From blindness to driving a car
Meir Schneider
Pioneer, Author, Educator, Therapist, Founder of the School for Self-Healing
Meir Schneider was born with cataracts and had five unsuccessful surgeries declaring him legally blind. As a teen, he developed an original self-healing approach of exercises to naturally improve vision and increase brain flexibility. This helped him to increase his vision from 1% to 70%. He can now read, write, and drive.
Through his own healing journey, developing his vision exercises, Meir discovered that the same principles, by which he gained functional vision, could also be applied to the entire body and to the needs of other people. In addition to vision, he developed bodywork and movement exercises leading to pathways to overall health.
“The first step toward making the world a better place must be to improve everyone’s health. The only way to rid humanity of disease is for each person to become healthy. That process involves becoming our own healers. When we are free from preoccupation with painful or ailing bodies, we can focus our attention on deepening our awareness.”
This transformational experience led to the Meir Schneider Method of Self-Healing through Bodywork and Movement: a holistic health rehabilitation and prevention system. It trains us to use muscles and joints in a balanced way by isolating muscle groups, relaxing chronically overused muscles, stimulating brain-body neural connections, and—most importantly— enhancing circulation. Leading to the growth of new brain cells, overcoming injuries, reducing paralysis, and improving vision to the extent that glasses are not needed.
Meir Schneider’s Self-Healing Method combines breathing, unique bodywork, movement, and visualization techniques that can help anyone to become more aware of their body and be empowered to take charge of their own healing.
Meir in Hebrew means ‘giving light’ while the Hebrew translation of the book Vision for Life translates to ‘giving light to the eyes’. Meir has given light to countless people by helping them with their vision problems. In many cases, people who could not drive could drive after meeting with him.
His bodywork helped those who suffered from a wide range of degenerative conditions such as polio, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis.

He has helped people overcome computer stress syndrome, nearsightedness (myopia), and prevent macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachment, and other vision problems.

In 1980, Meir founded the School for Self-Healing, a non-profit center in San Francisco, California, that offers educational programs, teaching people to realize their potential, improve their health, and overcome their disabilities. The demand for this teaching has grown internationally. Schools like Meir’s were formed in Brazil and Israel and classes are taught in many other countries.
With more than 120,000 clinical hours over the past fifty-two years, Meir has helped countless people with back problems, arthritis, joint problems, neurological problems, and vision problems, helping people to see clearly without their glasses. Through ongoing lectures, Meir teaches the complex interconnectedness of the body’s systems and how the forces exerted on our internal system via movement, relaxation, and exercise can heal us. Meir teaches worldwide, and people come from all over the world to his School by Ocean Beach, San Francisco.
Meir Schneider is the author of several books, including Vision for Life, Movement for Self-Healing, Yoga for Your Eyes, and Awakening Your Power of Self-Healing. His books are translated into twenty different languages: Hungarian, Chinese, Czech, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, German, Lithuanian, Hebrew…
He has been recognized locally and internationally for his work.
Meir Schneider was featured in 2016 in Neuroscientist Norman Doidge’s book The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity (Doidge’s 2nd book), Chap. 6: A Blind Man Learns to See, Penguin Books, p. 206
Meir would love to have you host him on your show!
Meanwhile, some conventional doctors who have great credibility have praised his techniques because they saw results that far exceeded their expectations.
