There is a problem with my old brain, and many years of doing myopia rehab.  Or more accurately, there is a problem with this format of delivering eyesight health content to you – me writing at a screen, which impassively stares back at me.  It is a very strange new way for someone like me, who is trained to work based on interaction and feedback.  Even e-mails are challenging, because of the huge amount of time that passes between individual messages.

You get the most from me by presenting a specific challenge, for which I most likely have a specific solution.

And that’s where your contributions, questions, feedback, observations and critiques add immeasurably to this project. You say something that jolts my brain and reminds me of a strategy that I may have recommended hundreds of times before – but entirely forget about, while typing on a keyboard, alone in a room.

In a moment, let’s look at one of my truly all time favorites, courtesy of a comment Sara made in the forum:

I am getting frustrated with my 20 foot Snellen chart. It feels as if my centimeter measurements and outdoor seeing abilities surpass my indoor Snellen results, where I am still working to clear 20/40 down to 20/20. I also have a 10 foot chart, and on that I can read the 10/10 (20/20) line and most of the line below (20/8, i.e. 20/16). This is making it so hard to tell if my prescriptions are right or not. I’ve tested my boyfriend, who doesn’t need glasses, on my 20′ Snellen, and even he struggles to read past 20/30 or 20/25.“

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For my response and the whole thread, visit here:  https://endmyopia.org/myopia-forums/topic/my-snellen-setup-is-driving-me-nuts

When I first made this site as a resource for you, I tried to summarize all the things that matter most.  I just wanted to give you the basics without getting into the endless abyss that this subject can easily turn into.  I looked at it from the perspective of somebody visiting the site for the first time, somebody with limited time and patience.  What would I present to you, as that person, for the most concise resource?

So we talk about Snellen and centimeter and prescriptions.  I use the accepted parlance and ways to limit the degree of jarring dissonance between what you know and accept, and the things you need to improve your eyesight.

In truth though, so much more of the current paradigm of eyesight measurement and treatment is fundamentally flawed.  I don’t want to get excessively philosophical or theoretical, since I want to respect your time and the promise of this site to stick to the things that matter – actionable advice to help you get better vision.  So you do want to use an eye chart and measure centimeter, and follow all that advice as closely as possible.  

Do it at least for the first six months or so, and long enough to where you are in a routine that shows ongoing improvement.  Don’t do anything different or experimental until you had at least two successful prescription reductions.  This is important.  Don’t start experimenting before you are 100% clear on using the method itself. 

Almost every single failure to improve I have had to deal with in the past, involves somebody who skipped some of the steps.  

All that said, if you are at a point where this is all normal and routine to you, let me say this about the Snellen:  It’s a decent measurement tool.  It’s ok for keeping a log, it’s a baseline for where your eyesight is at.  In many other ways though, the Snellen is a very flawed tool to measure eyesight.  Much has been written on the subject, and much of it doesn’t matter here, in terms of practical eyesight improvement.  The question though, is:  Should a chart be your judge and jury of eyesight, your source of motivation or frustration, long term?

You could just use a chart, of course, and be just fine.  But you’ll miss the actual fun part of improving your eyesight.

Let’s take a look at what I do, in my own personal life, to challenge, improve, and enjoy my vision:

Do Some Eyesight “Thumb Wrestling” With Your Friends.

Sara is on the right track there.  Have a 20/20 friend?  Have them look at your chart and measurement setup and see how they do relative to you!  And then go for a walk together, and see who can read distant signs the best.  This is where you get the confidence in your vision and your reduced prescriptions.  This is also where you can get a lot of motivation from to push yourself.  You have active focus on your side.  You are the pro and your friends are the amateurs.  

I can’t tell you how many times people have looked at me and my friends as though we might be a bit crazy.  You can find us in the city on a street corner, staring and blinking off into the distance, occasionally perhaps even laughing and shouting (uncharacteristically so, for our cultural norms).  Who are these crazy men?

We might pick out a challenging street sign or license plate down the road, and play a game of who gets all the letters first.  There may have been bets in the past, and scores kept.  I certainly won’t confirm or deny that there may have been the very occasional drinking games involving focus pulling and reading distant writing.  It’s a professional hazard – I can’t always let go of thinking about eyesight, even in social situations.

People play soccer and chess and cricket.  Why not make distance vision an athletic challenge?  This is something you can play with your kids, spouses, friends, neighbors, even strangers.  “Hey, what does that sign over there say?”  You can say that to anyone, and potentially have an interesting dialog come of it – besides also challenging yourself against others and in the process improving your vision.

Distance Focus Pulling is the #1 Way To Get Positive Stimulus For Your Eyes.

You can do this with a chart, by yourself, you can do it a myriad ways.  The most improvement comes from the most challenge, though.  I have had clients report significant improvement when using reduced prescriptions while being in competitive environments.  I personally find that my vision benefits the most when I don’t just have some abstract target or goal, or activity I do as a routine.  I get the most distance and enjoyment when I involve others, and challenge myself against fellow humans, rather than a chart.

With our concept of reduced prescriptions, anyone can play this game.  It’s a fluid process.  You improve until you decide to reduce your prescription, and then you work your way back up.  As we always say, habits and real life application is a thousand times more effective than eye exercises of any kind – competing and playing games is an important way to get the most out of this premise.

If you are interested in this, feel free to post in the forum.  I have slews of games and challenges that can be played with friends.

Enjoy!