a method that focused on relaxing the ciliary muscle, which helped reduce his prescription slightly but did not lead to significant improvements.
How did Dave's approach to improving his eyesight change after discovering the concept of 'active focus'?
-Dave shifted his approach from forcing his eyes to focus to allowing them to relax and work naturally, which he refers to as 'letting go' of his eyes.
What lifestyle changes did Dave make in addition to practicing active focus?
-Dave reduced his screen time, got more sleep, looked into the distance more often, and spent more time outdoors.
How did Dave manage the reduction of his glasses prescription?
-Dave went to the optometrist after the first year of his journey and got a smaller correction. Eventually, he found little difference between wearing -2.5 correction and not wearing glasses at all, so he stopped wearing them.
What advice does Dave give to newcomers about practicing active focus?
-Dave advises newcomers to relax their eyes and not force them to focus, to look at specific things like text or TV subtitles from a distance, and to be patient as improvements may take time.
How does Dave feel about his progress and the possibility of sharing his story with others?
-Dave is very happy with his progress and is open to sharing his story to help and inspire others on their journey to improve their eyesight.
What was Dave's attitude towards wearing sunglasses and how does it relate to his eyesight improvement?
-Dave experimented with different types of sunglasses to find ones that increased contrast without changing colors, which helped him see better in bright sunlight without the need for additional diopter correction.
What was the host's final advice to Dave regarding his participation in the Facebook group?
-The host advised Dave not to burn out from helping others in the Facebook group and to pace himself when answering repeated questions.
Outlines
π Journey to Better Eyesight
The podcast episode features Dave, who has made significant progress in improving his eyesight since 2017. Starting with a prescription of -4.75, Dave now sees well without glasses, largely due to his focus on a specific method and lifestyle changes, including diet adjustments for his diabetes. The discussion emphasizes the importance of not just the method but also the individual's commitment and effort in achieving such results.
π The Concept of Active Focus
Dave shares his experience with 'active focus,' a technique that involves relaxing the eyes rather than straining them. He discusses the challenges of describing this subjective experience and how he adapted it to his routine. The conversation also touches on the importance of looking at distant objects to help with distance vision, and how Dave's lifestyle changes, including reduced screen time and more sleep, contributed to his progress.
π Reducing Dependency on Glasses
The discussion continues with Dave's process of reducing his dependency on glasses. He explains how he went from a -2.5 prescription to not wearing glasses at all, based on his comfort and vision clarity. Dave also talks about his interactions with optometrists and his approach to gradually reducing his reliance on corrective lenses, highlighting the individual nature of such a journey.
ποΈββοΈ Lifestyle Changes and Diabetes Management
Dave links his rapid improvement in eyesight to managing his type 2 diabetes, suggesting a correlation between blood sugar control and vision. He shares his frustration with wearing glasses and the discomfort they caused, which motivated him to seek alternatives. The conversation also covers the importance of challenging eyesight even indoors and the role of outdoor activities in vision improvement.
π§ The Value of Personal Stories in Vision Improvement
The podcast concludes with reflections on the value of personal stories like Dave's in inspiring and guiding others on their journey to better eyesight. The host appreciates Dave's contributions to the Facebook group and the podcast, emphasizing the authenticity of a conversation over text-based interactions. They also discuss the challenges of maintaining engagement in online groups and the importance of pacing oneself when sharing knowledge and experiences.
πΆοΈ Sunglasses and Vision Comfort
In the final part of the conversation, Dave and the host discuss the use of sunglasses, particularly the impact of different tints on vision. They consider the benefits of sunglasses that increase contrast without altering color perception and how such choices can enhance visual comfort. The discussion also touches on the marketing aspects of sunglasses and the importance of personal trial and comfort in choosing the right pair.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Myopia
π‘Diabetes
π‘Glasses
π‘Active Focus
π‘Optometrist
π‘Diopter
π‘Blood Sugar Control
π‘Facebook Group
π‘Screen Time
π‘Sunglasses
π‘Visual Acuity
Highlights
Dave's journey began in 2017 with -4.75 vision, and now he sees well without glasses.
Dave's rapid improvement might be related to changes in his diet and managing his diabetes.
Dave's initial prescription was -4.75 in the left eye and -4.5 in the right eye.
Dave now sees 20/20 without any correction, a significant improvement from his starting point.
Dave has been working on improving his eyesight since July 2017.
