Use your peripheral vision
“I saw it out of the corner of my eye.”
We know what our peripheral vision is, but do you know how large
of a role it plays in our everyday lives? Whether you are spotting a child
crossing the road, a ball coming towards your head or something falling off the
shelf, your peripheral vision helps keep you and others safe.
How can I train my peripheral vision?
You may feel that the increased screen time of the 21st
century has made you lose touch with your peripheral vision. But there are
exercises which help enhance visual acuity, broaden our peripheral vision field
and reduce the risk of tunnel vision:
Tracking practice: This is an easy and accessible eye
exercise which involves focusing on a central point, such as a stationary object.
Then, while maintaining eye contact with this object and – keeping your head
still, try to identify all the different objects in your peripheral vision.
Ball and wall drill: Stand about a metre away from a wall
and focus your vision on a fixed point just above eye level. Now, throw a
tennis ball with one hand against the wall, using your other hand to catch it.
Make sure your eyes stay fixed on one point.
Just as we train our other muscles, you may find that
consistently training the muscles around your eyes with these exercises will
help you enhance your awareness and peripheral vision.