The Zen of Eye Exercises

Improving your eyesight is almost by definition a self-improvement program. However, some of us rebel against self-improvement. It feels like a burden we have to carry. Here is my solution: do your eye exercises “just for today” or just for this hour or for this minute. This Zen approach is in synch with the impermanence of our world. It is also in synch with the momentary nature of our vision. Our eyes only see one small area at a time with any degree of clarity. Everything outside of this central clear spot is actually unsharp. We are constantly moving that clear spot around so that our brains can string together this collection of clear moments into the illusion of a continuous clear world. Our visual acuity is also momentary. We see clearer one moment and not so clear the next depending on our stress and environment. Even vision improvement is slippery. Vision improvement comes in flashes of momentary clarity. So why not give in and design our eye exercise approach around the ever changing nature of reality. I will do my eye exercises “just for today.”