PHYSICAL EYE TECHNIQUES
Science-based
After intervention eye yoga patients, but not controls, showed a 6,4% intraocular pressure reduction and had significant visual field improvements. After eye yoga (=EY), pattern deviation recovered in visual field regions where small microvessels showed reduced vasoconstriction and improved mean artery diameter recovered significantly. … showed significantly larger arterial diameter gains with no adverse events. EY reduces vasoconstriction and improves visual field function in primary open-angle glaucoma … improves blood flow as the fundamental mechanism of vision recovery and restoration.
uit 'Eye yoga for glaucoma : recovery of vascular dysregulation and visual field function - a randomised controlled trial.' By Wanshu Zhou, Luisa Fricke, Bernhard A Sabel, 2024 dec 19.
Yoga ocular exercises reduce eye fatigue by increasing the ocular muscle efficiency. Exercises decrease the prevalence and incidence of eye fatigue minimizing asthenopia. Therefore, these findings confirm that yoga ocualr exercises can be considered as a nonpharmalogic and therapeutic intervention for reducing ashtenopic symptoms as well as releiving the severity of eye fatigue.
Uit ‘Effect of yoga ocular exercises on eye fatigue’ by Satish Kumar Gupta, S. Aparna Int J Yoga. 2020 Jan-Apr; 13(1): 76-79.
Yogic ocular exercises, including extraocular muscle exercises (palming, blinking, gazing in nine directions, focusing on near and distant points, accomoditive exercises, etc), Trataka Kriya and daily meditation also significantly reduce intraocular pressure and anxiety.
Uit ‘Low vision rehabilitation and eye exercises: a comprehensive guide to tertiary prevention of diabetic retinopathy’ by Tibor Rak, Andrea Kovacs-Valasec, Etelka Pöstyeni, Robert Gabriel, Adrienne Csutak.
Ocular yoga exercises also effect the average retinal thickness of the macula in a favourable way and increase oxygen saturation in the blood through deep breathing.
uit 'Low vision rehabilitation and eye exrcises : A comprehensive guide to tertiary prevention of diabetic retinopathy' - by Tibor Rak, Andrea Kovacs-Valasek, Etelka Pôstyéni, Robert Gabriel and Adriennen Csutak.
More science? Scroll down please.
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Some of our clients
Eye yoga & eye techniques
By Katty Reniers, Master's in Physiotherapy
By applying physical eye techniques you can reduce or even completely eliminate fatigue and tension in your eyes. Eye problems often arise from a combination of factors, such as genetics, lifestyle, nutrition, and stress. Stress can be both acute and chronic and can lead to complaints at different levels.
The key to improvement often lies in deep relaxation, breaking through tension, and using the right techniques to promote this process. The right eye techniques that release the eyes and improve blood circulation can be an important key to alleviating symptoms.
Additionally, working with nutrition and emotional factors can, in certain cases, also be an important element.
Right at the top and bottom of this page you’ll find your path to - growing - scientific evidence.
The eye techniques we use are simple and effective, and they can help with a wide range of complaints, such as dry, tired, or irritated eyes, double vision, lazy eye, myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, blurred vision, astigmatism and tearing eyes. Even in conditions such as cataracts, elevated intraocular pressure, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and retinal disorders, certain techniques can be beneficial.
It is important to emphasize that not all complaints are easily or completely solvable. Each situation must be considered individually to determine the best way to address the symptoms. If you have eye complaints or symptoms, or you belong to a risk group for certain conditions, it is always advisable to seek guidance from an ophthalmologist.
Feel free to contact me for more explanation or to book a session. Eye care professionals (opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, etc.) and associations or companies are also welcome to contact me for collaboration opportunities. I am open to collaboration and see great added value in combining our expertises!
Individuals
WORKSHOP HAACHT: Eye yoga days - date, info, price: tba
IN GENERAL If you participate in workshops, please bring your lens holder/glasses case. We will apply the techniques without these tools. In the sessions, you will receive the necessary theoretical background, the exercises will be taught, and we will also practice. With this complete package, you can work independently afterward.
INDIVIDUAL SESSION You can book an individual session by contacting kattyreniers@hotmail.com or 0496 42 93 84. Please contact me for prices and more information.
EXTRA WORKSHOPS are planned at different locations but are not announced here. Be sure to request information if you're interested.
Companies
SCREEN TIME Many employees and employers spend thousands of hours in front of screens. Our eyes are naturally equipped to look at long and medium distances, which is relaxing for them. Hours of focusing on short distances strain the eyes and can severely fatigue both the eyes and the lenses. Over time, this almost always leads to eye problems of one kind or another. Additionally, prolonged exposure to artificial light is another exhausting factor.
VALUABLE GIFT By offering a workshop on relaxing eye techniques/eye yoga, you provide your employees with a valuable gift that benefits them both in the short and long term. You help people improve their vision and maintain their healthy eyes and sight for many years, possibly a lifetime. Handouts with detailed descriptions of the techniques will be available after the workshop.
LANGUAGES Depending on demand, I offer workshops in Dutch, English, or French.
