Can Eye Exercises Really Improve My Vision?

CHICAGO, IL, June 28, 2012 (Press-News.org) Some eye exercise programs promise "natural vision improvement" that can lead to a reduction in refractive errors. Is this true? Well, in order to find out, you must first consider your eye's basic function and anatomy. When you have a focusing problem - such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), or astigmatism - it is because your eye is not shaped like a perfect sphere.

What Causes Refractive Errors?

When your eyeball is too short, your ability to focus on nearby objects becomes limited, because the light rays that enter your eye achieve a point of focus beyond your retina. On the other hand, when your eyeball is too long, the light rays have too far to go, resulting in nearsightedness.

Astigmatism is caused by an irregularly-shaped cornea or lens. This causes light that enters your eye to split into two different points of focus, leading to blurred vision. Presbyopia is another common vision problem that occurs with age, as your eye's natural lens starts to lose its flexibility and cannot accommodate focusing at multiple distances.

Eye Exercises Would Need to Alter Your Eye's Anatomy to Work

Taking all of this into account, how can eye exercises change these fundamental problems with your eyes? Most eye exercises involve "working" your eye muscles. What effect can this have on your eyes' anatomy? Consider the following questions:

- Can eye exercises change the shape of your eyeball?
- Can eye exercises change the shape of your cornea?
- Can eye exercises reshape an irregular eye surface?
- Can eye exercises restore the natural flexibility of your eye's lens?

Research performed in several different studies has failed to uncover any evidence that eye exercises can alter your eye's basic anatomy or reduce presbyopia. While it is possible to train your eyes to see better in different ways - for example, you can help children train away a lazy eye to make their eyes work together in unison - it is simply not possible to change the shape of your eye through an exercise. Laser Vision Correction, such as LASIK or PRK, is the only way to reshape the surface of your cornea and significantly improve your vision.

A Final Word From the Experts

In 2004, after evaluating many studies involving eye exercise programs, eye massages, eye patching, and muscle relaxation techniques, the officials at the American Academy of Ophthalmology issued this statement:

- "No evidence was found that visual training has any effect on the progression of myopia. No evidence was found that visual training improves visual function for patients with hyperopia or astigmatism. No evidence was found that visual training improves vision lost through disease processes such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, or diabetic retinopathy."

If you would like more information about eye anatomy and eye function, please visit the website of experienced Chicago eye surgeon Dr. Mark Golden at Doctors For Visual Freedom at www.doctorsforvisualfreedom.com.