Exercises for strabismus in children and adults: gymnastics for the eyes with convergent and divergent shapes, benefits, shiatsu acupressure

Strabismus is an ailment that cannot be hidden or disguised. Therefore, the consequences of pathology can be the most unexpected. The defect can have a negative impact on the child’s mental development, self-esteem, and choice of profession. After all, not only the appearance deteriorates, the disease entails a decrease in visual acuity.

This phenomenon should not be ignored. Eye exercises for strabismus will help you cope with visual defects. For children and adults they are slightly different, so we will consider them in detail.

What it is

Strabismus is a disease in which the normal position of the eyes is disrupted. This may be a deviation of one or both eyeballs when looking straight.

When a person's eyes are symmetrically positioned, images fall on the central area of ​​each of them. In special sections of the visual analyzer, the resulting images are merged into a single image.

In a person with strabismus, this fusion does not occur. In order to eliminate double images, the nervous system excludes one of the pictures. It turns out that one eye does not participate in the visual process and eventually loses visual functions.

Strabismus is a fairly common phenomenon among young children. At a very early age the disease is not noticeable. Parents are required to monitor their baby's eyes to prevent the development of pathology.

If you notice symptoms of illness in your child, consult a doctor immediately. Very often special gymnastics are prescribed. If the methods do not help, then they resort to more effective treatment methods, such as hardware or surgery.

Exercises for children

In order for a child to want to do exercises, all of them must be carried out in the form of a game:

• Small holes are cut out on white cardboard. The child must insert multi-colored laces into them. Thus, the vision function is concentrated, the muscles begin to work.
• For the exercise, take a sheet of paper. It is divided in half. On one side they draw various objects in a certain order, on the other side there should be the same objects, only arranged chaotically. The child must use a pencil or pen to connect objects in pairs.
• It is possible that the child is still too young to perform complex exercises. Then the healthy organ of vision is blocked and the rattle is shaken in the direction where it is necessary to measure the position of the diseased eye. Gradually he will try to move his gaze.

Strabismus in children is easily treated if treated at an early age.

Strabismus: causes

Ophthalmologists note causes of both congenital and acquired nature. These may be injuries, paralysis, paresis, abnormal development of the eye muscles, various diseases of the central nervous system, stress, and infectious diseases.

To diagnose pathology, you need to consult a specialist and undergo a thorough examination. In modern clinics, diagnostics are carried out using special computer equipment, which allows you to see the full picture of the disease.

If at least one factor is present in a child’s development, the likelihood of strabismus developing increases significantly. Such children are at risk and must be under the supervision of an ophthalmologist.

Since the disease causes one eye to lose visual function over time, treatment must begin as early as possible.

What are the benefits of gymnastics?

Both acquired and congenital strabismus can be corrected with corrective optical products or special exercises. They differ in effectiveness, but the results from gymnastics are noticeable only if you perform them daily. Exercises are practiced for any type of strabismus; techniques for adults and children are different.

Exercise is very useful in the fight against pathology:

• In the process of performing gymnastics, the muscles of the organ of vision relax, as a result, the synchronous movement of the eyeballs is normalized;
• The gaze learns to focus on one point;
• The visual apparatus is trained to combine two different pictures.

Gymnastics for eyes against squint

If you do therapeutic exercises correctly, your eyes will work at the same time. When manifestations of strabismus in adults occur only during times of excessive tension or relaxation, the condition can be corrected through certain actions. Before starting classes, you need to prepare: relax your eye muscles, focus your vision on one object.

• We stretch our hand forward, focusing our gaze on the index finger. Then, without taking your eyes off, we begin to move the finger closer and further away. Repeat the same actions, raising and lowering your finger.
• We try to move our eyes as far as possible to the right, left, up, down. Then we make a movement with our eyeballs, similar to a figure eight.
• We follow an object moving back and forth. For example, behind a ball when playing ping-pong or a shuttlecock in badminton.
• Stand with your back to the sun, cover your healthy eye with your palm. Turn your head towards the affected eye until you see the slanting rays of the sun. Turn slowly and not abruptly.
• Look out the window, then focus your gaze on objects nearby.

Do gymnastics daily. It will not completely cure the disease, but it will help significantly strengthen the eye muscles.

