With or without glasses, sometimes it’s just plain hard to see (or read). Here are some ways to get a better view…
Near-far exercise to improve visual clarity: Yes! It is possible to give your eyes a healthy workout, according to recent research. Older eyes often experience diminished contrast sensitivity. It may be difficult to see the difference between the sidewalk curb and the street, for example. Practicing the following simple eye exercise for three or four minutes a few days a week can help improve contrast sensitivity. Instructions: Look at a calendar on a wall about 10 feet away. In your hand, have another object with numbers or letters, such as a small calendar or an open book. Cover the left eye with your hand. Look back and forth from the far object to the near object, focusing on and calling out a letter or number from each. Example: The “J” in June from the far calendar and the “12” in June 12 from the near calendar. Do this five to 10 times, calling out a different letter or number each time. Cover the right eye and repeat the exercise. Bonus benefit: It’s common after a car accident for the person who is at fault to say that he “never saw” the other vehicle. This is known as inattentional blindness (according to Larry Jebrock, OD, a licensed optometrist who emphasizes nonsurgical visual improvement)—your eyes are on the road, but your vision system is not fully activated, because you’re thinking or moving or otherwise preoccupied. The above near-far exercise improves visual attention.
Exercise to help night vision: This won’t speed up the eyes’ process of adjusting to the dark, but it may encourage a mental focus that helps the brain and eyes work better together—thus improving your ability to perceive objects in a darkened environment. What to do: For 20 minutes four times per week, go into a familiar room at night and turn off the lights. As your eyes are adjusting, look directly toward a specific object that you know is there…focus on it, trying to make out its shape and details and to distinguish it from surrounding shadows. With practice, your visual perception should improve.
Pinch for eyestrain: If your eyes ache and blur from too many late nights and hard work, this acupressure move (along with some needed rest!) should rejuvenate your vision. What to do: Pinch the ends of your index and middle (second and third) fingers of each hand for 30 seconds on each finger. If your eyestrain isn’t relieved after two minutes, do another round of pinching.
Quick trick to read the small print: You need to read the small print on that menu, but the type is too small (and you forgot your reading glasses). Try this: Make a fist, leaving a small hole between your palm and pinky. Bring your fist up to your eye, look through that small hole and focus on the letters or numbers you want to read. For some unknown reason, the small channel of light entering your eye clears your vision. You can also puncture a small hole in a piece of paper with a pen point. Hold the paper hole to your eye, focus on the number and see it come into view—larger and sharp.
Note: Be sure to see your eye doctor if you are experiencing any visual difficulties that affect daily activities.
Thanks to Larry Jebrock, OD, founder and director of Natural Vision Correction, Orthokeratology & Vision Therapy, in Novato, California (EyeExercises.com), and Marc Grossman, OD, LAc, medical director of Natural Eye Care in New Paltz, New York (NaturalEyeCare.com), for help with these tips.
