Session 42: Accommodation versus Vergence?

The visual system, as far as your actual eyes are concerned, consists of two systems which have to be in tune with each other. On the one hand there is the accommodation system which makes sure the image you see is clear and sharp. On the other hand there is the vergence system that makes sure your eyes are both aiming at your target. For most people a well functioning vergence system, meaning aligned eyes, is one of the first things they learn in life and is at the core of their habit formation. This is something that cannot be fixed by simply putting on a pair of glasses. It requires a learning process to anchor this reflex into the brain so it will never be lost. However the accommodative system can be corrected for by glasses so the image you see is clear. Having to wear glasses for simple accommodation, as is the case for many people, isn't a big deal. In young children eye coordination (vergence) isn't really established yet and too much pressure on the accommodative system can unsettle healthy eye movement, leading down a dark path. This can happen with farsighted children who have to put in too much of an effort to accommodate in order to see things close up and as a result eye coordination breaks. This is what happened to me and my eyes and brain have been malfunctioning ever since. It shouldn't have been a big problem if they had given me glasses earlier. Or started me on Vision Therapy as a kid or even as a teenager. Or...

That brings me to today’s session. Currently those two systems aren't working in sync very well, they are working based on tradeoffs. If I blur out my vision and accept an unclear image, my eyes can take on certain positions. If I decide I want to see clearly to read something for instance, eye coordination gives up. It's pretty interesting if I tell it like that, but also pretty annoying to live with. The good news is that the sum of both systems is starting to yield better results (synergies, business school pays off after all!). Eye coordination is starting to hold up WHILE seeing a clear image. Be that as it may, we are still talking about baby steps... The only way to achieve these better results is to lay low. The only way to fix this problem is to lower the load, rest and slowly work on it before putting it back in rotation. As in any discipline overtraining is the worst you can do because at the end of the day you are weaker. Crawling out 40 marathons over 4 years with a broken leg without proper medical treatment doesn't make you stronger, it kills you. That's what university was to me. Boy, this is starting to sound like a depressing message but actually it's not. :D As the body and brain are pretty amazing we are rebuilding what has never been little by little and are reconciling both systems, and it’s working. Celebrate every small improvement.