Inspiring and practical Natural Vision Workshops will be held during and following the conference.

• 6.30pm - 9.30pm
  Lizzie May
  Children and the Bates Method
  

  With a family background of glaucoma and cataract, coupled with a childhood squint and an inability to learn to read, Lizzie May is uniquely placed to help children with visual conditions.

  In this thought-provoking workshop, she will give practical tips on how the Bates Method can help children make sense of their world though play enabling them to feel more secure and loved.

  Lizzie May has a private practice in London, and works with the police, occupational health and corporate sectors. She also presents in the US.

• 6.30pm - 9.30pm
  Esther van der Werf
  Astigmatism - how to regain muscle balance
  

  Astigmatism is a very common vision problem. As many as three in ten children between the ages of 5 and 17 are diagnosed with it and many wear glasses to 'correct' it. A number of studies have found that the prevalence of astigmatism increases with age. The use of lenses obviously does not help much, if at all, to reduce this problem.

  I believe as Dr. Bates did, that astigmatism is the result of an imbalance between the muscles around the eyes. Undue strain on a combination of the recti and oblique muscles creates a lopsided eyeball which results in seeing straight lines blurry at some angles of vision.

  This workshop will look at how that imbalance begins, and at how to regain muscle balance so that the astigmatism reduces or clears and vision improves. We will go over the techniques that Dr. Bates used with his patients and also draw from the research on astigmatism by Elliott Forrest OD.

  Esther loves to help people regain clear eyesight in a relaxed easy way using the original Bates Method. She is the founder of Visions of Joy, a school for natural vision education in California, USA. Her book "The Joy of Seeing" will be published soon.

• 9.30am - 5.30pm
  Meir Schneider PhD LMT
  Seeing & Moving for Self-Healing
  

  Self-Healing is the process of accessing your innate power to create better health. Through gentle movement, breath work, self-massage, visualization and vision improvement exercises you can create profound change.

  Unbalanced, poor visual habits and accumulated eyestrain compromise the health and function of the eyes. Relaxation of the eyes and proper use will improve vision. Relaxation of chronically overused muscles and use of muscles that you have never used before, enhance circulation and bring the body into better balance. Your body and vision are interrelated.

  Meir is an internationally respected educator, founder and director of the School for Self-Healing in San Francisco, USA, and author of many books including Self-Healing: My Life and Vision.