Eye shape changed by muscles on outside of eye

Dr. William H. Bates, "Perfect Eyesight Without Glasses" chapter 1

"In seeking for light upon these problems I examined tens of thousands of eyes, and the more facts I accumulated the more difficult it became to reconcile them with the accepted views. Finally, about half a dozen years ago, I undertook a series of observations upon the eyes of human beings and the lower animals the results of which convinced both myself and others that the lens is not a factor in accommodation, and that the adjustment necessary for vision at different distances is affected in the eye, precisely as it is in the camera, by a change in the length of the organ, this alteration being brought about by the action of the muscles on the out"

In normal English terms - the lens of the eye isn't the cause of bad eyesight, but the outside muscles of the eye change the shape of the eye.