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Can visualisation improve your eyesight?

Most of us accept that our eyesight will deteriorate with age - and gold-rimmed glasses are a necessary addition to growing older.

But fans of vision therapy - a combination of visualisation, self belief and physical exercises - say poor eyesight is all in the mind.

Converts claim they can toss their glasses aside after one workshop. Others claim the exercises can correct eye complaints within months.

The technique is the brainchild of Leo Angart, a Danish businessman living in Hong Kong, who trained his eyes back to health using alternative methods.

Together, he and Katrina Patterson, a teacher of neuro-linguistic programming - which involves positive thinking - have devised a technique designed to correct eyesight - without the help of glasses or contact lenses.

'Vision is 90 per cent in the mind,' says Katrina who runs a series of weekend workshops around the country. Our methods are based on the belief that eyesight is psychological, rather than biological.'

'This is because mind and body are linked - which means you can't have a thought without having an effect on the body. For example, when you think of a lemon, a chemical reaction produces saliva in the mouth.'

So what does vision therapy involve and how does it work?

Derived from the work of William Bates - an American ophthalmologist (eye doctor) who claimed that eyesight is linked to psychology rather than biology - vision therapy is a combination of physical exercises, energy work and neuro-linguistic programming (the art of self belief).

Before starting a vision therapy session, participants assess their sight by reading 'snellen' charts - eye charts posted around the walls used to measure eyesight. This gives them a benchmark to measure their progress.

A typical workshop begins with relaxation exercises known as palming. Based on yogic principles, this is where the hands are rubbed together to produce energy, then placed over the eyes.

Participants are asked to imagine a soft black velvet cushion. The technique works because heat generated from the hands helps relax the eye sockets. And, the idea is the more darkness you see, the more relaxed you are.

As part of neuro-linguistic programming - or positive thinking - those who wear glasses are questioned why. The idea of belief is tackled - in other words we can break through the belief that we need to wear glasses or contact lenses. Vision therapists believe that we are conditioned from an early age to wear spectacles - because our teacher told us to at school, or because it runs in our family.

And apart from belief techniques, various Bates exercises are introduced. Rather than generating energy, these exercises work the muscles aimed at different eye complaints. A short-sighted person - which according to vision therapists indicates muscular tension - may be encouraged to 'sway'. This is when the action of closing the eyes encourages more energy to enter into the visual system and, in turn, increase visual range.

In contrast, long-sighted people are asked to read print upside down. This trains the eye to make distinctions between black and white, especially when the print gets smaller - and helps discipline the eye muscles.

Those with lazy eyes may follow an exercise which involves aligning their eyes against a piece of string. Then, with the aid of a pen, they move it back and forth to train the eyes to focus.

Energy or pranic work - to cleanse and energise the eyes - is also important in vision therapy. This includes imagining coloured light streaming through the back of the head into the optic nerve.

Other techniques based on acupressure involve pressing certain energy points around the eyes, cheekbones and scalp to stimulate circulation and help relieve stress.

But what do conventional opticians think - and could vision be all in the mind?

'Our vision is quite flexible and vision therapy can be useful for certain groups of people such as computer workers - who need to adjust to working at close distances,' says Paula Stevens, an optometrist and training officer for the Association of British Dispensing Opticians.'

But, she added, there are some points to consider.

'There's little scientific evidence to prove that vision therapy can help those with severe problems - especially those suffering from catarract or glaucoma.

• The next vision therapy weekend workshop (£140) will be held at the Student's Union, 6 Malet St, London WC1 on 13/14 October, and then at the Station House Training Centre, Whalley, East Lancashire early next year. For further details, contact Katrina Patterson on 01895 255063.