[imagesource:instagram/@samantha_lotus]

Coming in hot as one of the most bizarre influencers we’ve seen yet is a woman named Samantha Lotus who is claiming she can ‘fix’ bad eyesight. Yup, without a confirmed medical qualification and all for the price of R208 ($11).

The Canadian ‘online wellness influencer’ asserts that her holistic methods can address the “spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical reasons” behind poor eyesight.

Lotus, who touts herself as a “holistic master coach,” boasts that she has already successfully healed her own eyesight, rendering her glasses obsolete. Despite the lack of any scientific evidence, she has amassed a substantial following on social media and is offering her fruity approach to tens of thousands of followers.

In a recent Instagram post, Lotus revealed that she has approximately 400 people signed up for her online masterclass, where she shares her insights into ‘holistic multidimensional healing’. However, Lotus explicitly states, “If you’re closed-minded and want to stay a victim, this is NOT FOR YOU”. Guess I’m staying a ‘victim’ because I still can’t see the emperor’s new clothes without glasses.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has now had to step in to debunk Lotus’s claims, explaining that there are limited legitimate methods for treating presbyopia, or farsightedness.

The AAO notes that the only recognised (read: proven) treatments are corrective lenses (such as reading glasses or contact lenses), surgery or medicated prescription eye drops. The academy has also reiterated that there is no scientific evidence to support alternative practices like “eye yoga” for improving eyesight, a technique that Lotus has been prescribing to her masterclass attendees.

It’s no surprise that many have dismissed Lotus’ methods as “quackery”. But the confident influencer keeps defending her stance, including by way of explaining that she studied psychology, sociology and naturopathic medicine.

One brave influencer who specialises in debunking pseudoscience has paid the fee to attend the masterclass for the sole purpose of scoping out what the actual f*ck Lotus is trying to do. As we suspected, it’s a wild ride of conjecture and self-importance on the part of Lotus.

@mallorysthoughts #stitch with @Dr. Siyab, MD | Heart doc #greenscreen I paid $11 to take the Vision Healing Masterclass so you dont’ have to 🐍🐍🐍 #wellness #vision #fyp ♬ original sound – mallorysthoughts

Oh and did we mention she also says COVID-19 vaccines are a “scam”?

Lotus claims that her classes are “self-healing” and she advises participants on reducing screen time, avoiding blue light, performing specific eye and neck exercises, and incorporating specific nutrients into their diet. All that sounds relatively realistic when it comes to improving eye health – but actually throwing away your specs? It’s a nope from me.

Despite sharing some relatively sane advice around looking after your eyes, Lotus’ “spiritual” focus on poor eyesight enters into the zone of just plain loopy. Despite facing backlash and negative comments for her unorthodox ‘treatments’, Lotus maintains that the “negative energy” from critics does not affect her. Clearly her supposedly 20/20 vision has some blind spots.

As someone who has been wearing glasses since the age of nine, I can assure you that it’s just the short end of the genetic straw bestowed upon me by my father’s myopia. No amount of reiki will help.

[source:thedailybeast]