Eye Exercises for Lazy Eye

Lazy eye is not a disease and cannot be corrected using glasses or lenses. The human brain, due to some reason, does not respond to one of the eyes. This eye is said to be amblyopic, or the lazy eye. The brain does not totally acknowledge the images that are seen by the lazy eye.

In some rare cases, amblyopia is observed in both the eyes. The symptoms are that the eye wanders inward and outward, the lazy eye does not work along with the other normal eye and depth perception becomes poor. Before we get to know the eye exercises for lazy eye, let us get to know its causes.

The major cause of lazy eye (Amblyopia) is strabismus. Now, what is strabismus? It is an imbalance in the muscles that are positioning the eye in the right position and it is responsible for the unusual inward and outward movement of the eyes.

This is the reason why the eye is not able to capture the images correctly and send them to the brain. The second cause is blockage in the eye due to trauma or a lid droop.

Eye exercises, besides being good for eye health, are also meant to improve vision. Eye exercises are important to develop and maintain normal vision and to increase depth perception of the eye.

Here are some of the eye exercises for amblyopia that you can use to treat the lazy eye of your child. It is strongly recommended that you should consult a doctor before you use these eye exercises for lazy eye.

Eye patching involves disabling the healthy eye with the help of an eye patch. In this exercise, the lazy eye is forced to work and helps to establish a communication between the brain and the eye.

The time period for which this patch is to be worn by the child is decided by the doctor. It is advisable to ask the doctor when and for how much time the patch should be worn by your child.

Focusing is one of the eye exercises for lazy eye (amblyopia) which involves quick shifting focus when looking from near to far. Kids with the condition face this problem in schools when they have to look at their boards after looking in their books placed on the desk. The eye exercise which involves focusing, can be done at home.

Rolling the eyes, so that the muscles of the lazy eye work. This is done by patching the stronger eye. To perform this exercise. sit on the ground with your legs folded. Keep the neck and head straight. Look in front on you when you begin.

Now, without lifting your chin, look up at the ceiling of the room by simply raising your eyes. Hold for five seconds. Now, look down at the floor, and hold for five seconds. Now look in all the corners turn by turn - top-right, bottom-right, top-left, bottom-left. In each position, hold your gaze for five seconds.

In the end, look at the tip of your nose. Finally, squeeze your eyes shut tightly; then slowly loosen the eyelid muscles. keep the eyes closed for a few moments. Then rub your palms together, cover your eyes with them, and slowly open your eyes as you remove your palms.

This is a good exercise even for those with perfect eyesight. However, it may make you feel slightly disoriented or giddy. If so, immediately discontinue the exercise, and consult your doctor before you give it another try.

Another eye exercise for amblyopia is tracking. Tracking integrates the central and peripheral vision of the child. The central vision tells us about the object we are looking at. The peripheral vision helps us to locate the objects. A good integration of both these visions renders a good vision.

The exercises that use tracking involves tracking the outline of a circle, clown or any other figure. Tracking these images must be done continuously without looking in any other direction.

These are the eye exercises for lazy eye. Try to make these eye exercises for amblyopia fun for kids, so that they will enjoy doing them. It is suggested that they must be performed by your child after you consult a doctor for the treatment of lazy eye. The doctor will tell you the exact way of doing it.