Eye Exercises for Tracking Problems & Perception

Individuals experiencing difficulty tracking objects or words as well as those who have difficulty judging distances or focusing or perception difficulties may benefit from a variety of eye exercises that help strengthen the muscles behind the eyes, resulting in improved vision and acuity. Eye therapy exercises may be performed every day by young and old alike to improve reading, driving and everyday tasks. Perception and eye tracking exercises can be developed by your eye doctor.

Tracking

• Tracking objects gives us the ability to see things as they're moving. Exercises that offer moving targets that help the eye focus and track those targets can strengthen the eye muscles and improve visual coordination that enhances tracking abilities. For example, one type of tracking exercise for the eye may include eye-hand moves. Have a person stand in front of you holding an object, such as a pencil. Instruct the person to move the pencil to different locations. The person exercising his or her eyes must follow or track the pencil as the person moves it. Move the object in a straight line at a moderate speed to encourage the eye to remain consistently focused on the object.

Perception

• Perception eye exercises help the eyes recognize familiar objects. One of the best exercises for perception is the childhood game that requires an individual to look at two similar pictures or drawings and find objects that are missing or different between pictures. The Memory game is also a good visual memory exercise that helps develop perception. The Memory game can be engaged in several different ways, from observing a picture for up to a minute and then remembering as many details about it as you possibly can when the time's up, to playing Memory with cards, spread out and placed face down on the floor or a table. Turn over one card at a time, matching cards in sets of 2, 3, 4 and so forth until all the cards are gone.

Tracking Speed

• Increasing tracking and perception of speed helps exercise the eyes and strengthens focusing ability. Exercise the eyes by hanging a tennis ball from the ceiling or a doorway with a piece of string held in place with a tack. The ball should hang at nose level. Set the ball in motion, swinging from side to side and maintain focus on the ball with your eyes. Keep the head still while tracking the ball with your eyes. You can also swing the ball toward you and away from you while repeating the eye tracking, keeping the head still. Another variation of this eye exercise is to lie on your back on the floor directly underneath the ball. Have someone swing the ball in a circular motion, much like the hands of a clock. Follow the ball with your eyes, again keeping the head still throughout.