First of all, never give up! Restore your optimum vision with your brain

There's no end to the things you can achieve in life if you realize optimum vision. Essentially, "if you think you can see, you can." You can actually achieve improved vision on the spot. With the methods described in this book, you will exercise your brain to restore your eyesight. The sensory control technique, as practiced in yoga, can be applied to the brain, which is what actually sees things, after all.

This approach is based on the Oriental philosophical concept called Ku Sokuze Shiki. Ku refers to the idea of the invisible world, Sokuze means "as it is", and Shiki refers to the idea of the visible world. Even if you think you can see, only you, and no one else, can have this thought. However, what's mysterious is the fact that you begin to see things only after you think you can see them. In effect, the brain is converting the power of thought (ku, or what's invisible) into the power of sight (shiki, or what's visible).

When people are unaware of this simple principle, and when their eyesight deteriorates, many give up on restoring their optimum vision and, instead, rush to stopgap measures, such as glasses, contact lenses, LASIK surgery, and orthokeratology (aka overnight vision correction). In effect, they fall under the delusion that such measures are permanent solutions. In the end, as a result, their eyesight keeps deteriorating more and more.

But you really shouldn't give up easily. The idea that impaired vision can never be restored is merely a myth. The shortest route to recovering your eyesight is not to depend on visual aids or surgeries, but on yourself. By believing in yourself (in your potential to naturally heal) and changing yourself (your lifestyle, your way of thinking), your eyesight will see improvement.

With the application of the Nakagawa Method, I can help improve almost anyone's eyesight on the spot. Once that’s achieved, all that needs to be done is maintenance and fine-tuning to achieve even further improvement.

I wrote this book to help visually-impaired people reach their full potential in their pursuits--people who have become incapable of realizing their innate, natural ability to heal as a result of a decline in their eyesight (farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism, dysopia, presbyopia, etc.) and brain functions brought about by the advent of a post-industrial information society and the graying of society. In effect, I wrote this book so that people can recover their optimum eyesight and thereby heighten their "power of vision" so as to be able to regain their vitality, renew their appreciation for life, and change their life around so that they can aim to become world-class in their respective fields. It would be desirable, at any rate, to possess the type of eyesight that can withstand the damaging effects of the PC, smartphone, and the ravages of age.

For a person, everything begins with what he or she sees through his or her eyes. Indeed, the simple act of seeing--the faculty of vision--plays a key role in our daily lives. From the time we wake up in the morning to the time we go to sleep at night, we depend, for the most part, on visual inputs.

The brain perceives objects through the eyes. The information captured through the eyes is conveyed to the brain, where it is processed to ascertain the circumstances of your present environment before taking action. All functions, beginning with the input of information to the output of action, are related to the "faculty of vision."

The celebrated athlete, Mr. Kohei Uchimura, who won the title of all-around male gymnast champion at the London Olympics, commented in an NHK documentary, that the secret behind his sensational physical prowess was found in his powerful visual acuity. So, essentially, he had become number one in the international arena of sports, thanks to his eyesight. Even the star baseball player, whom I would like to refer to as Mr. A, who has come to earn the highest annual salary in the world of Japanese baseball after joining the Central League team, which I had counseled and which had gone on to win the league championship, owes his shining No. 1 position in Japan to his powerful visual acuity.

The world came to know that blueberries are good for your eyes, thanks to Mr. John Cunningham, the former British Royal Air Force pilot, who fought one hundred dogfights at night and won all one hundred of them. My teacher, the late Mr. Takahiro Koshiba, also used to fly combat planes. His and Mr. Cunningham’s ability to survive life-threatening moments in the sky hinged on their "faculty of vision," which is not just eyesight.

At any rate, no matter what, please don't ever give up by believing in the myth that impaired vision is irreversible, or that farsightedness is inevitable because of the ravages of time. Even though I myself am a farsighted sixty-one year old, I have been able to stop the progress of age-related farsightedness as much as possible and see the world around me without the use of reading glasses.

So how about it? Why don't you think about setting out on a journey of recovery—a journey of restoring your optimum eyesight and regaining your true power of sight?


