Eccentric Viewing Techniques
In conditions such as Age Related Macula Degeneration,
there is a breakdown of the cells in the macula region of the retina
with a subsequent loss of central sharp detail vision. Unfortunately,
as stated on the previous page, the macula lies on the principal
axis of the eye and so, whenever an object is viewed, the brain
will align the axis so that the image will fall onto the poorly
functioning macula. Eccentric viewing techniques encourage the sufferer
to experiment with conscious control over which part of the visual
field they will ‘see’ and how to use the off axis vision
to view the desired object. To utilise the off axis vision the brain
needs to be ‘fooled’ into directing the principal axis
of the eye away from the object to be seen but in such a direction
that the image of the target object falls onto a part of the retina
that is still functioning.
An example would be the television screen. Under normal
circumstances the principal axis would be directed at the screen.
However, if a target object were to be placed on top of the television
set (a clock for example), it would be possible for the sufferer
to be directed to look at the clock but to concentrate on the image
of the television screen below. The technique is quite difficult
to master but once mastered there can be quite a significant improvement
of visual acuity.
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