Eye exercises

How is it possible to protect, or even improve, eyesight? Today we’ll see some eye exercises with the aim to increase ocular mobility, attention and memory. In fact, in the brain similar areas are dedicated to attention and ocular movements and, for this reason, by acting on a domain we may obtain benefits also in the other one (Di Noto et al, PLoS One, Mar 2013). A first exercise, developed by the American physician William H. Bates and described in his book The Cure of Imperfect Sight by Treatment without Glasses, is called flashing. Every sight impairment is always linked to a lack of mobility of eyes, this means that we try to stare an object in order to focus it and this creates a tension both in eye and mind, this may worsen vision and feelings such as anxiety. An eye that works well is, on the contrary, constantly in motion and takes different sides of the object. For this reason, in order to improve eye mobility, the vision and also to relax the mind, when you are at work or also in your free time when you read a book, try to have a quick look to an object that is near you, then close the eyes and try to remember the details. In this way you will get used to move the eyes and you’ll not stress them, in addition to this also anxiety and stress are removed. Another exercise that connects eyes and mind? The exercise of the black point, developed by dr Bates and proposed in his book. You can observe a black point at the end of a sentence in a book or, in case this is too difficult, you can draw on a white paper a black filled circle, or another shape that is more familiar to you. Stare full of attention the point or the circle, at a distance that let you, according to your eye conditions, to see it clearly. Illumination should be optimal. Now, close the eyes and try to visualize the black shape. If your vision works fine you should be able to see in your mind a perfectly black object and to prolong this vision in time, on the contrary, if you have a sight impairment then it may happen to see a grey object and to see it in your mind for just a few seconds. Differences may occur also between the two eyes, you can do the same exercises by closing first one eye and then the other. Open now the eyes and observe the objects around you, you’ll be able to note an improvement in sight that is directly proportional to your ability to remember the black point. Don’t be worried if the image you visualize is grey or if you cannot see it for long, with time the practice will help you see the object perfectly black. There will be a moment when you will be able to see the black shape without looking at it and you will be also able to visualize it with open eyes and, when this will happen, it will be also easier to focus the objects. This exercise indeed helps the eyes to coordinate, in addition to this, it improves concentration and memory. The connection between eyes and mind is even more clear if we consider a study performed on patients with glaucoma (Kaluza et al, Autogenes Training in der Augenheilkunde, 1994), a condition that causes the increasing in pressure inside the eyes, that has shown benefits thanks to some visualization exercises. However, these exercises may be performed also by persons who have other types of eye illnesses. Between cornea and lens there is a fluid, the so called aqueous humor. The exercise requires to visualize the aqueous humor and the drainage canals that have the aim to drain the fluid in order to avoid its accumulation. You should repeat these sentences, the flow is easy, very easy, and also, the canals are large, very large. While the optic nerve with its blood vessels is visualized as a sun with rays and the sentence that should be repeated is, the sun rays are warm and wide …