A Your daughter will have been advised to do orthoptic exercises to strengthen the muscles around the eyes, to reduce the effects of phorias (small misalignments of the eyes) which can lead to double vision and fatigue. Simple exercises such as following a pen into your nose, or switching your focus from near to far in a controlled manner, can all improve the muscle balance and reduce strain on the eyes.
The Sight Training game from Nintendo uses the principle that we only use 50 per cent of our visual potential, and as we learn to see when we are babies, over time we can further train the eyes to work better. The game concentrates on five areas of vision and eye co-ordination: Dynamic Vision, Momentary Vision, Eye Movements, Peripheral Vision and Hand-Eye Co-ordination.
They include simple activities and basic games which train your eyes ability to track fast moving objects, and processing lots of information from just a quick viewing. Sports such as table tennis and baseball help train hand-eye coordination. The `workout' is intended for about 10 minutes daily, and by recording results you can build up a profile of the approximate `age' of the eyes, thus improving this over time.
The games can be fun, and certainly won't do your daughter's eyes any further harm, but I would still follow the advice of the orthoptist and continue with the exercises. The Sight Training game does not reduce normal refractive errors such as short and long sightedness and astigmatism, so don't throw the spectacles away just yet!
For a consultation with Martyn, telephone 0161 834 7798.
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