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Centralizing to Improve Eyesight

One form of stress that can cause chronic tension in the external muscles of the eye is trying to see everything clearly, all at once.

Many people believe they can improve their vision by striving to see everything in their field of vision clearly. They may stare at an object or a scene, attempting to see everything with uniform clarity.

This striving after uniform clarity causes unnatural tension because uniform clarity is impossible. And, this tension often becomes chronic, which causes the external eye muscles to distort the eyeball from its normal spherical shape. The result is nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.

Why is it impossible to see everything in your field of view clearly?

To see anything light must fall on the rods and cones in the retina. The rods detect low levels of light but do not see color. Three types of cones detect higher levels of red, blue, and green light. The rods are spaced relatively far apart and are unable to detect the detail that the more closely space cones can detect.

But, the density of cones is high only in the central area of your vision, near the fovea. The National Institute of Health indicates that "cones are present at a low density throughout the retina, with a sharp peak in the center of the fovea." Here is a chart showing the density of both rods and cones in the retina:

The retina is not like the film in a camera. In a camera, the film (or photodetector of digital cameras) captures detail uniformly over its entire surface. But, the retina can only capture clear, distinct, detail near the center of the visual field. Peripheral vision is always less clear.

Seeing properly is an attitude of the mind. If you think you should see everything clearly, you will caluse chronic stress that produced eye defects. If you acknowledge that you can see clearly only a small area of what you are looking at your eye muschles will relax.

You can practice with two objects with some details, like two pencils or pens with writing on them. Place them a short distance apart and look at one. Notice the details of the lettering on the one you are looking at. Then notice that while looking at the one object, the details of the second object are not at clear.

For example, look at the photo of two pens below. Look at the lettering in the top pen. Note the clarity with which you can see the letters.

Two pens

And, note that while you're looking at the top pen you can detect that there is a pen below with lettering. But, you cannot clearly see the writing on that pen.

Then look at the details of the bottom pen and note that you cannot clearly see the letters in the top pen. Yes, you can tell there is writing on the top pen, but you don't see it clearly.

If you did this successfully, you now understand centralization of clear vision. You only see clearly what you are looking at directly.

To see clearly everything around you you must shift your gaze from one object to another.

If you begin noticing the clarity of your central vision you will stop making an effort to see everyting clearly. This will allow your eyes to relax and improve your eyesight.

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