Strabismus, also known as 'lazy eye', is a common vision problem in which the eyes do not properly align with each other. [1]
This condition can occur due to various factors, including pre-term birth [2] and genetic reasons. [3]
For me personally, it was pre-term birth:
I've suffered from misaligned eyes since I was born - so in this article, I will present 7 exercises that you can do in the comfort of your home that have personally helped me.
You will not need:
These exercises are simple and easy to do. They can help improve the visual acuity of the affected eye and enhance the overall quality of your vision.
So, if you have been diagnosed with lazy eye or are at risk of developing this condition, these exercises are a great way to keep your eyes healthy and improve your vision:
Vision therapy is a type of treatment that helps improve various vision problems, such as lazy eye, double vision, and focusing difficulties.
While in-office vision therapy is known to be very effective (more so than at-home exercises) [4] - often the high costs, distance and busy schedules make it impossible for most people.
So if given the chance, training at a local vision center is preferrable (Googling 'vision therapy near me', 'vision therapist near me', or 'vision center near me' might help), but for most of us not that realistic.
There are certain forms of strabismus (eye misalignment) that are best treated in a vision center.
If you suffer from one of the following, it might be best to contact your local eye doctor first - and then do the following exercises at home with professional supervision:
There are certain people who will benefit a lot from training their visual system in the comfort of their home. These are people who currently have very underdeveloped visual skills - or their lazy eye (strabismus) is not that advanced:
Having cleared the basics, here are 7 effective eye exercises for lazy eye that can be done at home:
Which equipment do you need? One pencil.
How to do it? Hold a pencil at arm's length and slowly move it towards your nose, focusing on the tip of the pencil. Then move it away, keeping your eyes focused on the tip.
The pencil should stay single/fused. The goal here is not to see two pencils, but one.
How many times should you do it? Repeat 10-15 times.
My personal experience? Simple and easy exercise to do. Works well for convergence insufficiency (treating of double vision). [7]
Which equipment do you need? Rudimentary eye patch.
How to do it? Cover the good eye with a patch while performing daily activities or reading a book. This encourages the use of the lazy eye.
How long? For 30 minutes a day.
My personal experience? I needed to patch my eyes for 2 days because of the recommendation of an eye doctor. While it's effective (it helps improve visual skill/eye control) - it's incredibly awkward.
Which equipment do you need? Balloon.
How to do it? Blow up a balloon and play a game of "volleyball" by hitting it back and forth with a partner. This helps improve eye coordination and depth perception.
How long? For 30 minutes a day.
My personal experience? It's a fun way to improve depth perception, reduce double vision at home. Also playing ping pong, or doing any ball sports such as 'Rugby' can help. While it's fun, it's not as effective as pencil push ups.
Which equipment do you need? None.
How to do it? Hold a finger about 12 inches from your face and focus on it. Then quickly shift your focus to a distant object and back to your finger. The goal is to see the distant object single and your finger double - then see the finger single - and the distant object double.
How many times? Repeat 10-15 times.
My personal experience? Effective exercise similar to pencil push ups. Works well for improving convergence insufficiency and reducing potential double vision.
Which equipment do you need? None.
How to do it? Move your eyes in a figure-eight pattern, tracing the shape with your gaze.
How many times? Repeat 10-15 times in each direction.
My personal experience? Very much a beginner exercise that improves the working together of both eyes in unison. I've needed to do this exercise as a kid (with a ball in front of me). It helped somewhat, but naturally, wasn't a gamechanger.
Which equipment do you need? None.
How to do it? Have a partner hold up their index finger and move it slowly in different directions. Follow the finger with your eyes, keeping your focus on the tip.
How many times? Repeat 10-15 times.
My personal experience? Same as the previous exercise, this is very much a beginner eye exercise as well. While I've personally never tried this one, it works similarly to the one eye exercise before.
Which equipment do you need? Mac or Windows computer, webcam.
How to do it? Download the Lazyeyefix Ai software from lazyeyefix.com. You can start a free trial without needing any credit card.
The software will access your webcam, and track your eye movement. It will then always show you when your eye slips off - or when it wanders. It's a wonderful tool you can use additionally to any vision therapy exercises you're doing - to track your progress and make sure you're moving in the right direction.
How long? You can use the software passively without any need for training time. Whenever you work, start up the software - and let it run at the back so it reminds you of your eye angle throughout the day.
My personal experience? I'm the founder of Lazyeyefix.com and I've created the software with the help of a leading Ai developer to scratch my own itch. I wanted an easy, simple vision therapy exercise in the comfort of my home that does not break the bank.
While it (almost) broke the bank for me - turns out software is quite expensive! - it will not break the bank for you. You can start the free trial on the website and then the lifetime option will cost you less than one single vision therapy appointment.
References:
[1] Strabismus by Cleveland Clinic:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15065-strabismus-crossed-eyes
[2] Born Too Soon - The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth by WHO:
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44864/9789241503433_eng.pdf?sequence=1
[3] Genetic Basis of Congenital Strabismus:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/817192
[4] Randomized clinical trial of treatments for symptomatic convergence insufficiency in children:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18852411/
[5] The Amblyopia Treatment Studies: Implications for Clinical Practice:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5396957/
[6] Variability of control in intermittent exotropia:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17629562/
[7] The Effectiveness of Home-based Pencil Push-up Therapy Versus Office-based Therapy for the Treatment of Symptomatic Convergence Insufficiency in Young Adults: