Articles about Eye Health and Disease from 2005


Iowa Attorney General Files Suit Against Vision Improvement Technologies ("See Clearly Method")


(From News Reports, August 2005, including the DesMoines Register, staff writer Tony Leys, August 11, 2005)



A consumer fraud lawsuit has been filed by Iowa's Attorney General Tom Miller against Vision Improvement Technologies, Inc. (Fairfield, IA), for the distribution of the company's "See Clearly Method," a product advertised as a natural vision improvement kit. The lawsuit is based on the company's promotion of exaggerated claims of independence from contact lenses or glasses that are supposedly achievable through the use of the product.  Attorney General Tom Miller said Vision Improvement Technologies Inc. falsely tells consumers nationwide that they probably will be able to throw away their glasses after using the "See Clearly Method."

Various eye exercises and techniques are demonstrated in the manuals, video- and audio-tapes, and charts that are offered in the kits. According to the office of the Attorney General, Vision Improvement Technologies sold tens of thousands of these kits for $350 each, using "a combination of misleading and unfair marketing tactics." These tactics included deceptive consumer testimonials, artificial references to scientific authenticity, and invalid claims of effectiveness. Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that "risk-free" 30-day trial period is inaccurately mislabeled, obligating many consumers to pay for a product from which they did not benefit.

"We allege that the company made dramatic claims for its product that it could not substantiate, including representations that consumers who used the method could quickly and easily free themselves of having to wear glasses or contact lenses," Attorney General Miller stated. "Our suit asks the court to halt the unfair and deceptive practices, assess civil penalties, and provide appropriate reimbursement for consumers."

Miller has said that his office has received dozens of complaints about the company. He said about half of its customers successfully returned the books, tapes and other materials they had bought for about $350 a set. Many more tried unsuccessfully to get refunds, he said.  The "See Clearly Method" relies on eye exercises. In one, participants are told to hold a damp cloth against closed eyelids to relax their eyes, Miller said. In another, they are advised to focus intensely on a close object, then switch to a distant object.

Miller said that some of the techniques can be traced back to the 1920s, and that they've been debunked as cures for weak sight.

State investigators tracked down people who'd given testimonials in ads on TV, radio or in print. In the ads, they said the exercises had fixed their eye problems, Miller said. "Then we find out later that they're using their glasses," he said.
Authorities found five customers who believed the techniques worked. Miller said he wasn't sure what to make of that. "There can be a placebo effect in any kind of situation," he said.

Gary Hailey, a lawyer representing Vision Improvement Technologies, denied Miller's fraud allegations. "The company certainly believes that its business practices are legitimate," he said. "I think they have a good offer, and it's something that works."  Hailey, who works out of Washington, D.C., said he couldn't comment in detail because he hadn't seen the lawsuit. He said the company was continuing to run its business as usual.





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