I looked into LASIK once. I asked a lot of questions, and when I asked about my ability to focus up close, I was told that it would basically destroy my ability to focus up close at all.
Close up focus...
I'm guessing the final focus depends on several factors, maybe age, shape of cornea, flexibility of the lens, strength of the muscles that focus the lens. As mentioned, I have good focus close and far. When I focus close, I do "something" with my eye muscles and can feel the my eyes shift in to close focus. If I just bring something, for example small text in an email on my phone, up close it is immediately WAY out of focus and unreadable at. Then I do "something" conscious in my which brings that plane mostly into focus but I still can clearly see the small text detail. Then I repeat whatever it is I do and the focus is refined.
I just did a test - I was focusing on a photo across the room and down the hall and across another small room and it was clearly in focus. Then I "switched" focus to my laptop typing this message. Then I brought my phone within 4 inches of my eyes and did the internal adjustment thing and the tiny text in my phone appointment phone calendar is now perfectly clear and readable.
I can't explain what I do in my head to switch the discrete focus and my eye doctor didn't have a good answer. All I could think of, and he agreed it was possible, that years of practice in shifting focus strengthened the muscles and taught my otherwise feeble brain to do whatever it is I do. (I feel a definite "shift" of something in my eyes.) Without glasses I can focus from 4" to the stars. A test just now showed easy focus of small text on the phone from 24" to 4" - moving the phone continuously closer I had to do a mild focus "shift" at about 12" and another stronger shift at 4".
Granted, it's a bit of an effort to hold very close focus for an extended time so I wear over-the-counter reading glasses for extended study, reading, or close work in the shop.
I think there are three aspects of clear closeup vision - 1) turning both eyes inward until they are looking at the same spot; 2) focusing the lens, and 3) narrowing the pupils. (The ancient pinhole lens effect) I'm convinced the exercises help with all three.
I don't know if this will work for everyone but the focus exercises might be worth a try. Just keep in mind I've been exercising my eyes for over 20 years now. And before LASIK I was severely nearsighted - maybe that made a difference. The focus improvement was fairly rapid (in just a few weeks after I started the exercises) but I did experience some eyestrain at first, gone now.
I have no idea what would happen if I quit the exercises for a time. I'm guessing I'd experience some regression, perhaps some eye muscle weakening.
BTW, what always amazes me is the eyesight of birds! How can a hawk see a brown baby bunny in the weeds from high in the sky? I can throw out food for chicken, peacocks, and guineas and they can always tell from 30ft away if it's something they want to eat. They don't have even bother coming close to inspect.
If anyone is interested, a recap on my eye exercises.
- Start by focusing on something at arms length for a but, maybe five seconds. A piece of paper with a dark mark is fine. I just hold up my thumb and focus on my thumbnail. (I guess I could hold up my middle finger but that might cause intended problems.
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- Switch the focus to something in the distance and focus on that for five seconds. (You'll see two separated "ghost" thumbs due to the eye separation.)
- Switch focus back to the thumb and repeat 1) and 2. Do this multiple times, rest if feeling eye strain.
- Rest a while then repeat steps 1) through 3)
- After all this gets easy, move the thumb closer to the eye. Maybe 2' away instead of arm's length. Repeat steps 1) through 3)
- Continue to move the thumb closer, say 1', then 9" and repeat.
- Switch to some small text or a black pen mark on whilte paper and keep moving closer. For me, the best close range is about 4".
Do NOT do all this in one day or even one month. As mentioned, I've been excerscising like this for years, a bit almost every day, gradually moving closer. Small text on a smart phone is a perfect target for close vision since it is sharp and high contrast.
Note there may be another or better way but I never heard of it. I just made up these exercises one day about 25 years ago. But just now I asked the Supreme Google "can eye exercises improve focus" and, zounds, got basically the same instruction I just gave plus a few more Ithings might try - like the "figure 8" exercise. The first line was
"Yes, specific eye exercises can improve focus by reducing digital eye strain, strengthening eye muscles, and enhancing visual coordination" So there.
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BTW, I have cataracts too which may need surgery some day. I'm going to hold off as long as I can. My wife had the cateracts fixed some years ago and has to carry near and distance vision glasses everywhere.
JKJ