Dave's research led him to discover methods for eyesight improvement, which he pursued diligently.
Dave's experience with traditional methods was limited, leading him to explore other options.
Dave found success with a method that emphasizes relaxation of the eyes rather than active focusing.
Dave's daily practice includes focusing on distant objects to help with his distance vision.
Dave reduced his screen time and improved his sleep, contributing to his eyesight improvement.
Dave's optometristδΉζ started after noticing little difference between -2.5 correction and no correction.
Dave's realization that overworking his eyes was counterproductive led to significant progress.
Dave's blood sugar control as a type 2 diabetic may have contributed to his vision improvement.
Dave's advice for newcomers is to relax the eyes and let them focus naturally.
Dave shares his method of challenging his eyesight by reading small print from a distance.
Dave's transition from -4.75 to no glasses was gradual and involved lifestyle changes.
Dave's experience with contacts was unsuccessful due to dry eyes, leading him to rely on glasses.
Dave's final thoughts emphasize the importance of not forcing the eyes to focus and allowing natural progression.
Transcripts
welcome back today podcast all episode
with Dave Dave who's also been very
active in the Facebook group and Dave
who really likes his act of focus and
Dave and I had a great chat
he started out at - 4.75 in 2017 is now
not using gawss's for the most part and
seeing very well without them it's an
unusually faster a journey it is
probably related also to his changes in
diet he's diabetic
and he had extremely high blood sugar
which sometimes can contribute
apparently notably to myopia so don't
take all these gains as just pure magic
he's put in a lot of work he's put in a
lot of time and effort and he's also
improving his life on a larger scale
beyond his classes welcome to Dave
okay first off my name is David Marchak
and I'm I would I was a million medium
mild compared to other people but still
in my own bag yeah I we consider at high
because I had a an issue I couldn't I
can just barely make out in gigantic he
neon that I turn into a doctor and
they've prescribed me um - 475 in the
left eye and a - four and a half in the
right eye with a statement of impression
and - corner doctor for for the cornea
and the lens in each high well and today
I am checking my eyesight on my eye
chart app on my phone and I'm seeing I'm
when I'm doing is I'm setting out on you
one end of my love scene and sitting on
the other end which is about four feet
across the saline miss and said they
watch he'll hold the phone and then I'm
seeing 20/20 easily and I've seen summer
2015 nice and and what what correction
are you waiting for that I'm not wearing
any correction Oh Dave how did that
happen that happened thanks to you and
your information that you put online and
I just took that information and I
totally ran with it and how long have
you been how long have you been working
on this I've been working on this since
in July of 2017
I started that journey when I thought to
myself my eyes are healthy does the
doctor says but I can't see crap so I'm
thinking to myself why not and then I
did my own little research online about
how to improve my eyesight I really
didn't get very far
I
the bug for some and eyesight
improvement and it turns out to me the
method and you do not like to talk about
oh yes so we will not mention such a
method but no particular setup John made
him from the - 475 - four and a half
down to about minus three and a half and
a - three and a half I was seeing twenty
forty and we just took about a year now
talk about a year yeah and that's that's
why we don't that's why we don't mention
that method because it works right in
its day it was a fantastic idea like it
was the right idea but mostly all it
does is help you relax your ciliary
muscle it's like from a time when people
didn't have screens and didn't generally
wear glasses so that worked back then
but now if you've got multiple doctors
you're gonna get as far as you can with
we're losing relaxing your ciliary but
after that you're kind of stuck and
that's kind of the way I ran into I ran
into the fact I was trying so hard to
new design exercises and there was just
nonsense because I my eyes and stones
tired and they were still stressed out
and then I stumbled across your website
and through my searches and I and I
signed up for the 7-day emails I got
those and I just and the one thing that
really got to me was had to focus and
since hi since I learned that amount
activist I tried figuring out and I was
having so much trouble because I still
wanted to squint and work my eyes which
is the opposite of what you want to do
you want to quit working on to see
partner yeah and I always see your posts
in the Facebook group where you're like
about it chill out yeah this is which
which the thing with the problem with
active focus is there is no like
definitive way to describe it because
it's a subjective experience and it's an
experience that's not tied to a
vocabulary so it's we talk about it as
much as possible to find an angle that
that resonates with you and I like your
take on it right like this
thank you just letting it go yeah sure
and that's what you should that's what
I've noticed about myself
as I let go of my eyes and let them do
their work on there alone I think like
they should I noticed that I see so much
clearer all the time all the time at
