Learn to improve your focus
As we get older our vision tends to change, mostly we start having problems reading things further away and so become more and more short sighted. Our vision is not helped with modern living, we spend so much time looking at screens, phones and books.
My eyesight has never been great, I have never really been able to read a car number plate, when younger I could just about read a number plate at 21 paces which was the legal distance you needed to drive, since then it has gotten worse.
Around 2015 my teacher taught me these exercises to improve my long distance vision. I was a bit sceptical at first but thought I would try it out.
At the time I was working in Stains (UK), near where I worked there was a railway bridge, every lunchtime I would walk to the railway bridge, on the way I would pick a car number plate and stop when I could read it. I would then pace out how far away it was. When I started it was around 11 paces. After a few months it was around 31 paces, quite an improvement.
It can be quite useful to take regular breaks and practise shifting your focus. Our eyes constantly adjust between objects that are close to us and things in the distance so combine these with the relaxation exercises I have posted.
Here are three exercises to try as part of your eye-care routine.
Distance focus
I like to find a place that I won’t be disturbed, ideally outside, but if not looking out of a window.
- Hold your thumb close to your nose and focus on a part of it (you can also use something like a pen or a stick, but you always have your thumb with you)
- Slowly move your thumb away from your nose to full arms length, always keeping it in focus as the thumb moves away from you
- Drop your thumb down and look at something in the far distance, a tree, or a hill, or in my example a signal post
- Focus on it for 10-15 seconds
- Raise your thumb back up, and slowly move it back to your nose maintaining focus on it at all times
- Repeat the process 5 to 10 times
You will notice after the first couple times that the far off image starts to come more into focus and you start making out more details.
I used to do this almost daily Monday to Friday to get my improvements.
Switching focus
This exercise is good for training your eyes to refocus quickly.
- Choose an object about six inches (15 cm) away from your face
- Find another object at least 15 feet (4.5 metres) away
- Focus on the near object for around 2 to 3 seconds, and then shift your focus to the distant one, again hold for around 2 to 3 seconds
- Alternate between the two objects, you need to ensure that you can see the details of each object
- Repeat the process 5 to 10 times
Notice how your eyes adjust as you change focus.
Changing focus
This is a bit like a combination of the previous two exercises.
- Hold a small object in front of your face and focus on it for a couple of seconds, pick out some details
- Slowly move it away towards arm’s length as you breathe out (inhale)
- Then bring it slowly back towards your face as you breathe in (exhale)
- Try to keep the object in focus at all times
- Use slow movements coordinated with the breath
The aim is to practise changing focus comfortably, not to push your eyes to their limits.
With all the exercises try to keep your head still.
At PEMS Life, we believe small, practical habits can help us become more mindful of our wellbeing.
Consistency is the most important trait, not how often you do it.
Why not take a short break today and give your eyes a moment of attention?
Real Support. Lasting Change.💚
