I bet every person suffering from strabismus and lazy eye has ever thought about finding a solution to his visual condition in the form of at-home eye exercises. Even though there's no definitive eye exercise you can do from home to cure your sight condition, it's also true that there are a series of eye exercises for lazy eye that can help in your journey to strengthening your eye muscles and stimulating your binocular vision. Below, we'll dive into some effective exercises and alternative treatments for lazy eye.
Let’s clarify the Lazy Eye
Lazy eye, also known as amblyopia, is a visual condition that typically develops in early childhood, even though it can also occur in adulthood, when one eye doesn't work as well as the other. This can lead to poor vision and eye alignment issues.
Amblyopia occurs when the brain and one eye do not work together properly. Over time, the brain favors the stronger eye, leading to the weaker eye becoming "lazy." Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to improving vision and preventing long-term complications.
How Eye Exercises Can Help
Eye exercises are designed to strengthen the muscles in the weaker eye, improve focus and coordination, and help the brain and eye work together more effectively. Consistent practice of these exercises can lead to significant improvement in vision over time, but it is to be noticed that these exercises are just a complement to vision therapy, we'll dive deeper into this at the end of the post.
Eye Exercises for Lazy Eye
What follows are a series of eye exercises, some you can do at home, that has helped us the Equal-Eyes team back when we were struggling with lazy eye. Some exercises will include video demonstrations by one of our team members, Ms. Melissa Daniels:
Pencil Push-Ups
Instructions: Hold a pencil at arm's length, focus on it, and slowly move it closer to your nose. Stop when the pencil becomes blurry or doubled, then move it back. Make 3 series of 5–10 repetitions, 1–3 times a day.
Goal: The goal of this eye exercise is to practice eye muscle control, specifically convergence.
Pencil Push-Ups taken to the next level
Eye Tracking
Instructions: Sit comfortably and focus on a small object, like a pen or pencil. Picture a figure eight in front of you, move the object in any initial direction forming the 8 figure, and with your eyes start tracing it slowly. Repeat in both directions. Make 3 series of 5–10 repetitions, 1–3 times a day.
Goal: The goal of this eye exercise is to practice eye muscle control, specifically convergence and divergence in multiple directions.
Focus Shifting with Finger
Instructions: Position your finger a few inches from your eye and focus on it. Gradually move it away while maintaining focus. Then, shift your gaze to a distant object before refocusing on your finger. Make 3 series of 5–10 repetitions, 1–3 times a day.
Goal: The goal of this eye exercise is to practice eye muscle control, specifically convergence and divergence in multiple directions.
Near-Far Shifting
Instructions: Hold one index finger in front of your face and the other index finger behind and further away. Focus your eyes on the closer one, and then switch focus and move your gaze on the finger that is furthest away. Then, focus again on the closer one. That's one repetition. Make 3 series of 5–10 repetitions, 1–3 times a day. Repeat, gradually increasing the distance between the objects.
Goal: The goal of this eye exercise is to practice focus and switch between near and far objects, using quick convergence and divergence response.
Eye Rolling
Instructions: Sit comfortably and slowly roll your eyes clockwise, then switch to counterclockwise. Make 3 series of 5–10 repetitions, 1–3 times a day. Repeat, gradually increasing the distance between the objects.
Goal: The goal of this eye exercise is to practice eye muscle control, specifically convergence and divergence in multiple directions.
Alternative and Complementary Treatments for Lazy Eye
In-Office Vision Therapy (better for adults)
A professional vision therapist can guide you through specific exercises and activities designed to improve your lazy eye.
Non-Prescription At-Home Vision Therapy (better for adults)
This is a new hope for adult strabismus and lazy eye
Vision therapy is the treatment that has demonstrated the best results for adult lazy eye. You can benefit from the latest at-home virtual reality Vision Therapy solutions. Lazy eye is a binocular dysfunction, so you will surely need vision therapy to really solve the problem, start using both of your eyes, and achieve stereopsis. At AvalonWeb.com.au, we are proud to offer Equal-Eyes, our innovative VR vision therapy for adult lazy eye and binocular vision dysfunctions. This program provides an engaging platform for patients to improve their visual skills and overcome challenges associated with amblyopia and strabismus.
Note: Even though our visual therapy doesn't required prescription, it is highly recommend that you get supervision by an eye specialist.
Corrective Eyeglasses or Contact Lenses
Prescription eyewear can help correct vision issues that contribute to lazy eye. It is worth mentioning that glasses can't fix adult lazy eye by themselves.
Eye Patching (better for children)
Cover the stronger eye with a patch to force the weaker eye to work harder. Eye patching for lazy eye is a common and effective treatment for amblyopia in children.
Eye Drops (Patching Variant)
Special eye drops can blur the vision in the stronger eye, forcing the weaker eye to work harder.
Surgery
In some cases where there's strabismus surgical intervention may be necessary to correct eye alignment and help improve vision.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while eye exercises alone may not cure lazy eye, they can significantly complement other treatments by strengthening eye muscles and promoting better binocular vision. Consistency, particularly through a blend of at-home exercises and professional vision therapy, is crucial in improving vision and addressing amblyopia. Explore different treatment options and consult with a specialist to find the most suitable approach for your individual needs. You can count on us with our innovative and affordable at-home vision therapy solution (Equal-Eyes). Let's work together towards clearer, stronger vision.
FAQs
The Brock String is a tool used in vision therapy to improve binocular vision and eye coordination. It consists of a string with several beads that you focus on to practice eye alignment.
Eye patching involves covering the stronger eye with a patch to force the weaker eye to work harder, which helps improve vision over time.
Yes, many lazy eye exercises can be done at home with simple tools like pencils, or even using just your hands and fingers. Consistency is key to seeing improvement.
The time it takes to see results can vary depending on the severity of the amblyopia and how consistently exercises are practiced. Remember that lazy eye exercises can't fix amblyopia by themselves, and they are to be implemented with complementary and more advanced techniques like vision therapy. Based on results from amblyopic adults that have used Equal-Eyes, lazy eye can take at least one year to start seeing good results in terms of vision acuity and binocular vision. And believe me, it's worth it every single effort and time.
While lazy eye is more commonly treated in children, adults can also benefit from eye exercises. It's never too late to treat lazy eye and start improving your vision.