“The eyes are the windows to the soul.”

Most windows are two ways, and the eyes are also the body’s primary input for how it gets information about what is going on around us.

Two Eyes, One Brain (aka, how our eyes work)

A real quick anatomy lesson to explain why proper eye function was important on Kilimanjaro. I promise — this will be painless.

We have two eyes, right? But, we only see one set of information (right now, that information is what is on this screen).

When we are look around, the brain takes in the information from both eyes and matches up the information from each eye to create a single image. But, if your eyes aren’t working together your eyes will send mismatched information, much like when you take a photo with the camera shaking. When that happens the brain throws out one set of information to avoid giving us a giant headache.

So, now we are working with one data point, and not two. Just like you need three data points to triangulate on a location for something (I think I’ve been watching too many crime shows on Hulu), the eyes need information from both eyes to have depth perception.

OK, anatomy lesson over. Phew!

Lacking Depth Perception = Bad

If both eyes aren’t working together you don’t have depth perception. Not having depth perception when you are spending days on end climbing up and down rocks is ROUGH. Your body doesn’t reliably know how far up, or down, that next step is. So, you are foot strikes are more abrupt than they should be, you are missing steps, unsteady when your foot sets down, etc. Those little mis-steps accumulate, and when you are taking well over ten thousands steps per day — which we were — it can become a real problem.

In addition to growing up not breathing right, my eyes have also become wonky (that’s a technical term) from years and years at a computer. Fortunately, most eye function is controlled by muscles, and muscles can be retrained.

Vision training is a ginormous field of study that goes well beyond a visit to the optometrist. And, with that, there are countless ways to correct vision that don’t involve getting glasses, contacts, or surgery. We’re going to start here really small. If you want to know more, shoot me a note in the comments below.

Vision Training Drills

Pencil Push-Ups

This is a great exercise for getting the eyes better coordinated and working better at close distances.

• Hold a pencil directly out in front of your face, tip up.
• Slowly bring the pencil in towards the tip of your nose, keeping your focus on the pencil tip.
• When the pencil tip doubles, then bring the pencil back away from your face.
• Repeat 4-5 times

If your eyes are working well, then you should be able to get the pencil tip virtually to the end of your nose.

Eye Tracking

This exercise is great for getting your eyes muscles to work through all of the movements they are capable of.

• Hold your finger out in front of you.
• Take your finger and draw a large circle, tracking your finger with both eyes.
• Continue to make a circle (you can change hands) or create other shapes with your finger for about a minute

While simple, they are really effective exercises designed to get both eyes working together and more accustomed to working in places and distances we don’t normally look.