(Image: Paul Blow)
In his 1920 book , William Bates claimed that doctors did not understand how the eye works and that anyone could achieve perfect vision by, for example, staring at the sun (do not try this at home!). His : countless books and websites still claim that “natural vision correction” can be achieved simply by doing eye exercises.
In fact, there is no evidence that any kind of exercise improves the eye’s focusing powers, which is the cause of most vision problems. But there is evidence that the brain can get better at interpreting the signals it receives from the eyes. The main focus of research has been contrast sensitivity – how well we can discern things that are only slightly darker or lighter than their surroundings. It is important for reading in poor light, say, or driving at night.
There have been some apparently impressive results reported with training schemes involving Gabor patches. These look like blurry lines, and the exercises typically involve spotting ever-fuzzier lines that get harder and harder to distinguish from the background. , who tend to have worse contrast sensitivity, could regain similar abilities to those in their early 20s.
Several apps are now on sale so you can try these exercises at home, but or just make people better at detecting Gabor patches. Most eyesight specialists want to see more controlled trials done before they recommend their use. “It’s probably too soon to know,” says …
