Contemporary researchers believe nearsightedness (myopia) is brought on by a number of diverse elements. These elements include the way a person uses their eyes, the visual environment, the mental importance or difficulty of a visual task, overall tension within the mind & body, the level of internal visual exertion, as well as emotional, familial & psychological factors. For instance, nearsightedness frequently develops in individuals who do a great deal of reading, video games & near visual work. The intense and excessive close work causes a spasm of the inner eye muscles which, over time, reduces the flexibility of the lens that focuses light. The lens shape then adapts inward providing primarily clear "near" vision to the exclusion of distinct distance vision. With the eye focus continually adapting & shifting toward close vision, the distance vision continues to decline and becomes more & more blurred over time. The internal ocular conditions favoring only clear near vision become physically embedded and thus nearsightedness develops. Recent studies have shown that prolonged computer use causes an overactive eye focusing system, distance blur, clinical findings of premature nearsightedness, and other stresses on the visual system. Soft contact lenses worn for prolonged reading, computer, and near vision activities require greater eye focusing effort and can contribute to the overall strain on the ocular focusing system. Despite the focusing effort, rigid contact lenses, especially lenses designed for myopia containment & orthokeratology, actually slow down the progression of myopia.

Muscle spasms and other changes inside the eye which foster nearsightedness can also be caused by prolonged physical & emotional stress. Childhood tension appears to be more common today, and nearsightedness seems to develop more frequently in those who are under a lot of stress. Children's young lives are over regulated and over planned in our modern society. Children are encouraged to participate only in highly organized & very competitive athletic & cultural activities. Adults pressure the children and their coaches to succeed. At the same time, youngsters are sometimes not encouraged, or prevented by circumstances, from enjoying "spontaneous", healthful outdoor activities, and experiencing the natural emotional expression, and stress relief engendered by such activities. Children too often today are not allowed to be children; there is too much adult pressure to conform and social pressure to mature quickly. Children are given little free time to just discover and enjoy themselves. Children are permitted or encouraged to remain indoors where they spend too much time on close up visual activities like television, video games, and viewing the computer screen. All of these "near oriented" vision activities, coupled with too much youthful stress, can change the eyes internally & promote the development of "near"sightedness.

Additional stress occurs in the academic environment where children feel pressured by the daily rigors of attempting to learn new academic material, and in some instances, by the demands to always get the highest grades of which they are capable. These psychodynamic tensions to succeed academically may be self-imposed, caused by peer pressure, or brought on by the well-intentioned urgings of overly demanding parents or teachers. Today there is great pressure to conform to the roles & behavior models envisioned by today's intractable behavioral standards. This creates unnecessary tension, created by the educational institution, which persists all through the school day. This academic tension adds immeasurably, and harmfully, to the overall stress experienced by today's youngsters.

Young people who develop myopia have been found to have a mild but significant increase of fluid pressure within the eyes. The pressure elevates the most when a child is reading & doing close visual work. After reading, this internal ocular pressure remains higher for a relatively long period of time. As a child becomes more nearsighted, the eyes actually lengthen causing light to focus improperly within the eyes. Researchers are now becoming convinced that stress inhibits the proper circulation of fluid within the eyes, thus elevating the intraocular pressure, which in turn causes ocular lengthening, and the development of additional nearsightedness.

Recent theories about the development of myopia also consider a Mind, Body, Feeling component for the development of nearsightedness. It is well known that the thoughts & feelings we experience effect all of the functions within the Body. Individuals have noticed the development of myopia while going through a highly stressful events in life. Behavioral optometrists believe that many children today, burdened by a demanding society, live in a chronic state of stress, worry and fear, and feel pressured to mature quickly. This results in an overall subconscious fear of life & uncertainty about being able to deal with the future. In response some youngsters shift their thoughts, emotions, and even their range of vision inward as a form of psychological protection from the demanding outside world. Their thoughts, feelings, and perceptions are directed toward the self and the immediate environment. This constriction of the child's overall awareness & attention reduces the size of the clear field of vision. Visual perception of the outer world is reduced causing the distance vision to blur. Over time, the subconscious mind, desiring to feel protected, begins to effect the inner eye, it is believed, causing the ocular structures to conform to the more comfortable state of blurred distance vision. Once this occurs, nearsightedness is embedded, and the myopia becomes progressively worse for the next ten to fifteen years.

Self-healing therapy for vision is specifically designed to help alleviate all of the aforementioned factors that can contribute to the development of myopia. Healing therapy for nearsightedness is designed to first eliminate or significantly reduce a young person's overall personal stress & tension. In self-healing the subconscious mind is trained to react in a calm manner whenever the young person is in a challenging or stressful situation. Strong tense reactions to undue parental, social, peer, and academic pressure are moderated or dissolved away. This reduces any emotional stress or physical tension throughout the body so the young person remains calm. The physical systems of the body can work in a better manner. Then the subconscious mind is specifically trained to relax any muscle tightness deep within the eyes to help prevent muscle spasms while reading or looking at a computer. This promotes proper focusing flexibility to allow clear & sharp vision at both far and near viewing distances without eye strain or discomfort.

The reduction of overall tension, & ocular stress in particular, helps to prevent the excessive stimulation of nerve fibers, or the constriction of blood vessels & ocular fluid drainage outlets. This is done to better maintain a normal range of fluid pressure within the eye while doing near vision activities. Self-healing therapy is also used to alleviate & dissolve away any hidden subconscious fears, worries, or perceptions that might have caused the constriction of the visual field causing blurred distance vision. Helpful mental suggestions are then given so the visual perceptions of the outer world are pushed outward to encourage, develop, and maintain clear & sharp distance vision.

In summary, self-healing in inner awareness for vision is used to prevent, or alleviate the various types of personal stress, intraocular tension, uncomfortable subconscious perceptions, & unfavorable emotional reactions that conceivably contribute to the development of nearsightedness. Young people learn how to use the mind to eliminate eye focusing tension, and inner eye muscle spasms to achieve comfortable, unstrained vision while reading, working on the computer, or doing other near visual activities. The subconscious mind learns how to improve the internal ocular processes that will help prevent nearsightedness. Generalized personal stress, as well as academic, social stress, and ocular stress reactions are relieved or completely eliminated with self-healing therapy. Self-healing is also used to alleviate any troubling thoughts, feelings, and perceptions that have been constricting the field and narrowing the range of visual awareness. Typically, a young person sees the doctor for about six self-healing therapy visits to help prevent, improve, or control the elements of nearsightedness. Unquestionably any child, teen or young adult, with beginning or progressive nearsightedness, can improve their ocular functions & visual status and should use the self-healing therapy vision program.