You don't need eyes to see...
I wore glasses for close to 30 years. I still remember the day my grade school teacher asked me to read what was projected on the screen and I couldn't, even though I was only a few rows of desks away (I could see it fine the previous week).
When I turned 40 I gave myself the gift of LASIK. The adjustment was swift and I don't miss wearing glasses at all. I didn't do it for cosmetic reasons - I'm uglier without glasses and I have bags under my eyes all the time. Rather I did it for practical, dare I say even tactical reasons.
In the event of an altercation I didn't want to be in a position where eyeglasses would become a liability by either losing them or getting injured by them (from breaking). Beyond that, I also wanted to be able to do active things like riding my motorcycle or working under the car without having to deal with glasses.
But one activity where glasses have never been a problem for me is in martial arts practice. In fact, I think I was actually at an advantage. I always took my glasses off for practice. I did this simply so they wouldn't get broken (always the same person, and you know who you are). But training with bad eyesight led me to not rely on my sight so much and focus more on feel.
Some practitioners say you need to look your opponent in the eye so you can see what he's thinking. Well, looks can be deceiving, as in the expression your opponent is giving you, not your opponent's appearance. I was taught to gaze at the center of the chest and with soft focus so to be able to see the entire body without focusing hard on any one part.
Being nearsighted (before), I took this to an point such that I would be accused (humorously, of course) of not really looking at anything while practicing. The joke was that it seemed like I was reading a magazine while training. I was able to take in the whole scene, even though it was blurry, process it and respond accordingly.
It's about seeing everything but looking at nothing.
Having 20/15 vision now hasn't changed my combat gaze, it just happens that nothing is blurry anymore.
If you wear glasses, try taking them off when you train and try the soft center-mass gaze. (Yes, I realize this would be potentially awkward if you are a male training with a female partner, so maybe not in that situation. Or at least apologize and explain yourself in advance.) You might find that you can see a lot more by not looking at anything.
When I turned 40 I gave myself the gift of LASIK. The adjustment was swift and I don't miss wearing glasses at all. I didn't do it for cosmetic reasons - I'm uglier without glasses and I have bags under my eyes all the time. Rather I did it for practical, dare I say even tactical reasons.
In the event of an altercation I didn't want to be in a position where eyeglasses would become a liability by either losing them or getting injured by them (from breaking). Beyond that, I also wanted to be able to do active things like riding my motorcycle or working under the car without having to deal with glasses.
But one activity where glasses have never been a problem for me is in martial arts practice. In fact, I think I was actually at an advantage. I always took my glasses off for practice. I did this simply so they wouldn't get broken (always the same person, and you know who you are). But training with bad eyesight led me to not rely on my sight so much and focus more on feel.
Some practitioners say you need to look your opponent in the eye so you can see what he's thinking. Well, looks can be deceiving, as in the expression your opponent is giving you, not your opponent's appearance. I was taught to gaze at the center of the chest and with soft focus so to be able to see the entire body without focusing hard on any one part.
Being nearsighted (before), I took this to an point such that I would be accused (humorously, of course) of not really looking at anything while practicing. The joke was that it seemed like I was reading a magazine while training. I was able to take in the whole scene, even though it was blurry, process it and respond accordingly.
It's about seeing everything but looking at nothing.
Having 20/15 vision now hasn't changed my combat gaze, it just happens that nothing is blurry anymore.
If you wear glasses, try taking them off when you train and try the soft center-mass gaze. (Yes, I realize this would be potentially awkward if you are a male training with a female partner, so maybe not in that situation. Or at least apologize and explain yourself in advance.) You might find that you can see a lot more by not looking at anything.