The SAID principle is well recognized in the field of athletic training and it also applies very well to vision improvement. David DeAngleis, in his excellent book, The Secret of Perfect Vision, highlights the SAID principle in explaining how the “stress” of retinal defocus leads to gradual reversal of myopia via functional and structural changes in the eye. He also has written about SAID on his Power Vision System website: http://www.powervisionforum.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-189.html

The SAID principle describes how organisms adapt in response to “stressful” stimuli, so I think it is very insightful of you to connect SAID with hormesis. They are very similar principles, though perhaps they describe somewhat different aspects of how adaptation works. The SAID principle considers the specificity of adaptation – exercises aimed at improving sprinting speed may not be transferable to distance running, and learning to play the violin may not cross over to singing or playing the piano. Classic studies of hormesis emphasize somewhat more general defense and repair mechanisms that are activated in response to a low levels of a stimulus. There is some evidence that hormetic mechanisms are general rather than specific; for example calorie restriction, exercise, radiation, and polyphenols may activate similar genetic pathways expressing proteins and hormones that combat degenerative diseases and extend lifespan. In the world of sports, some emphasize the SAID principle, while other emphasize approaches such as Cross-Fit or metabolic training to develop generic fitness. In the real world, no training is either perfectly generic or perfectly specific, and I think we probably benefit from a combination of the generic and the specific.

As you suggest, we don’t have to wait for “rehab” to reverse myopia after it has taken hold; we can “pre-hab” by following good vision hygiene: avoiding excessive near work, taking breaks from reading, watching TV or computer work, getting involved in recreation or sports that require us to frequently change focus between objects near and far away. To use an analogy with MovNat or Parkour for physical fitness, the more natural and variable our vision activities, the more resistant we’ll be to the degeneration of our eyes.

This seems very similar and I’m guessing SAID is just one of the mechanisms behind why hormesis works.

In what ways do you think we can Pre-Hab ourselves to be more resistant to things like loss of vision. Should we focus on trying to maintain variable stress through different activities like reading etc? Obviously a good idea in itself, but just curious.

Thanks man-Very interesting.

-Armi

I’m a fan of self experimentation, so I’ll see what this gets me. I’ve been reading for about 45 minutes on the way to and from work without my glasses, keeping the boot right at the edge of my focal distance. I also just typed out this whole reply without glasses, though I had to lean in to verify some of the typo fixes