When you think about your eyes, what are your thoughts? How do you refer to them?

THERE ARE NO WEAK EYES AND STRONG EYES 

The clarity with which we see is influenced by several factors. Among those factors is the health of the extraocular muscles that are responsible for the movement of the eye, as well as the eye’s shape. Depending on your condition it may be the most critical factor of them all. 

While these muscles are relatively small compared to other skeletal muscles in the body, they are incredibly precise and work together to ensure coordinated eye movements. The strength of these muscles is deemed to be such that each of the muscles can hold a bucket of water. Weakness by definition is the state or condition of lacking strength. Given it does not take much force to move the eyeball, it is unlikely that either of your eyes is weak.

THERE ARE NO GOOD EYES AND BAD EYES

Even if you think of weakness as a disadvantage, or fault, it is hardly your eyes who are at the root cause of your compromised vision. More likely it is you and your habits, the lack of care and maintenance. When you get a tooth ache, do you blame the tooth or do you blame yourself for not flossing regularly?

So now, let’s change the way you view your eyes.

You do not have to like the current state of your eyesight, but simply knowing what it is takes you a step forward. Consciously acknowledging your eyesight’s status quo gives a signal to the brain that there may be a need for adjustments. Given up to 90% of all seeing is in fact happening in the brain, this alone may be a pretty good first step.

Additionally, if you know how you got there, accept it too, and forgive yourself for not taking steps towards protecting your vision sooner.

In just a few months, that is if you stay the course, this will be a distant past.

This is not a silly game, this is serious business. For some, it is a major revelation. Naming your eyes immediately changes your eyes from being a random organ to something that really matters. It shifts your relationship from indifference to care, from you vs. them to you and them, from adversity to partnership.

Sit somewhere comfortable, close your eyes and think of them. Think of your left eye first and give it a name, one that evokes the deepest love, compassion and kindness in you. You can name it by your favorite friend, your child, your pet or even your favorite activity. Now do the same for your right eye.

From now on, never call your eyes the “weak eye” or the “strong eye”. Talk and think about them (at least to yourself) as your best friends that you would never let down and who would do anything in their power to help you. 

The success of our actions is often driven by how well we know what we want them to deliver. So give your vision journey a destination. Imagine your future eyesight, dream up the vision you want to have. What does it look like? What do you look like? What do you do or not do when you have the eyesight of your dreams? Have new life opportunities arisen from the pure fact that your eyesight is no longer limited?

What would your newly be-friended eyes think of it? Would they be on board? 

Close your eyes and see it. Then feel the excitement of it all.

Think of this vision often, perhaps make it part of your practice routine.

Your brain does as it is told. You want to jump? Then think jump and the brain will organize the neural sequence necessary for your muscles to react appropriately. With nearly no delay, you are up in the air. 

Now be aware that your brain makes no difference between you thinking “jump”  and you thinking “I can’t see”. Your brain will oblige to the best of its capabilities and will make an effort to get better and better at it over time. So watch what you think and what you say out loud. There should be no space for weak, bad, or cannot see in your vocabulary. Drop these words now and view your journey as a constant improvement.

Yes, it may sound strange at first, but try it a few times, find the words that sound good to you, and it will become second nature.