Be careful of vision-improving eye exercise programs

Today, people with poor eyesight have a couple of options for vision aid. Whilst prescription eyeglasses have been the most historical, modern medical solutions including a wide variety of surgeries have also make their great contribution. These two kinds of vision correction are believed widely to be effective. Nevertheless, there is still a third solution that is still under controversy, i.e. eye exercises.

Two examples of vision-improving eye exercise programs

Customers should be wary of eye exercise programs such as the widespread See Clearly Method, who claimed that they can eliminate or reduce your need for prescription eyewear. Because of these invalidated claims, all sales of See Clearly Method kits were prohibited and the company was punished to pay $200,000 as compensation to consumers who had bought the kits. The recently published Power Vision Program by American Vision Institute is another eye exercise program that indicates natural vision improvement.

See Clearly Method has no scientific support

The ever prevailing program of See Clearly Method charged about $350 retail for each kit. Its website claimed that the vision plan was a safe and healthy alternative to eyeglasses and contacts. But later the website disclaimed that the product’s vision improvement effect will vary among different people. However, aftermath investigation and details showed that the See Clearly Method had no solid scientific basis.

Technical details of See Clearly Method

While deluxe version of See Clearly Method contained a CD-ROM, its basic versions only included some videotapes and audiotapes. The program told people to do 30 minutes of exercises every day, in order to strengthen and enhance muscle flexibility that manages the eye’s focusing power. The program also provided some booster techniques and the component of “Visualization”. The vision improvement and glasses elimination from See Clearly Method had never been supported by any clinical study. The practice conducted by the program’s creators was deliberately controlled.

The principle of common eye problems

Actually, researches have showed that these simple exercises can not help you throw away your glasses that effectively correct vision errors such as myopia. Focusing errors such as farsightedness and nearsightedness involve the irregular ways that your eyes refract lights, which are caused by too short and too long eyeballs respectively. And presbyopia is caused because that aging lens starts to lose elasticity and can not adjust focus at different distances.

Eye exercises do not change eye anatomy and are ineffective

Eye exercises just provide up-and-down and back-and-forth movements for your lens, which have no relation with the above eye anatomy. These exercises will never change your eyeball shape, your cornea and irregular surface. They also can not restore your lens to its youthful elasticity. Eye exercises help your eyes function and adapt and certain vision therapy can be used to avoid amblyopia on children. However, no evidence shows that these exercises can alter the eye’s basic anatomy, which determines people’s refractive errors.  And no evidence has been found that visual training improves vision loss by macular degeneration, glaucoma and so on.

Be careful and ask ECPs for advice

In fact, eye exercise programs occupy an obscure space between medical science and folk remedy, which are dismissed by most optometrists and ophthalmologists. There are still other companies that sell similar eye training programs, some of which even claim to be FDA-approved. People who want to buy self-improvement eye exercise programs should be careful about their vision claims. Professional advice from ECPs is always helpful. The best way is to keep your expectations in check and your money in your wallet.