Quite a few near-sighted people have told me that after driving for several hours, looking around at a farther distance than they’re normally used to, their vision is better for a day or so. One woman said her occasional double vision clears up, at least temporarily. This makes me wonder how often most folks with a challenge seeing far away actually use their eyes to look in the distance regularly. When I started vision improvement, I became aware I looked at my feet when I was walking outdoors, even in a beautiful scenic area! I had to train myself to look up and look around.
If you want to get better at something, you need to start doing it more, practicing, stretching your limits. If you haven’t seen well in the distance for years, that just means you’re rusty at it, not that it’s an ability which is gone forever. If you’re near a window right now, go look down the street or across the field or whatever is your view, and just notice. Look around the scene. What details do you notice, what shapes, or colors, or movement?
Part of “losing your distance vision” (or misplacing it for a time — ha ha!), may be simply the old adage “If you don’t use it, you lose it!”. Your wise brain wants to optimize the functions you use most, trying to help you. If it thinks you don’t care much about looking far, because you never do, it will start closing down that road, so to speak, because no one is driving on it! I invite you to start exploring that challenge area of your vision, instead of ignoring it, gently inviting it to return to full function.
A myopic vision client of mine who spends a lot of time at a computer and with books has taken up golf. He wants to get more exercise and more fresh air, and hopes to help his distance vision. He reports that he can feel he’s using his eyes in a different way when he looks for the little white ball in a sea of green grass and hills. This same client reported a similar feeling when taking a road trip with a friend along a European coastline. With the friend driving, he could look at scenes miles away without his glasses, giving his vision the treat of some Distance Delight.
If you’re not in a place with abundant Nature panoramas to let your eyes travel across, you’ve still got overhead — the clouds or roofs of buildings or airplanes or stars. Colorado vision teacher Greg Marsh gives this visualization exercise, done with your eyes closed. Imagine looking at a comfortable distance, then imagine going farther and noticing how your eyes and face feel. Is the strain building at the thought of looking that far, even though your eyes are closed? Return to imagining seeing at the comfortable distance, feeling your breath relax. Now imagine letting your gaze travel outward again — can you “see” a little farther this time?
Remember, your brain and visual system are following the lead of your intention. Let them know you want to see far and see clearly, not just with wishing about it, but with your actions. The more you look, in an easy relaxed curious way, the more you’ll see.
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I wore strong glasses, then contact lenses, from age 5 into my 40s. While making many mistakes, eventually l learned how to improve the way I use my eyes and to see in a more relaxed, healthy manner. It is my pleasure to coach others to do the same. Visit me at https://NancyLNeff.com.