Eye Exercise Guide

Yesterday I read bits of this blog at the Artclash Collective's annual Fun-A-Day event in Philadelphia. I also had people trying out some if the eye exercises that I posted on this blog each day during the month of January. Several people (and if you're reading this, maybe you're one of them) asked me more about the blog because they or someone they know has difficulty seeing.

I realize that it can be intimidating to jump on into this corner of the Blogosphere and sift through 31 posts instructing you to do 31 weirdo rituals that may or may not help you see better. This Valentine's Day addendum is a way to sort that out. Below are all 31 exercises, categorized and described in brief. Look 'em over, pick one or two, try 'em out, and let me know what happens. You can also use the entry entitled "Your 5-Minute Regimen" as a launching point for exploring this stuff.

Eye Exercises:

• Sunning: Uses light, warmth and movement to help the eyes adjust to different lighting conditions.
• Palming: Uses darknes and warmth to help relax the eyes and brain.
• A Better Blink: Works to relax the eyes and face.
• Directionals: Eye movements to help strengthen the muscles around the eyes.
• The 3-Finger Game: Strengthens the ability to quickly focus on objects at different distances.
• The Phantom Finger: Uses optical illusions to work stereoscopic vision.
• Swaying & Swinging: Using movement of the head and body to help the eyes adjust to a world of motion.
• Sketching: Uses movement of the head to help define and sharpen images.
• A New Vision For Old Flyers: Uses printed words to help bring things into focus.
• Describing: Partner exercise that helps one see more detail.
• Seeing The Invisible: Works with the other senses to increase visual perception.
• Look Out: Relaxes the eyes by looking far away.

Breathing, Massaging and Stretching:

• Breathing: Basic technique for taking deep breaths during all eye exercises.
• Neck Stretches: Reduces tension in the body caused by eyestrain.
• Orbital Massage: Relieves eyestrain and headaches.
• Massaging Meridians: Explores pressure points around the body to help improve the eyesight.
• Buzzing: Yogic breath technique that brings relaxation to the eyes and body.

Shifts in Habit, Perspective and Attitude:

• Reading: Instructions on how to read and use computers in a way that reduces eyestrain.
• Changing Views: Using an apple (the fruit, not the computer) to see the world in many ways.
• Make Art: How art can help improve vision.
• See What You Want: Describes how vision loss can be linked to bad experiences and ways to overcome this.

Playing Games:

• Spooning Bubbles: Increases spatial awareness and improves depth perception by blowing bubbles.
• Ping Pong: Works focal ability by playing ping pong, tennis, or soccer.
• Skipping Rope: Strengthens peripheral vision with a jump rope.
• Anagram Games: Improves the eye-brain connection with a variety of word games.

Nutrition:

• Herbs: Lists herbs linked to vision improvement and how to use them.
• Listening to Color: Lists a few foods purported to be good for the eyes.

Essays:

• Light Text, Dark Background: Suggests adjusting your computer screen to help with reduce eyestrain.
• Contradictions: Details how and why different eye experts disagree with one another.
• Tears & Resources: List of books and other resources related to improving vision (and society).

...and for specific topics and eye conditions, look at the "areas of interest" on the sidebar to the left.