Improve Your Vision Naturally with Eye Exercises

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HYPEROPIA AND PRESBYOPIA

While myopics are unable to see objects clearly at a distance, people who suffer from hyperopia or presbyopia are unable to focus readily on objects close to their eyes. (Hyperopia is the condition of farsightedness in children which often persists into adulthood . . . while presbyopia is the farsighted condition that many persons experience when they reach middle age.) The basics that we've previously discussed are all beneficial in dealing with these vision problems. The calendar exercise mentioned in the section on myopia is also applicable, if you incorporate the following changes:

Use a pocket calendar and place it about 14 inches from your eyes . . . or else close enough so that you can only barely read the numbers. Shift your gaze from side to side over an individual numeral without attempting to focus on it. Next, close your eyes momentarily and visualize that number before focusing it in. Repeat this procedure for each numeral on the calendar, using both eyes first, then alternating eyes. (You'll probably want to work your weaker eye more.) It's best to practice this exercise at least 15 minutes a day, moving the calendar an inch closer to your eyes every few days.

Here again, the act of rapidly changing the focus from distant objects to near ones and back again can also be very beneficial.

ASTIGMATISM AND SQUINT

If your eyes are seeing blurred images and distorted shapes, you-like many others probably suffer from astigmatism (a focusing disorder caused by a misshapen lens). This malady is common to almost every other visual malfunction, and it occurs independently as well. Relaxation exercises will greatly relieve this condition. Squint is the inability of both eyes to look in the same direction at the same time to produce a single image. (A person with this condition is called "cross-eyed".) Although severe cases usually require professional treatment, less serious "squinters" can improve their sight by performing the following drill in addition to the basic techniques.

To do this exercise, you'll need to sit facing a blank wall, holding a ruler or yardstick vertically with the narrow edge forward . . . about 12 inches from your nose. Blink as you look up and down the straightedge half a dozen times, and then-without moving your head-look up and down the wall the same number of times. (When your eyes are focused on the distant surface, there will seem to be two of the rulers.) Alternate between the yardstick and the wall for about three minutes, increasing that time every few days. And remember to "palm" before and after each drill.

Finally, walking along a plank or balance beam in all directions-forwards, backwards, and sideways-is also beneficial for both squint and astigmatism.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR SURE SIGHT

Even if your vision is already 20/20, there are probably some activities in your life that could eventually affect the way you see if you don't take proper precautions. Reading books and watching television are two examples of potential eye strainers.

When you read, try to sit in a relaxed position, holding your head upright. Keep the book parallel and at a comfortable distance from the eyes (generally 12 to 16 inches for most folks). Read each word in sequence, avoid staring, and blink at least once or twice while scanning each line. Use good lighting, but don't have it so bright that it causes a glare on the paper. Temporarily change your focus every few pages by pausing to glance about the room or to look out of a nearby window. Also, avoid reading when you're sick or very tired.

When viewing television, keep the room softly illuminated. Don't stare continuously at the screen. Instead, keep the eyes shifting from one point to another, and look away from the set occasionally to focus on another object. Be sure to close your eyes from time to time, blinking frequently . . . and position yourself at least ten feet away from the television screen.

Most of us rely on our vision to supply 80% to 90% of the information we process about the world. Our sight affects the way that we think and, in addition, the way we think affects our sight. (If you don't believe the latter statement, just remember that you actually see the world upside down. . . but your mind "inverts" the images so that they make sense!) Taking good care of this dominant sense organ, then, is obviously important. Will a regimen of eye-training exercises help you do that . . . and even improve defective vision? There's only one way to answer that question for yourself.

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