World Epidemic of Blindness to Reality Because of Myopic Perceptions

 Considering current events, including the health care crisis and the global financial crisis, I found Dr. Roberto Kaplan's talk from a few years ago to be very relevant. Here is a summary of his talk I found somewhere (and I have since lost the source). I love the quote because I think it says a lot about how many world leaders are approaching solutions to our current problems -- very short sighted.

"Dr. Roberto Kaplan was invited to talk about his integrated approach to vision therapy at the Vienna International Center at the U.N. in Vienna, Austria. Along with New York, Geneva and Nairobi, Vienna is one of the four Headquarters Duty Stations of the United Nations. More than 4,000 employees from over 100 countries work for the Vienna International Center (VIC) - based organizations.

Dr. Kaplan shared his ideas of the causes and development of nearsightedness and its implication on the consciousness of the citizens of the world. "We are fast approaching a world epidemic of blindness to reality because of myopic perceptions," Kaplan asserted, quoting the series of papers titled: Seeing Beyond the Obvious, published in the Journal of College of Optometrists in Vision Development."

"It is time for conventional medicine to recognize the power of vision therapy as being a vital part of complimentary medicine," urged Dr. Kaplan. The talk focused on his two books: "The Power Behind Your Eyes" and "Conscious Seeing." To be a conscious person, one needs a healthy visual system. Vision therapy is an established scientific discipline within Optometry that has a vital role to play in helping persons recognize when they are seeing accurately or misperceiving. Undetected vision problems, especially a lack of coordination of the two eyes, can cause persons of all ages to see inaccurately how they are behaving.

"Those who heard Dr. Kaplan applauded how the lecture illuminated a new dimension to the role of vision in being an instrument for enhancing consciousness. Kaplan sees his role in having vision therapy be more recognized as a powerful healing discipline in helping accomplish happier family relationships, less aggression and world peace."

As reader of FitEyes.com may recognize, the relationship between vision and consciousness goes two ways. Our state of consciousness influences our vision. A settled mind established in the state of inner peace reduces elevated intraocular pressure and helps expand the visual field. This is one example of how our state of consciousness influences our physiology.

Consiousness is the foundation of our physical body. Consciousness structures the physical body. Therefore, I believe it is of primary importance to address the influence of consciousness on vision.

In addition to physiology, we can see a psychological relationship. Expanding one's consciousness also helps one perceive reality more accurately. One way this occurs is through a reduction in the ego's influence over our thinking. The ego inserts itself between our sensory motor nervous system and our intellect. The ego filters everything we perceive through all our senses. The ego, as it normally operates in us, causes misperception, misunderstanding. A settled mind, where the ego is not in control, perceives more accurately.