Judging Distance and the Best Eye Exercises

Which Eye Exercises can help rebuild your Vision?

Did you know that how we judge distance and finding the best kind of eye exercises have a lot in common? There are many factors involved in how we judge distance, but one of these is key to identifying effective eye exercises.

We learn to judge distance by the degree or angle at which our eyes are converged.

Have you ever watched an infant reaching out for toys or objects? Their first attempts are often clumsy. They reach out, miss, try again, go too far, or too close, but eventually get it right. All this is done for fun, but they are learning, among other things, how to judge distance.

The child’s brain soon learns that when the eyes are converged at a certain degree/angle there is an associated distance where the hand will make contact! We will call this angle X. The learned, associated distance we will call Y.

Throughout infancy and early childhood this process of learning distance continues. The end result is a powerful mind-eye link in which the brain can give a “distance” perception to anything on which the eyes are converged. This is virtually automatic. (Distances greater than about 30 meters depend more strongly on several other factors for distance judgment).

The end result is a powerful eye/brain connection where the point of convergence X, is determined by the brain as being distance Y, These two become one. When X changes so does the brains measure of Y!

Convergence (X) is controlled by the extra ocular muscles attached to the outside of the eye ball. Focus or accommodation (or distance - Y) is controlled by the ciliary muscles attached to the lens.

Here's the crucial point: This established eye/brain, X=Y pattern, is so powerful it over rides failure or weaknesses of the ciliary muscles. In other words, when X moves the brain automatically adjusts its perception of distance, Y. This happens even if Y is not correct! This is called decoupling.

(The power of this X/Y brain pathway also plays a role in why we see 3D with magic eye charts! This is explained in the Eye Gym available from www.avoidglasses.com)

This Decoupling describes the separation of your focus distance (Y), from your convergence distance,(X). In normal situations, decoupling does not happen. However, if we have weaknesses in our focus ability and lens felixibilty, decoupling can happen. X and Y may actually have failed to stay together, but the brain does not recognize this fact.

The amount of decoupling may be the same for both eyes; it may be quite different. However in both situations X is dominant, and even though the lens have failed to accommodate, the brain may believe that X = Y, and consider the job done!

As we noted above, the brain does not always realize that decoupling has taken place and just accepts the result as the best focus available! This is especially so if the decoupling was mainly in one eye, because the faulty image from the weaker eye will simply be ignored by the brain! These points apply to the mature brain with established, dominant patterns, not for an infant who’s patterns are in flux.

People who have this type of decoupling will have blurry vision, especially if it begins to affect both eyes. They may also be short or long sighted. To overcome this, they must use eye exercises which confront the X=Y brain habits!

The adult brain can relearn and change the X=Y patterns, but only if confronted with suitable eye exercises. These exercises must challenge the habits, and reopen the learning process to rebuild new patterns. Such exercises should also tone up the ciliary muscles, and improve lens flexibility to coordinate more effective X=Y patterns.

Only eye exercises offering these qualities can rebuild your vision.

Of course, one can always get glasses with an optical correction that mechanically, or artificially, reunites X and Y! The problem with this artificial X = Y correction, is that it does not address the underlying causes. The underlying decoupling will probably continue to increase in severity, and stronger prescriptions will soon be needed!

Better to rebuild your vision with good eye exercises.

Here’s a checklist for Eye Exercise Programs and content to look for:

Pirate Patches NO (You must have a method which allows binocular activity)

Pinhole glasses (OK as an aid, personal choice, but should not be used as an exercise)

Palming (good)

Edging & tracking (good)

Bead String (good, but limited - there is now better on the market)

Tromboning/near far exercises (important)

Stereoscopic exercises (very important)

Binocular synchronization exercises (very important)

Scanning exercises (very important)

Convergence/Divergence/Accommodation exercises (very important)

And, of course, nutrition, positive attitudes, and emotional wellbeing are very important.