This book by ophthalmologist William Horatio Bates, M.D., is the origin of the "The Bates Method" and probably also the origin for most of the multitude of natural vision improvement systems and courses available today. The Bates method aims to correct vision habits by relaxation techniques, exercises, activities and games, he claimed that his program could improve sight and reverse ocular disorders. His core claim being that mental strain and divergence from the natural habits of seeing are the prime cause of poor eyesight. Although many people claim to have been helped his method, and its later derivatives the efficacy of the Bates method remains controversial.
This original version of the book contains all of the illustrations and text that was left out of the more commonly available abridged version of the book that was published in 1943 by his widow, Emily Bates, under the title Better Eyesight Without Glasses.