Chapter 1
Human beings survive on "the power of vision," which is not just eyesight

When you are blindfolded, even if you try to put strength into your hand, you won't be able to do so that well. When you are thrown into a world of darkness, you will become stock-still, enveloped in considerable fear.

Both of these scenarios are experiments that demonstrate how the brain ceases to function when sight is obstructed. In effect, we exercise our brain through the act of seeing, and form our personalities in accordance with the development of our brain. "The faculty of vision" is cultivated and enriched not within information terminals such as the PC or the smartphone, but within the rich and beneficent environment of Mother Nature.

The eye is a solar power plant. When you engage in the act of seeing, light stimulus is converted into electrical impulses, triggering the autonomic nervous system and the hormone system into action. In turn, as a result, a biological rhythm is created, functioning as a ticking interior clock. The act of seeing, in effect, creates "the strength to live."

In this present age of ours, the original purpose of seeing has been reversed: instead of "seeing to live," we are "living to see." With incidents occurring of people falling on rail tracks while engrossed in their smartphones, it can only be said that our survival instincts are eroding.

Column
Open Your Eyes 01
My business quest for the ideal approach to eyesight recovery

Chapter 2
Rapidly increasing incidents of PC-related myopia are robbing us today of our "power to see," which is not just eyesight

The culprits behind the decline in the eyesight of farsighted and nearsighted people are devices such as PCs and smartphones. I broadly refer to such a device-triggered phenomenon as "PC myopia."

If we take general myopia to be an ordinary type of cold people catch, PC myopia is a new type of influenza. If unattended, it will rapidly worsen and turn fatal.

To this end, we must first understand the nature of this type of myopia. First and foremost, what’s behind the contraction of PC myopia is the prevention of the loss of eyesight. So, in this sense, the decline in eyesight is not necessarily a bad thing. The brain is actually shielding the eyes, as if to say, "Don't abuse your eyes anymore!" It's actually a thankful response arising from your ability to naturally heal.

There is a saying in Japan--a senryu verse--that says, "If everyone crosses against the red light together, there’s nothing to be afraid of," but I am unable to appreciate this aphorism. Should you take this saying to heart, you can put your life at risk. The same can be said for your eyes.

So check how much damage your PC and other information devices have caused your eyes, and take appropriate steps to correct bad habits that aren't good for them. (PC and smartphone users tend to have the habit of looking with just one eye. Consequently, they tend to suffer headaches, stiff shoulders, indecisiveness, forgetfulness, etc.)

Column
Open Your Eyes 02
Pilot qualification

Chapter 3
Rejuvenating your eyesight and "the faculty of vision" through eye fitness

In this chapter, I will introduce a method for improving your eyesight through eye exercises to restore your overall "faculty of vision." When you keep staring at a PC screen from morning to night, since your eyes are fixed on a single point, they cease to move that much and fail to get enough exercise. So the first step toward improving your eyesight is to move your eyes. In doing so, you will regain the flexibility of your eye muscles!

Eye-motion exercises (eyes are designed for looking around) / Balance exercises for both eyes (a sense of balance is vital for the eyes and brain) / Focal exercises (the ability to swiftly shift focus between far and near distances).

Measures to counteract PC myopia also include exercises that promote further blood flow (those that help remove eyestrain or relieve the symptom of dry eye).

Column
Open Your Eyes 03
LASIK refugees

Chapter 4
Vision exercises for the brain can draw out the hidden "strength to see"

In this chapter I will introduce a method that can help restore your eyesight, starting with the brain, and consequently restore your "optimum power to see." It will reawaken your old memory of sharp vision, which is sleeping like a log in your brain. When you think about holding out your right hand, your right hand moves forward. In the same way, "if you think you can see, you actually will." In effect, when you think you can see, your eye muscles will begin to move. Consequently, "the dormant memory of clear vision" jumps out from your brain and begins to function as your eyesight.

In the section explaining how to check the level of your brain's "power to see," you will learn how to ascertain whether the objects you perceive through your eyes are being conveyed to the brain.

