Myopia, or nearsightedness, occurs when a person can see close objects but objects in the distance are blurry or unclear. The American Optometric Association says that about 30 percent of the United States population has myopia, which can be inherited or a result of visual stress. Performing visual exercise without glasses or contact lenses can help some people to improve vision and repair myopia.
Depth of Field Exercise
During this exercise you work to focus on a nearby object and a distant object. Exercising the muscles in the eye requires you to fixate on objects you can see as well as objects that may normally be blurry. Place your finger about 6 inches from your nose. Focus on seeing your finger clearly for five seconds. Focus on an object that is about 20 feet away for five seconds. Continuing alternating your focus on your finger and the distant object for 40 repetitions.
Palming
Palming is an eye exercise that helps you to relax your eyes. You will gradually decrease muscle tension in your eyes to help improve your vision. Sit comfortably in a chair with your elbows on top of a pillow or soft surface. Close your eyes and cover each eye with the palms of your hands. Cover your right eye with your right palm and your left eye with your left palm. Allow one hand to overlap the other on your forehead. Do not apply pressure to your eyes or squint your eyes. Remain in this position and allow your eyes to relax until it is completely black and you do not see any colors or lights in your visual field.
Reading Exercise
This exercise is designed to isolate each eye as well as use both eyes together to read numbers from a fixed distance. Mother Earth News recommends performing the palming exercise before this exercise to relax your eyes completely. Sit in a chair and look at a calendar on the wall. Position your chair so you can just barely read the numbers. Close your eyes, open them and read each number. Visualize each number in your head before reading it. Repeat the exercise using only one eye at a time. Cover your resting eye with your palm and pay attention to the differences in each eye. If one eye sees the numbers less clearly spend more time reading with that eye. Practice for least 15 minutes each day.