night and I did add some focus every
single day all the time
and I kept looking in the distance and
by looking at InnoCentive helped fix my
distance vision as you predicted should
was you know like you said the eye in
jabs to the stimulus yeah and did you
get any help from many optometrists and
how did you buy your glasses how did you
go about the reduction process I just
went to the optometrist
after the first year got the smaller
correction and I noticed that even when
I was down to even the - two and a half
there was so little difference between
nah wearing them and wearing them I just
quit wearing them altogether
you went directly from minus 2.5 to just
not wearing them right because I figured
- two and a half I was seen 2025 so I I
figured the last half of last 5 feet and
a friend or bobble I really didn't need
that much correction so so I just ran
with it and I then miss the aha moment
that I received from the atomic trace
which I'm overworking eyes so once I
quit over working on that's when they
before we took a whole new level
interesting interesting and is there is
there any other lifestyle changes or
anything like what's your screen use
like before after now my screen use was
very high in the beginning so I was so
on my phone all the time and now I am
getting I'm not oh about five or six
hours a day on the phone instead of
eight to ten hours I'm getting a little
more sleep and I'm always looking in the
distance for a longer period of time and
that makes it a huge difference I said
and I said in front of my team but it's
10 feet away yeah that's way better that
distance even way better even like
laptop distance or like computer screen
distance anything that's not that tiny
little like this small size of the
screen and Plus that your hand holding
it really makes people just creep up
with it it's not no good yeah and I'm
actually holding the phone away from me
arm's length which is hard to do when
you're focused on zooming content right
right right right right
and I I get outside when I can even
though it's a little for me based on the
Fenton on my car but I still get out
let's go around when I walk around
definitely looking at an innocence you
know just totally relaxed on eyes and
seeing far and I'm loving every minute
of it
that's that is excellent that's great
progress and I really like your
contributions to I think a lot of the
newbie I try to limit the newbie
questions in the Facebook group that are
just every day because they're all new
FAQ and stuff but like some of you
active focus conversations I think are
helpful for people and that's my goal is
to help them
newbies would act
focus because I've learned how to do
acting focus with very much ease and I'm
thinking why not help two new Me's yeah
and what's here I have noticed that
sometimes you post on their read a
Facebook group rules and I'm thinking is
that directed to me or somebody else
know that's them because in the first
thing it says like when you join you
have to answer three questions and one
of the questions is we read the group
rules because in the group was a lot of
those things are answered there's links
to the FAQ there's links to the active
focused page people don't read them and
if it happens too much than the Facebook
group gets unusable for for people who
regularly come because it's just flooded
with the same question over and over
again so sometimes I get a little cranky
I'm just like hey come on
yeah I think I take it over your project
as far as active focus goes I think
eventually it's it's easy to eventually
get burnout on it get tired of it
because it's just like the same thing or
and over and over again but I think it's
useful to at least one time just kind of
go through like and maybe now is a great
time for that like how you would
describe the whole process of how you do
have to focus to somebody who's just
starting out mm-hmm and that's kind of
what I'm doing it when I'm answering
those Facebook questions about active
focus alright and you're saying it's
mostly for you for you it's mostly about
relaxing you're saying right yes for me
it's mostly about relaxing my eyes I'm
on not working down let no eyes focus
like a camera or binoculars let them do
the work and just blinking normally yeah
are you looking at specific things for
that like what's the most because I
generally recommend text because it's
easy to tell if it's blurry or not but
you might when I'm sitting 10 feet away
from ice my TV I'm constantly trying to
read the bottom of
screen which are the commercials when
there's tiny print and I can read it so
clearly oh I lost what there you are
you're back yeah great yeah oh yeah yeah
and it's so that's also a good one right
like the I always used to tell people
like in the winter when they're stuck
indoors when they're TVs like one of the
few options left is like watching movies
with subtitles right like where you have
at the end of thing yeah unless you know
Jake what's going on
wow that was me oh another call yeah so
reading the subtitles like any any of
those things so even when you're not
outside even when you're not doing
something that I generally say it's a
good idea you're still challenging
eyesight yeah I like to challenge my
eyesight even when I'm watching The
Weather Channel than I have here in
central Iowa i watch the way to channel
all the time because it's got tiny
letters from the cities I'd like to be
able to read the tiny letters and the
city names it's with no glasses no
glasses that's that seems a little
