Double Vision Causes – Natural Eye Exercise Remedies for Double Vision

Good eyesight helps make life a little easier for you so that you can drive, read and study with far less difficulty, stress and strain. There is a vision disorder called Diplopia, commonly known as Double Vision that hinders the ability of the eyes to function normally. Fortunately, a series of specific vision exercises can alleviate the symptoms related to this vision condition.

What is Double Vision? According to Medical News Today, a respected authority on vision care in America, if you are seeing Double Vision, a single image appears to you as 2 images simultaneously.

What causes Diplopia? Allaboutvision.com identifies a series of different causes of this vision imbalance. One of the primary causes is Binocular Double Vision. In such a case, the patient’s eyes are misaligned. As a result, there is an imbalance that causes the eyes to point at different angles at varying degrees. The brain perceives images that are not identical enough in order to form a single image. Hence, two images are created; causing double vision. Damage to the third cranial nerve that is responsible for eye movement causes the affected eye to move outwards when the healthy eye looks forward causing this visual abnormality. The following conditions are also contributing factors to double vision: a thyroid disease, diabetes, a stroke, an injury, astigmatism and dry eye syndrome.

A natural alternative remedy for this vision disorder are eye exercises. Before beginning any kind of eye exercise program consult your physician. Eye exercises improve this vision problem in cases whereby an individual suffers from what is known as convergence insufficiency. According to the Mayo clinic, convergence insufficiency means: “your eyes don’t turn inward properly when you are focusing on a nearby object. When you read or look at a close object, your eyes should converge- turn inward together to focus so that you see a single image” (Mayoclinic. com, 2012).

Here are some eye exercises for Double Vision:

Swinging: This technique is helpful in cases whereby there is damage to the third cranial nerve that is responsible for controlling eye movement and because of this visual malfunction, the eye that is affected tends to move outward while the healthy eye looks forward creating double images. In order to perform swinging stand up and select an object in the distance and focus on it. Then, gently sway your body from side to side while you maintain your focus on the distant object to the best of your ability. You may blink while you perform this exercise. Perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions.

Pencil Push ups: According to a study by the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, patients suffering from convergence insufficiency who were prescribed this particular eye technique saw a significant reduction in their symptoms. For this exercise, you will need a pencil. Sit in a comfortable chair while you hold a pencil in front of your face at a distance where you can clearly see the letters on the side of the pencil. Gradually move the pencil to the point where it is about six inches close to your nose. The objective of this vision exercise is to maintain your focus on one particular letter of the pencil as you move it toward your nose. In the event that the letter appears as a double image move the pencil farther away from you. Perform this exercise for 10 minutes as you continue to move the pencil back and forth in front of your face.

Eye rolling: roll your eyes in a clockwise direction and then in a counter-clockwise direction. Make sure that the rotations are slow, controlled and try to avoid any jerky movements. Smooth rotations can be achieved through regular practice. Perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions each.

Double Vision is a disorder that is caused by an imbalance in the position of the eyes that causes the brain to transmit double images rather than single images. It is also triggered by a variety of other factors. For example, vision disorders and health conditions such as Diabetes, stroke, injuries, Binocular Double Vision, astigmatism, and dry eye syndrome. While the symptoms of Double Vision may seem distressing, specific eye exercise techniques practiced regularly, are an effective remedy for the problem.