Exercises for divergent strabismus

If a person has a sore eye turned in the opposite direction, closer to the temples, you can perform the same exercises, only try to make the eye work in the direction closer to the nose:

• You must place any object in front of you. The healthy eye is blocked. If the left organ of vision is affected, the object is placed on the right and they try to examine it.
• Cover the affected eye and place a pencil near the bridge of the nose. Gradually they begin to move it forward, while it is necessary to concentrate the organ of vision on it.
• Exercise with the help of a mask, sit sideways, with your healthy organ of vision facing the TV. At the same time, they will concentrate their gaze in the opposite direction. For example, if the left eye is affected, look over the right shoulder.

If, while doing the exercises, the eyes begin to hurt very much, they should be stopped for a short period of time, then repeated again.

Effective eye exercises for strabismus in children

Children are usually prescribed to wear special glasses, which is quite effective. They are very flexible, so it makes sense to order several pairs at once. Special exercises are also prescribed. Gymnastics for a child looks more like a game, but parents should realize how important it is for the baby.

Gymnastics is a very important process that has a positive effect on treatment. Here are just a few exercises that will help your child get rid of the disease. For greater effectiveness, exercises should be performed daily, during the daytime and with specially selected glasses.

If the disease is not advanced, there is every chance of recovery. Of course, we should not forget that only an ophthalmologist can establish a diagnosis and prescribe treatment. Gymnastics should affect not only the restoration of equal eye function, but also ensure good visual acuity.

Exercises for the little ones

The disease can be diagnosed in a child at 8-9 months, when the signs of the disease become more pronounced. Most often, the diagnosis is made in children 2-3 years old, during the period of formation of friendly eye function. Therapeutic gymnastics should not tire the child or cause him irritation, so classes are carried out in several stages of 10-15 minutes.

For exercises against strabismus of both eyes you will need: a bright rattle; small colored ball; cube with a picture; bandage made of thick fabric.

The child is seated comfortably and one eye is covered with a thick linen bandage. Take the rattle in your hands and smoothly move it in different directions in front of the baby’s face at a distance of 30 cm. At the same time, he should not turn his head or take his eyes off the object. After a minute, the rattle is replaced with a ball or cube with a picture to maintain interest.

After this, the bandage is removed, transferred to the second eye, and the steps are repeated. At the end of the exercise, the bandage is removed, the object is slowly brought closer to the baby’s face, monitoring the reaction: both eyes should be equally drawn to the bridge of the nose.

For the next exercise you will need a small plastic plate, a bright cord or rope. 10 holes of different shapes are cut into the plate. They give the child a plate and ask him to thread a string through the holes. The children really like the activity and don’t get bored for a long time.

Children also like musical toys, so it is worth purchasing a top for therapeutic activities. The toy will rotate, and the baby will carefully examine the depicted figures.

It is important that the child perceives the activity as a fun game, then he will happily complete all the tasks. If you exercise regularly, the positive effect is noticeable after three months; you should not stop exercising until complete recovery.

Exercises with pictures

The exercises are designed for children aged 3 years and older who can find differences in pictures and easily identify identical images. If a child has only one eye squinting, use a bandage on the other during classes.

Take two drawings with the same plot, and one image lacks individual details. The child needs to look at the pictures and show what details are missing.

Then take a drawing depicting various toys, plants, animals. The child must name each figure, as well as its location relative to the others: right, left, top or bottom. The images of the pictures should be clear, understandable and familiar to the baby.

Another activity option: divide a sheet of paper into squares, draw different pictures in each. Draw identical objects in several squares. The child must look at all the figures and cross out the ones that are repeated.

For children aged 4-5 years, a labyrinth is suitable for practicing, through which you should guide a bunny to a carrot, a hockey player to a puck...

Children perceive such exercises as a fun game, so they complete the tasks with pleasure.

Exercises with a lamp

This exercise can improve the vision of a squinting eye. To complete this you need: lamp; 60 W light bulb with frosted glass; a ball with a diameter of 9 mm made of plasticine; pictures from children's lotto.

Place the child at a table on which to place a lamp with a frosted bulb. The distance from the light bulb to the face is 40 cm. Cover the healthy eye with a bandage. Turn on the lamp, attach a plasticine ball 5 cm from the light bulb. The child looks at the ball without blinking for 30 seconds. He should see a dark circle in front of him with a lighter center.

Then turn off the lamp and show the child the lotto pictures until the image disappears. On average, this takes about a minute; You can turn on the light bulb no more than 3 times at one time; the entire course of treatment lasts one month.

Upon completion of the course, a consultation and examination with a doctor is required.