blurry all they do is is just quit
working my eyes and let the eyes focus
on their own that's great it's fantastic
yeah and what got you on this in the
first place you didn't mention that you
thought your eyes should be working fine
but there must have been something from
because it took a while to get to when I
went up well did it I can tell you
what's narnun myopia altogether and I
was playing Atari close to the screen
and then Nintendo and of course the
cords are so shortened at that time that
you know he had your sick hostility me
and I was cleaned all day long and then
of course naturally my hope you just
naturally came about yeah and then you
go to the optometrist and you get
stronger glasses right no stronger
glasses every single time
you know you know and I got tired of I
got tired of the glasses in the way that
fit on my ear on my ear I always had red
ears and it was irritated and all that
and I couldn't stand it anymore I'm like
enough is enough I gotta do something
about this yeah that's kind of new to
that point it's it seems like it has to
be some some specific thing right like
your ears hurt
for me the glasses were just too thick
some people say they were too heavy or
they couldn't do contacts like if
everything's fine there isn't really
like a starting point right right I
tried to do contacts that was a disaster
[Music]
ten contacts for me I was so hard
because I had a hard time touching my
eye that's why I got me there I would I
tried it for maybe three days and I was
sending notes enough for that that's
right
because I did I tried contacts - my eyes
are too dry or were too dry I didn't
have enough to your fluid so after like
an hour they would get real scratchy but
yeah now that you mention it like poking
your finger into your eyes yeah yeah
yeah I do not like to do that and and uh
yeah that's all I gotta say my patch
anyway that's really good I mean that's
that's and I would say like for people
who watch or listen your improvement
isn't the average and isn't necessarily
what everybody should expect and I don't
recommend for people to stop wearing
glasses at minus 2.5 but I was
comfortable with it I'd ride in that
comfortable with not wearing them yeah
yeah and that's it I just if I needed to
wear them for like driving or something
or me and in a car with something you
know a navigator then I would definitely
wear you know I was on the house there's
no point in it ringing them yeah and
that's why like exceptions always apply
and that's why this is kind of a
difficult topic because individual
experience varies so if you are a person
that you can still see clearly right
like because what happens long as people
take off the glasses and then
everything's blurry and that does
nothing
I like there's no benefit to that so all
I'm saying is for other people that are
watching or listening that there's small
reductions in most cases are the right
way to go unless you're having an
experience like day for you're like I
really don't need these because I can
see the tiny print on my TV regardless
right and then another big thing that
happened for me was I got my blood
Sugar's under control
I'm a type 2 diabetic and my when it was
head when I had the -4 is 75 doctors my
blood sure was read 32 average 332 and
that's really high is really high yes it
is that's that's that's really good
that's not good so then once I got those
under control then you know maybe that's
what really helped jumpstart me to the
2040 was getting one blood sugar under
control very possible because diabetes
and myopia have a strong correlation
like I'm not a doctor and I don't deal
with diabetes it's just something that I
read in clinical studies every so often
diabetics and myopia always connected so
very possibly some explanation for the
rapid improvement yeah I think that's
what it is myself
yeah but then I'm enforced once I got
down to 2040 I started out on playing
and myopia and you know the next thing I
know I'm just young start and just turn
off or you
I'm super happy for you and I also
appreciate you sharing the story because
I think there's a big difference between
an actual conversation and just being on
Facebook or whatever we're all texts
right like all people look the same it's
just text on the screen I hadn't wanted
to do a podcast with you know for a
while or even a video interview and here
we are yeah and it took me a while
because even just doing videos I don't
even like my face on the screen in
general right and then I'm a big time
introvert like I'm really not good at
like before having these conversations
the first day like that before like 10
minutes before I always get super
anxious I don't want to talk to anybody
like I just Venera it's my phone I just
as soon as I could afford it I got an
assistant to deal with phone calls and
stuff like I'm just not good with with
this kind of stuff but then when we're
talking I'm fine right but it's just off
to that moment so people have been
saying this for years we should do this
we should do this but I'm always like I
don't talk to people just recently on
Facebook so many mentioned that I should
do a video interview with Ian and then I
was gonna share that screenshot with you
yeah and because we just did one with
Sharada there a couple weeks ago and
that got so much positive feedback that
it was like maybe right like we're
already on this path and like you you
know what I mean like it's totally
different I think to read another
passing headline that says minus four
point something to no glasses but then
