Improving Visual Performance through Volitional Focus Control

Abstract

Nine undergraduate students were trained to control eye accommodation volitionally and, by exercising that acquired ability, to improve by varying amounts their visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and flash target resolution. Six of the nine received auditory biofeedback of focusing responses measured automatically by a complex infrared tracking optometer and monocular focus stimulator, whereas the remaining three used a relatively simple polarized vernier optometer that provides visual feedback of eye accommodation, and an even simpler binocular focus stimulator. Performance improvements were elicited by both methods, but larger gains were attained in far less time with the simpler approach, in which training is mainly self-administered.