The fundamental mathematical principle behind the interplay of the eyes and the brain is 1 + 1 = 1: the visual inputs received from both your eyes merge into one in the brain and form a memory. You may wish to keep this principle in mind, especially if you are having trouble remembering things lately.

Exercises to heighten your powers of concentration through eye training / exercises to heighten your memory / exercises to boost your imagination / exercises to prevent feeling isolated by widening your field of vision / exercises to take advantage of the contrast between light and dark / exercises to speed up the interplay between your eyes, brain, and body.

Column
Open Your Eyes 04
What! You can't see what you should be seeing!?

Chapter 5
Eyesight and "the power of vision" that can repel the stealthy advance of farsightedness and prevent senility forever

Presbyopia, or farsightedness due to old age, is curable. But if unattended, senility will set in and advance rapidly. Presbyopia is the beginning of senility. For this reason especially, I want you to realize how vital it is to take anti-aging measures for your eyes. Your survival in an aged society hinges on it.

This section will explain how to check the level of development of your presbyopia in the brain.

The three factors that can help cure presbyopia are:

1. Roux's law (regardless of age, moderate use of muscles develop them, while an excessive use atrophies them)


2. Brain plasticity (new brain circuitries are formed and stored for seeing nearby objects)


3. Brain potentiality (memory learning is carried out through repeated formation of new brain circuitry for seeing nearby objects, and consequently eyesight lost to age-related farsightedness is regenerated).

It is necessary to retrain atrophied muscles.

If you use an eye-balance mask, which is a kind of magic pair of glasses that directly stimulates the retina, you will be able to throw away your reading glasses.

Contained in wild blueberries, anthocyanins can stop the aging of the eyes in its tracks; it fortifies blood vessels, promotes smoother blood circulation, and removes the damaging effects of reactive oxygen molecules. It is a gift from God and therefore should be used well.

In this section I will talk about glaucoma, cataract, retinal detachment, and macular degeneration, which are symptoms of aging vision, and are also complications contributing to nearsightedness.

Column
Open Your Eyes 05
Even children can suffer from farsightedness

Chapter 6
The "power to see,” which draws out your true eyesight, can become your ammunition

Most wild animals boost their survivability by weaponizing their "faculty of vision." Even we human beings should change our view on vision from a mere "means to see" into "a power for living" to turn our lives around, leveraging it whenever we are studying, working, or playing sports.

Casting a sharp eye on your surroundings so as to not overlook even the small details is referred to as having "unometakanome," or hawk eyes. It is said that a hawk's vision is 8.0. In the interior parts of Africa, there appears to be a person who also has 8.0 vision. So relatively speaking, we can see how weak the eyesight of modern human beings is. Let's retrain our eyes!

• Sports Vision Part 1--The root of a poor batting average is found in the eyes (how to improve baseball performance)


• Sports Vision Part 2--Bilateral balance is key (achieving a hole-in-one in golf)


• Business Vision Part 1--Standing up to work (boost your power to generate ideas)


• Business Vision Part 2--Realize speed reading by improving your eyesight (speed reading technique)


• Life Vision Part 1--Start improving your life with your eyes


• Life Vision Part 2--Revitalize through forgetting (the art of forgetting)

Column
Open Your Eyes 06
"The power to see" can become “the power to live”

Finally, "the power to see," which is not just eyesight, can transform your life

In my school days, I was practically a storehouse of illnesses. Afflicted with nearly ten different diseases, I was about to lose my will to live, having lost all my hopes and dreams for the future. It was at such a time that I saw Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" and regained my will to live. Needless to say, it was a life-altering experience.

Charlie, in this movie, lives at the bottom of society, frequently running into disasters, but he never looks back, and never loses his hopes and dreams. My tears wouldn't stop, seeing him go on living with the music of "Smile" playing in the background.

Thereafter, my luck changed. I was blessed with a life-changing, chance encounter with a teacher who taught yoga and self-development. I consequently became cured of my illnesses in no time and was able to become my former healthy self again.

If you don't give up on yourself, you will certainly succeed. This is the true essence of the Samurai spirit.

As long as you don't lose your hopes and dreams, your "power to see" can marshal your "power to live," and ultimately transform your life.