Gymnastics to develop stereoscopic vision

With strabismus, it is important to intensively develop stereoscopic vision for three-dimensional perception of surrounding objects. Here you will need simple devices that you can make yourself.

To make it you will need: a low wooden box 20x30 cm; hollow plastic tube with a diameter of 10 mm; wooden stick; strong thread, ball with a diameter of 7-8 mm.

Cut the tube into 10 pieces 10-12 cm long. Fix the resulting pieces vertically inside the box with glue. Tie a thread to the stick and secure a ball at its end.

Place the child so that he does not see the base of the tubes, and give him a stick. It should hit the ball into one of the tubes from a height of 3 cm. If this does not work, replace the stick with the ball with a ring. The baby himself must put such a ring on the tubes protruding from the box.

Treatment of strabismus with gymnastics should always be discussed with your doctor. For both children and adults, exercises should be selected by an ophthalmologist depending on the level of complexity of the disease, age, and other factors. Self-medication can lead to serious consequences, one of which is complete loss of vision.

Training for convergent and divergent strabismus

When one eye deviates towards the nose, it is a convergent squint. In this case, the following exercise is useful:

• It is necessary to make a mask from cardboard. Make holes in it, which should be located 15-20 cm closer to the temporal region, their diameter is 10 mm. The mask is worn while reading, watching TV, or standing in front of a monitor. The better the eye muscles work, the further the holes should be located from the bridge of the nose.
• After putting on the mask, you need to sit so that your left shoulder is looking towards the screen if you are training the left visual organ, or your right shoulder if you are training the right organ. At first, 10 minutes is enough for the lesson. Gradually the duration increases to an hour.

When the eye deviates to the side, divergent strabismus is present. Then another gymnastics for the eyes is performed:

• When watching a TV show for 10-20 minutes, you need to focus with your right eye and turn your left side. There should be a patch over the left eye. Then change the position, accordingly, close the right eye. Eventually the workout should last an hour. Pay more attention to the work of the organ that needs correction.

Charging according to Zhdanov

The muscles relax well thanks to special gymnastics. Necessary exercises from Zhdanov for pathology include palming, pleasant memories, and solarization.

Palming

Sit comfortably, rest your elbows on the table, straighten your back, relax your arms, legs, and whole body. Rub your palms until warm. Fold your fingers together and close your eyelids. The palms should look like the roof of a house. They should not put pressure on the pupils or let light through.

Stay in this position for 5 minutes until the warming warmth of your palms and the absence of external irritants normalizes your vision. There are no restrictions on the duration of palming. Move your palms away and let your eyes get used to the light. Remove your hands and enjoy a clear image of the surrounding objects.

Pleasant memory

This is the same palming, only a more complex version. When performing, you need to direct your thoughts in a positive direction, think about pleasant things. The easiest way to achieve this is through visualization. Remember the happy moments of your life or imagine a bright future.

Visualization enhances the effectiveness of the exercise and successfully relieves tension not only in the muscles of the eyes, but also in the face.

Solarization

Solarization involves the following actions:

• A switched-on lamp or a lit candle is placed on the table. It's dark in the room. Focusing your gaze on the light source, you need to quickly turn your head from one side to the other 20 times. There is no need to concentrate on a candle or lamp. The main thing is to feel the light source.
• In addition to relaxing gymnastics, you should train the weak muscle that leads to strabismus. This is done using glasses frames without inserted lenses. One half of the glasses is covered with black material, the other is left uncovered to allow the squinting eye to work. Look in the mirror, without taking your eyes off, turn your head left and right.

Zhdanov’s eye gymnastics saved many patients from ophthalmological diseases. It has been proven that regular exercise restores vision. This is confirmed by numerous reviews of people who have successfully overcome pathology.

Convergent strabismus

This is where you will need to prepare for your workout. You need a special element - a mask made by yourself . Take simple thick cardboard. Cut the base approximately the same shape as the carnival masks. Carefully cut out the holes for the eyes according to a special principle. Their diameter should be approximately 10 mm. The holes should be moved towards the temples. The distance from the center of the pupil to the center of the corresponding hole should be approximately 17 mm. Wearing such a mask is recommended for reading books and watching TV. This training has the following meaning. You need to train your eye muscles. They will strain well as the eye moves to the side to better see and focus on the object.

Some people use simple glasses for this exercise rather than a special mask. They can be wrapped with adhesive tape and holes can be made in the right places. You will get the same effect.

