Will Eye Exercises Work for You

• Eye exercises can be used to improve vision in many situations; they can help in treating problems with focusing, crossed eyes, lazy eyes or weak eye muscles. In other situations, they won't be effective at all. Trying to treat farsightedness, nearsightedness, cataracts, or glaucoma with eye exercises will not work. It's important to have your eyes checked and talk to your doctor so you know what you're dealing with and whether eye exercises will help in your situation.
  
  

Pencil Push-Ups

• This exercise uses a pencil with a small letter on it. Start with the pencil held out away from your face and move the pencil in toward your nose. As it gets closer, try to watch that small letter and keep it in clear focus. Do this several times each day for five to 10 minutes each time.
  
  

Depth-Perception

• You can improve your depth perception and focus with this eye exercise. Hold a pen or other small object in front of you for about five seconds. Focus on a small point (if it's a pen, focus on the tip of the pen). Then change your focus to something farther in the distance. Continue to alternate your focus every few seconds between your small object and the object in the distance. Do this at least two times per day for a few minutes each time.
  
  

Improve Peripheral Vision

• Find something on TV that has plenty of action, such as sports or an action movie. Sit comfortably in a chair; when you put your arm straight out in front of you, your thumb should be about 12 inches from the TV screen. Now hold your thumb up and focus on it, but try to be able to tell what's happening on the TV screen. Do this a couple of times each week for two minutes each time.
  
  

Stick to the Exercises

• These exercises are simple enough. However, many patients get home and disregard how important they can be or feel silly doing them. This means they don't follow through with doing the exercises once they get home. The National Eye Institute released a study (reported in the Archives of Ophthalmology) that shows patients who suffer from convergence insufficiency, a common eye muscle coordination disorder, saw better results when they used both in-office and at-home treatments. Stick to the routine that you discuss with your doctor.