seeing Dave and hearing Dave talk is a
totally different story oh yeah oh yeah
and one thing I wanted to mention was
that as I my over my often person your
instinct has deus winds or try to force
the mission to come to have you know to
happen you know as I got to realizing
and during in in myopia and doing the
back to focus I just will started
realizing that that's the office
which one I know she makes yes manner
that's true you don't want to force it
and because it's for most people it's a
longer like- 4.75 that's that's a five
year journey for most people maybe even
longer and if you spent five years
squinting that's just you're gonna be
wrinkly and you're gonna have headaches
and it's just not really gonna be an
awesome experience I I remember that
time I was worn glasses for nearly 40
years and now I'm not wearing less them
anymore that's amazing that's a long
time you weren't lasses do you still
find yourself like reaching for them
once in a while or thinking you
forgotten actually feel myself going
pushing up on my nose like like they're
still there it's a tire chain that I
wear my glasses yeah because I you know
when you're wearing glasses or when
you're working up close your eyes are
comfortable when were far away you just
keep them maintained a relaxation and
you shouldn't seem far yeah that's right
yeah that's awesome
okay so do you have any other questions
comments that we want to cover
well can't really think of any sure did
your people only the only issue with
this is how about this what do you think
about wearing sunglasses as far as as
far as a really dark sunglasses versus
sunglasses with amber color depending on
how much light you're trying to reduce
so what I'd like to do is I'd like to be
able to to reduce the sunlight friendly
here the brightness from the Sun but not
renewest own Brenda's and the rest of
the world world you know maybe maybe
knees might not be the best when I
me with these the they in they darken it
just about everything it almost makes it
look like dusk outside all the time you
know all over and it's kind of hard to
see you're certain things when you're
when you looks like dusk you langford if
I was sure I'm in the car with those
things on it would mean you see miracles
oncoming yeah
then maybe non those like I know I have
a pair that's I want to say like grayish
and when I put them on the only thing it
does is increases the contrast like it
makes everything okay like the color the
colors don't really shift it's just more
contrast II they're fairly dark I don't
they're in the car but right
it doesn't change like the overall color
of of what I'm looking at and actually
when I used to still work on my eyesight
I was always when I was outside and I
was generally in really bright areas I
would wear sunglasses at a prescription
or quote-unquote prescription but I
would need less diopter correction
because the increased contrast you know
like so if you pick the right kind of
sunglasses you can actually see better
in that in that sunlight with with just
not changing the colors I was
considering getting some HD measuring
kind of glasses HD vision yeah I don't
know I think the best thing like if
you're not if you can get ears if you
can get in your store is just to try a
few different colors and variation a lot
of the the marketing stuff is just
marketing stuff I hear ya yeah you know
like it's a tint it's a color of tint
and that's it and then they sell you a
bunch of extra stuff but mm-hmm
gotta me it's it's it's curved pieces of
plastic right like the whole thing right
it's all marketing like a pair of lenses
costs two dollars so from there whether
it's sunglasses or anything else like
it's all yeah
it's all marketing that's all it is yeah
alright Dave I'm gonna it's breakfast
time over here why I really appreciate
you coming on and I really appreciate
you contributing in the Facebook group
don't burn out on that stuff because I
mean people ask the same question all
day every day so pace yourself
okay okay all I'm saying bring it on all
I guess they're done actual obvious
questions all right do you mean over and
over and over and over and over on you
know in the 40 how's that for a while
you will and then you get tired of it
thanks so much for being on Dave I
really appreciate it and maybe we'll
have a follow up and see how you're
doing
yeah I think that would be fun so that
was our chat with Dave interesting
fellow that he is you can also find him
in the Facebook group depending on when
you watch this people drop out
eventually sometimes when the vision is
back to 20/20 and they have no real
reason for this kind of support group
but I think it's a great story and it's
a great reminder that you should at the
very least consider your doctor
dependents it's not to say that you know
the same results as Dave it's just he
looked at how much of this does he
actually need he reduced his dependents
to the point where largely he doesn't
require the use of glasses to see
clearly anymore
which is kind of a worthwhile goal if
you like this kind of stuff as I have
mentioned in other ones of these
episodes we have thousands of
improvement reports from participants I
can ask more to participants to possibly
share a pocket style if you find that
worthwhile leave comments below let me
know let me know if this is something
you want to see leave a like and
subscribe to the channel if you want to
catch more of these episodes see the
next one
yummy mmm yummy
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