Convergent strabismus

Let's consider a few more exercises for this type of strabismus:

1. Sit in front of the table. There should be an object on it that you will observe. Need a small item. Cover one eye with your palm, and watch the object with the remaining eye. The head should be slowly turned towards the closed eye;
2. Another gymnastics is carried out in sunny weather. It turns out that it will be very useful to follow the sun's rays. Turn your face towards the sun. Close your left eye and then slowly turn your head to the right. You need to try to look at the rays. Then repeat the action with each eye. If you cover your right eye, turn your head to the left. It is advisable to train both eyes, even if only one is squinting;
3. A good option is to sit diagonally from the TV screen and train your eyes while watching. When the left eye suffers, the right one will need to be closed. Don't turn your head, but try to focus well on the image. It is recommended to change eyes after 5 minutes.

Treatment of strabismus

With strabismus, usually only the eye that performs vision retains the ability to see normally. The eye, deviated to the side, sees gradually worse and worse, its visual functions are suppressed. Therefore, treatment should begin as early as possible.

Treatment includes the following methods:

1. optical correction – glasses or soft contact lenses help restore visual acuity, normalize the functions of eye focusing, tension, and relaxation of the eye muscles;
2. pleoptic treatment - increasing visual acuity of the worse-seeing eye using hardware procedures;
3. orthoptic and diploptic treatment - development of binocular vision; develops the ability to overcome double vision by restoring vision fixation on one object;
4. consolidation of achieved monocular and binocular functions;
5. surgery.

Exercises using the Zhdanov method

Treatment with gymnastics according to the Zhdanov method consists of daily repetition of simple actions:

1. Sit up straight and relax. Rub your previously washed and dried palms against each other until heat appears in them. Press firmly to your face so that you completely close your eyes, but do not put pressure on them.
2. Try to remember something pleasant and calm. The simultaneous exposure to the warmth of the palms, darkness and bright thoughts leads to relaxation of the eye muscles.
3. Turn off all the lights in the room. Place a lit candle on the table. Both eyes should look at the tip of the nose. Slowly turn your head from side to side, keeping your eyes in the indicated position, try not to look at the candle. Instead of a candle, you can use a switched-on table lamp. Perform the exercise 16–20 times.

After 2-3 months of daily training, the first positive result will be noticeable. To achieve your goal, it is important not to skip eye exercises and do them daily.

Strabismus: eye surgery

Typically, surgery is treated as a cosmetic process, since it itself rarely restores binocular vision, in which the brain combines two images received by the eyes into one.

The type of operation is determined by the surgeon directly on the operating table, since during such an intervention many factors are taken into account: the location of the muscles, the angle of strabismus, the condition of the oculomotor system, and age.

More often, several muscles are operated on at once, sometimes both eyes at once. Sometimes types of correction are combined. Such manipulations are carried out in stages. Surgery is aimed at strengthening or weakening one of the muscles that move the eyeball.

Surgery to correct strabismus in children is performed in the same way as surgical correction of strabismus in adults. Experts recommend performing it in children aged three to five years.

The correction takes place in one day, in a few hours. This is facilitated by a modern approach and innovative equipment. It is important to follow all the recommendations of the ophthalmologist after surgery so that the rehabilitation period is minimal. The final restoration of vision occurs within about a week, after which hardware therapy is required.

Surgical intervention allows you to eliminate the defect once and for all, especially in cases where other methods are powerless.

Exercises after strabismus surgery

After surgery, stimulation of the muscles of the organ of vision is required. Special gymnastics will help with this:

• Move your eyes in different directions. Then try to connect several points in space and move them in a circle, first clockwise, then counterclockwise;
• As you inhale, move your gaze to the tip of your nose, and as you exhale, move it into the distance;
• A simple exercise will help strengthen your muscles. Open and close your eyes at an intense pace;
• Combine outdoor recreation with visual training. Focus your gaze on a near object, then on something further away;
• If you have been engaged in an activity that is tiring for the visual apparatus for a long time, give it a rest. Just look out the window for a few minutes, look at similar ones, study the buildings.

Recommendations for the prevention of strabismus

It is necessary to take preventive measures from childhood. Especially if one of the parents is diagnosed with the disease. If you contact a specialist in a timely manner and follow all the recommendations, you can avoid problems.

In cases where strabismus is caused by external factors, it is important to take care of the visual organs and constantly visit an ophthalmologist and neurologist.

It is important to follow the rules of visual hygiene, not to overexert yourself, watch your diet, and perform gymnastic exercises for the eyes.