| Date | Publication | Title |
|---|---|---|
| April 24, 2020 | The Women's Millionaire Magazine | Trust Yourself and Improve your Vision — Exercises for Improved Vision |
| March 2019 | Experience L!fe (Mo Perry interview) | A Closer Look at Eye Health (collective) |
| 2019 | Massage & Bodywork Magazine | Carpal Tunnel |
| Dec. 2018 | Massage & Bodywork Magazine | Getting a Healthy Back; Moving Out of Paralysis; Preventing Back Strain |
| Oct. 12, 2016 | Ask John Eakes | Healing Techniques for Eyes and Hands |
| May 2016 | Sunset Beacon / SFNewsfeed | School's Founder Creates Tools for Staying Healthy |
| Apr. 23, 2014 | San Jose Mercury News (Pacifica Tribune) | Bay Area School Launches "Movement for Self-Healing" |
| Oct. 1, 2013 | Pacifica Tribune | Once Blind, Author Meir Schneider Teaches How to Improve Vision |
| Dec. 2012 | Positive Health | Self-Healing Around the Globe — Meir Schneider, Courageous Pioneer |
| Oct. 2010 | Care2 / Natural News | Natural Vision Improvement for Children and Adults |
| June 1, 2010 | Yoga Journal | Healing Your Eyes Naturally |
| May 10, 2010 | East Bay Times | Look at Medicine and its Cross-Eyed View of Nearsightedness |
| Aug. 28, 2007 | SFGate | Exercises for the Eyes |
| June 12, 2006 | SFGate | Self-Healer Was Blind, But Now He Teaches |
| June 15, 2003 | Kindred Spirit Magazine, Issue 46 | Exercising your Eyes |
| Spring 1999 | by Meir Schneider & Carol Gallup | Wellness for the Eyes |
| 1997 | Massage Magazine | Love of Movement |
| Jan/Feb 1997 | Massage Magazine | Moving Out of Back Problems |
| Nov/Dec 1996 | Massage Magazine, No. 64 | That Person in the Wheelchair Needs Your Touch |
Meir Schneider appeared to the television in diverse countries as Brazil, Canada, Greece, Israel, Italy and United Kingdom:
| Country / Station | Program | Link | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athens (Greece) | Face to Face with Asimina Tzathas | Watch on YouTube | 2020 |
| Telecolor (Italy) | Speciale Laboratorio Salute — La Cura Naturale degli Occhi, with Loretta Gregori | Watch on Telecolor | 2015 |
| Conscious TV (UK) | My Life and Vision, interviewed by Iain McNay | Watch on YouTube | 2010 |
| Vancouver (Canada) | Beyond the Line with Laurier LaPierre | Watch on YouTube | — |
| TV Thathi, Santos (Brazil) | PolêmicaCom with Antonio Cassoni | Read more | 2009 |
| Rede Globo, São Paulo (Brazil) | Mais Você with Ana Maria Braga | — | 2002, 2003, 2009 |
| Israel | Top Ten Most Inspirational Israelis Worldwide | Watch on YouTube | 2007 |
Meir Schneider is regularly interviewed on Pacifica Radio:
| Station | Program / Host |
|---|---|
| UK Health Radio | The Natural Healing Show with Catherine Carrigan How to Improve your Eyesight Naturally (June 2020) |
| 104.3FM / 820AM, Rio Claro, Brazil | Rádio Aparecida, Catholic — July 18, 2018 |
| KSCO 1080 AM, Santa Cruz, CA | Rockelle and MC |
| KKSF 910 AM, Oakland, CA | Health Revolution Radio with Dr. Abaci |
| KSTE 650, Sacramento, CA | The Wide World of Health with Cary Nosler |
| KECG 88.1, San Francisco, CA | Interview with Lauretta Cook |
| KEST 1450 AM, San Francisco, CA | Interview with Dr. Len Saputo |
| KLGO 98.5, Austin, TX | The Good News Health Show with Bill Swail |
| KLBJ 590 AM, Austin, TX | Healthy Choices with Ray Solano |
| WBNR 910 AM, New York | When Health Matters with Dr. Richard Huntoon |
| Station | Program / Host |
|---|---|
| KPFZ 88.1, Lakeport, CA | Earth Wise Radio with Chloe Karl, Lake County Community Radio |
| KVMR 89.5, Nevada City, CA | Interview with Helena McDaniels |
| KKUP 91.5, San Jose, CA | Tazz and Paula Show with Tazz Powers and Paula Nunes; The New Medicine Show with Adam Atman |