ONLINE OR ONSITE
ONSITE: Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany.
ONLINE: Worldwide.
PRICE: On request
What Participants Say
"Today, for the first time in 15 years, I have no watery eyes. Usually, at the slightest breeze or cold, I have to constantly keep my tissue handy. After a week and a half of doing my eye yoga exercises, and seeing such results..."
"I’m very pleasantly surprised that my cataracts have decreased after 4 weeks of practice. I’m really motivated to continue my exercises. I can now postpone my cataract surgery!"
"After 2 weeks of eye yoga, I no longer need my reading glasses, and my blurry vision has disappeared."
"I notice that I haven’t put on my reading glasses today. I feel younger again :-)"
"After a few weeks of eye yoga, I see clearly better in the dark."
"These techniques taught me how to relax my eyes and how beneficial this can be. I enjoyed the eye yoga.
Through the exercises, I sometimes almost unconsciously use my glasses less. Katty guides the exercises with clear explanations. The introspection and a bit of insight into entrenched beliefs were also very healing."
"Our students were absolutely thrilled about your workshop." (University of Applied Sciences in Kortrijk)
"I usually walk around all day with my eye drops in my pocket, ready to use them. I could scratch my eyes out from the itching. They are also constantly dry. I have now been applying the techniques for 2 weeks, and sometimes I don't even remember where I've left my eye drops!"
"My eyes are deeply relaxed."
"When I woke up at night, I had issues with dry eyes. It really hurt and was very bothersome. I applied the exercises from the first workshop, and now I’m clearly suffering less from it."
More scientific articles
https://share.google/ACV3JNIeB0qJdtg26
Vision Restoration in Glaucoma by Activating Residual Vision with a Holistic, Clinical Approach: A Review - PMC
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13167-024-00389-x
Eye yoga for glaucoma: recovery of vascular dysregulation and visual field function—a randomized controlled trial
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/6/857
Low Vision Rehabilitation and Eye Exercises: A Comprehensive Guide to Tertiary Prevention of Diabetic Retinopathy
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/cyber.2020.0083
Individualized Visual Reality Training Improves Visual Acuity and Visual Field Defects in Patients with Glaucoma: A Preliminary Study Report
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1542012425000266
-> Blinking exercises improve PFH, incomplete blinking, tear film stability, and subjective symptoms in patients with dry eye.
https://www.visiontherapy.org/vision-therapy/pdfs/03_sum_vt_research_Cooper.pdf
-> through this link you’ll find 61 articles/studies
-> When considering vision therapy (orthoptics) as the treatment for any of the visual dysfunctions discussed in this article, optometric and ophthalmological research supports the efficacy of vision therapy. A large body of research is available to those seeking research-based proof.
https://brieflands.com/articles/asjsm-153503
-> This study systematically reviewed six trials to evaluate the effects of facial massage and exercise on visual fatigue. The results confirmed that facial massage and exercise may provide relief from visual fatigue. As summarized in Table 2, all included studies were in English, with sample sizes ranging from 22 to 126 participants, aged 18 to 65 years. The interventions included both acute and chronic experiments. Acute experiments involved pre- and post-intervention measurements, while chronic experiments spanned 14 to 60 days. In total, 312 subjects were included in the analysis. The review and analysis suggest that facial massage and exercise may have specific preliminary effects in alleviating visual fatigue.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213434424000264
EPA-rich omega-3 supplementation may improve both objective and subjective vision in patients with dry AMD or Stargardt disease, offering a potentially simple, safe, and cost-effective approach to enhancing quality of life.
-> Conclusion: Eye exercises can alleviate myopia-related symptoms in Chinese children aged 7 to 11 years.
https://www.visiontherapy.org/vision-therapy/pdfs/03_sum_vt_research_Cooper.pdf
-> These studies, also, clearly demonstrate that vergence therapy improves vergence ability and that the effects persist over time.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23527146/
-> This suggests that eye exercises may prove useful in enhancing cognitive performance on tasks related to attention and memory over a very brief course of training, and RSVP may be a useful measure of this efficacy.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24179885/
-> The results of our study suggest that simple eye exercises along with pranayama helps in improvement of visual reaction time.
-> Laughter for dry eyes:
Fyi: Vergence insufficiency, specifically convergence insufficiency, is a binocular vision problem where the eyes struggle to turn inward together when focusing on close objects. This leads to difficulty maintaining single vision at near distances, causing symptoms like eye strain, double vision, and headaches. Essentially, it's an issue with the eye muscles and nerves that control the inward movement of the eyes, preventing proper coordination for near vision tasks.
Getuigenissen: Enkele van de vele getuigenissen van professoren, een fysiotherapeut, een ingenieur en houders van een PhD.
Experience
50+ individual guidance sessions / an online eye yoga program / 50+ onsite workshops and workshop series offered to organizations, companies, and non-profits such as s'Academie, Manuchar, Boerenbond, Securex, Hogeschool Kortrijk, Body Atelier, Ankerpunt, UHasselt, Studio Zuid, Yoga on Call, Brussels Yoga Loft, Den Brillenman, AGC, Municipality of Merelbeke, ...