Can this be a shifting exercise?

[andrewc]

(09-03-2014 01:47 PM)Rosangela Wrote:  Hello,

I came across the page below, showing "animated dots, lines, cubes, and spheres that move and shift in endlessly in mesmerizing geometrical patterns" - it's really relaxing to watch, and I was wondering if that could be favorable - or unfavorable - to our vision improvement. I assume it can be positive because as we follow the movements of dots, etc, we are practicing shifting. But I'd like to have a more experienced opinion on that, since the images we are looking at are only on a screen.

Here is the page: http://www.businessinsider.com/addicting...yte-2014-9

Thank you!

Rosangela

Hi Rosangela,

I found them intriguing to look at, like you said, a little mesmerizing. Very cool, but I would agree with Mary, it probably isn't the best way to practice shifting. While it may stimulate certain parts of our visual brain, it's quite busy, and two-dimensional. We need to learn to provide our own impulse to shift, on stationary scenery, objects, and not have to rely on busy movement to be the driving force of why we shift. A lot of shifting is exploratory in nature, until something catches our attention and we hone in on more detail to compile more information about the object or scene. We use our whole field of vision to do that, peripheral as well as central, our sense of depth being vital to the process, which relies heavily on peripheral awareness.

That being said, it is great that you are finding fun ways to use your eyes, and things that are interesting to look at. A few minutes of that here and there doesn't hurt, it can stimulate our visual brain centers a bit; I just wouldn't recommend spending too much time with it, and be mindful not to get too mesmerized, or you may start to stare instead of maintaining healthy, helpful shifting habits.