PROPER READING DISTANCE - NO HEAD MOVEMENT  

Step 2 

•During your first month of lens therapy you have two goals concerning general environment. 

1.  Goal one during the first two weeks is to establish a habit of holding reading materials at the correct distance.  That is 15-16 inches for adults and usually no closer than 13 inches for children.  The exact distance for each individual is between the elbow and knuckles.  Make a fist, hold it to your chin, and note the distance to the end of your elbow.  That is the closest reading distance.

2.  Goal two for the second two weeks is to eliminate head movement while reading.  Both habits are hard to establish by yourself so ask others to observe you. Large amounts of close work lead to eyestrain, which causes you to get close to your book.  That results in head movement that shuts down vision information processing and opens up auditory processing.  This causes verbalization, either silent or out loud and slows reading and errors comprehension.  That leads to more strain and the cycle begins.  Your lens therapy glasses both relax your eyes to avoid strain and make things appear farther away to help establish the correct reading distance