Modern ophthalmology makes it possible to perform operations to correct strabismus using innovative technologies that minimize injuries to the eyeball and preserve the vascular nerve bundles passing through the extraocular muscles.

Physiotherapy

Vision is the main source of information for humans. If the clarity of visual perception is impaired, the patient begins to experience psychological and physical discomfort, and his usual way of life is disrupted.

One of the most common vision problems is strabismus. It can be eliminated with the help of therapeutic exercises and glasses with special lenses. Exercises for strabismus can be performed at home. They are suitable for both children and adults.

Charging should be done using the following methods:

1. You should attach a bright-colored ball to a strong thread and move it through the air for one minute. In this case, the affected eye must concentrate on the ball all this time.
2. A small ball should be suspended in the air and shined on it from the side with a table lamp. The healthy eye must be closed, and the sick eye must look at the ball for 30-60 seconds, without being distracted by the light of the lamp.
3. Rotate the eyeballs clockwise and counterclockwise.
4. Your arms should be extended forward and your gaze should be directed to your fingertips. At a slow pace, you should bring your hands closer to your face and also slowly move them away, without losing eye contact with your fingers. You should do 15-20 repetitions.
5. It is necessary to visually select a distant object outside the window, and place another object on the same line with it on the windowsill. The essence of the exercise is to alternately focus your vision on a near and far object.
6. Synchronized drawing of a figure eight in the air with both eyes.
7. Playing tennis will allow you to train your eye muscles by constantly watching the moving ball.

In addition, you can use massage of shiatsu points for strabismus; when exposed to them, you can restore visual functions. There are 10 active points that are located around each eye, when exposed to them you can:

• improve vision clarity;
• eliminate muscle fatigue;
• reduce intraocular pressure;
• eliminate strabismus.

Location of “Shiatsu” points
Gymnastics for strabismus according to Bates is aimed at eliminating muscle tension. The essence of the technique is that tension can be reduced not only through exercise, but also through other available methods that lead to complete relaxation. In this way, you can eliminate strabismus and gain mental control.

What are the benefits of gymnastics?

One of the most effective conservative methods of treating strabismus is the regular performance of special exercises. A common cause of strabismus is improper functioning of the eye muscles, provoked by their weakness or, conversely, excessive tension.

In such cases, regular training is necessary to restore the functioning of the muscle structures of the eye. Exercises help the muscles take the correct position relative to each other and the visual axis.

After regular implementation of the complexes, patients experience positive dynamics:

• visual acuity increases;
• inactive muscles are toned, and overly tense muscles are relaxed;
• binocular vision is restored;
• discomfort disappears;
• blood supply to tissues improves.

When to see a doctor

If the baby is more than 6 months old, has eyes that converge, or is suspected of having a disease, you should immediately consult an ophthalmologist.

If the child has already reached the age when he can describe his condition and complains of double vision, often squints, eyes converge, deviate towards the temples or nose, you should also immediately consult a specialist.

Another symptom of strabismus is a turned or tilted head position.

The health of the child depends on how quickly and efficiently the diagnosis is made, as well as on how correctly the treatment is prescribed!

Which exercises are more effective?

Gymnastics is a simple and effective way to get rid of strabismus, which is available to everyone.

The effectiveness of treatment of strabismus in children is explained by the susceptibility of the children's nervous system and the ability to quickly adapt. At the same time, success can be achieved with the help of exercises when correcting the defect in adulthood. Adults show greater perseverance and the ability to concentrate; they do not need to be additionally motivated and turn their activities into a game.

It is necessary to select exercises individually, taking into account the state of the visual system and the characteristics of the patient.

With pictures

• A good concentration exercise would be to simply look for differences between two similar pictures. You can also use images of labyrinths - you will have to try to find a way out.
• Have someone draw different shapes on a piece of paper divided into squares. Some images must be repeated periodically. Look for and cross out identical figures.

Gymnastics for converging heterotropia

1. For the first exercise you will need a cardboard mask, reminiscent of a carnival. To make it, cut holes in a thick sheet of cardboard at eye level. The diameter of these holes should not exceed 10 mm. Wear a mask for any visual activity, such as reading or watching TV. This will help train the eyeball and direct your gaze in the right direction.
2. Place an object in front of you. Close the affected eye and move the object towards it. Follow your gaze.
3. Some exercises from universal gymnastics are also effective. For example, you can mentally describe a figure resembling a figure eight with your eyes.