Do you have lazy or crossed eyes, an eye that drifts outward or inward on its own, or trouble with depth perception? Then specially prescribed eye exercises from your Mississauga and Brampton eye doctors may help!
Eye Exercises to Reduce Anxiety and See More Comfortably
Effective eye exercises can help improve your vision by reinforcing the connection between your brain and your eyes, strengthening your eye muscles, and helping you focus. Your eye doctor will prescribe exercise based on a number of factors, including your age and the conditions being addressed.
CTA 1: Dealing with double or blurry vision all day? Speak to our Brampton-area opticians to see if the right pair of glasses or contacts can help!
Here are some exercises your optometrist may have you try:
Near and far. If you wear glasses, take them off and hold your thumbs up. One thumb should be near your face and the other should be further away. Changing focus every 2 seconds, start out focusing on the near thumb, then the one further away, something across the room, like a mug or a pencil, and finally something really far away, like a car parked outside.
Blink break. Research shows that we blink significantly less while looking at digital screens such as a computer or TV. If your eyes start to feel dry, or you start to feel a headache coming on, take a break from your screen for a few minutes and make an effort to blink.
The 20-20-20 rule. Set a timer while you’re on screens. Every 20 minutes, look away from your screen and focus on something that’s 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This will give your eyes a chance to “reset,” before getting back to the demanding task of digital screen usage.
Vision Therapy in Brampton and Mississauga
In many cases, the above exercises are great for relieving symptoms, but won’t address the underlying causes. For this, your eye doctor may prescribe vision therapy as part of an eye exam near you.
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Vision therapy is a special regimen of in-office and at-home eye exercises specifically tailored to your visual needs. The goal of these exercises is to address underlying issues with the connection and communication between your eyes and brain. Depending on what you need, your eye doctor may supplement your vision therapy exercises with aids such as specialized computer software, prism lenses, and Wolff wands.
Want to learn more about how eye exercises and vision therapy can reduce anxiety and help you see more clearly and comfortably? Visit our Brampton and Mississauga eye doctors today at Westpoint Optical.
Q&A
Can vision therapy help with dyslexia?
Vision therapy on its own is not enough to fully treat dyslexia. However, it can be an important part of a larger multidisciplinary approach to treatment, as a way to improve your child’s visual processing and efficiency. Your eye doctor may use specialized lenses or prisms to aid in vision therapy for dyslexia.
Is vision therapy effective for adults?
Though the ideal age for vision therapy is usually considered somewhere in the range of 8 to 10 years old, vision therapy can still be quite effective in treating adults for visual skill deficiencies such as convergence/divergence insufficiency, and eye teaming or visual tracking problems.