To Bead or Not To Bead

by Irena Castle

The bead is something we know from our childhood. A little round gem that we used to put on a string as we made necklaces for ourselves, our families, and half of our neighborhood under the excuse that everyone should feel like a prince or a princess. Right? What we did not know was that by engaging with the bead, not only were we making everyone’s attire better (that is up for a debate), we were also training our eyesight (no doubt).  

If you have ever considered practicing your eyes’ skills, whether for fun, with the goal of making your vision better, or just protecting your eyesight from getting worse, you may want to know that the common bead is a golden tool for this purpose. A bead is familiar, simple, distinguishable, and moves easily, all of which makes it a highly effective tool for vision development.

FAMILIARITY DRIVES RESULTS

Have you ever noticed that it is much easier to read a sign you see daily on your way to work than it is to read a sign you encounter when you go to visit a relative in a distant town? You glance at the first one and know what it says. The other, you have to pay attention to and actually read.

Your vision depends mostly on the ability of your brain to recognize the visual signals (images) sent over by the eyes. The more familiar something is, the easier it is for the brain to correctly interpret it and therefore to show you the desired image. A round bead is as familiar as it gets. As such it offers your brain an easy way into any practice of seeing.

SIMPLICITY IS A GUARANTEE FOR LOOKING WITH EASE

The most common bead has no edges. It is just round, often completely smooth, with no grooves or texture. Therefore, when you look at the bead, you can just rest your eyes on it, instead of trying to figure it out. Trying to see is one of the crucial mistakes people make when they attempt to get a clear picture of an object, or a letter in a book. Clear seeing can only happen when the looking is effortless. A simple bead can help with making sure you know how.

RED BEAD, BLUE BEAD, WHITE BEAD, BLACK BEAD

There are beads of all colors out there. Colorful beads drive visual interest. Dark and light beads provide contrast, which makes them easier to see. All of the above helps with eye engagement. Engaged eyes do not stare, they relax, they move around, and as a result they see better.

SLIDE, GLIDE, MOVE AROUND

Little is required to put a round bead in motion. No special physical ability is needed to move it. Whether you are 9 or 99, you can always manage a bead. Moving the beads and letting them guide one’s gaze is what pushes the boundaries of the person’s vision.

ROPE OR TRAY?

There are two most common ways of using (and moving) beads for the purpose of visual skills development.

Beads on a thin rope (aka the Brock String)

Place 1 to 5 beads on a thin clothes line and you have made yourself a tool that can help you extend the distance at which you can see clearly, assess the point of focus of your eyes (Are you sure you are really looking where you think you are looking?), improve your binocular vision, and deepen your 3D vision.  

While some of the techniques that provide the above mentioned results require an advanced understanding of the vision improvement process, you can begin by simply spreading the beads along the length of your clothes line and shifting your gaze from bead to bead. Always pause at the bead to give your eyes the time to focus. If the bead is hard to see, then just look at it and imagine what it would look like if you could see it clearly. 

Beads on a plate or tray

You remember Cinderella and the ridiculous tasks given to her by her wicked stepmother? Peas in one bowl, lentils in the other. Corn kernel in one bowl, wheat grain in the other. That is the version of the story I was told when I was little. 

Mimicking the chore by mixing and then sorting beads of different colors sharpens focus skills and close vision. 

Tracking a single bead as it glides in a tray while the tray is being tilted in many directions trains the fluency of eye movement.

So, raid your child’s art drawer or pick up some beads the next time you are in a store. Teleport yourself back to the playful moments of your childhood. Play with the beads anyway you like. A clearer, brighter and multidimensional world awaits you.  

May your eyesight be boundless.

IC
/i-see/