IMPROVE YOUR EYESIGHT WITH EYE EXERCISES

By Dr. Steven M. Beresford

Just as you can improve your body with physical exercises, you can improve your eyesight naturally with eye exercises. In contrast to physical exercises, however, eye exercises are not strenuous and improve eyesight by increasing the power and accuracy of the focusing system rather than beefing up the eye muscles.

Some of the eye exercises improve eyesight by stimulating the flow of nutrients inside the eyes, making them healthier. Other eye exercises improve eyesight by eliminating eyestrain and increasing what is known as perceptual enhancement.

Eye exercise programs can often yield major improvements in eyesight and eliminate or reduce dependency on corrective lenses. The question is, how much eyesight improvement can you realistically expect?

How Eye Exercises Work

The eye's focusing power is controlled by the ciliary muscle, which surrounds the inner lens. Likewise, the shape of the eyeball is influenced by the six extraocular muscles that surround it. The performance of all these muscles can be improved with eye exercises, often quite quickly.

There are two major eye exercise systems. The Bates Method dates back to the 1920s and improves eyesight by relaxing the eyes. In contrast, modern techniques known as vision therapy eye exercises improve eyesight by making the eyes stronger and healthier.

Understanding The Clinical Evidence

Quite a lot of research has been carried out into the Bates Method. The results show that many people really improve their eyesight, but the claims that you can "throw away your glasses and regain perfect vision" are not supported by the clinical evidence and are almost certainly exaggerated.

In contrast, vision therapy eye exercises have been proven effective in clinical studies. The results show that although some people get so much improvement they no longer need glasses, most people improve their eyesight to the point where they only need them for activities such as driving.

Here are the results of a recent clinical study that was submitted for publication in the journal of the American Optometric Association (www.visiontherapy.net).

"21 subjects with common visual problems including myopia, presbyopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism completed a 6 week course of eye exercises. 19 subjects obtained improvements in refractive error and visual acuity, and 16 subjects reduced their dependency on corrective lenses so that they no longer needed them or only wore them part of the time."

Try This Simple Eye Exercise

Here's a vision therapy eye exercise that improves eyesight by providing visual biofeedback. Look at the smallest line you can read, then slowly run your gaze back and forth along the line above it. Make your way up the chart to smaller and smaller lines as your eyesight improves.

Will Eye Exercises Work For You?

Most eye exercise programs will improve your eyesight to some extent. However, remember that the Bates Method claims to help you "throw away your glasses and regain perfect eyesight" are not supported by the clinical evidence and are almost certainly exaggerated.