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Just like any other part of your body, if you don't move it or use it correctly, the eyes will hurt and tire fast if you don't use them correctly. Why then do they hurt when we read? Well...very simply...Our eyes are balls in sockets designed to go around! Words on a page are on horizontal lines and thus force our eyes into an unnatural motion causing strain.
Let's face it, we are not going to change the printing industry, but we can allow ourselves to do things better and more naturally...even if it is different.
To elaborate, Reading Genius® teaches students how to expand their vision in order to see more of the page, to quiet the mind and to build a state of certainty and confidence in their ability. In addition, physical and mental exercises are done in unison, which Ed says, usually unblocks remedial readers who are generally very kinesthetic.
One such exercise is to have students do jumping jacks to a contemporary music piece with their eyes closed while visualizing brightly colored paragraphs that they can quickly decipher to the beat of the music. Each beat, another paragraph! It trains the whole neurological system, while getting the students on their feet. It also conditions reading to be a more energetic experience because their bodies are active and engaged. It's a new concept compared to the traditional slouched over position.
When Students read after that, Ed comments, their "lights" are really turned on. He has seen the smiles, the eyes moving hungrily down the page, and the fingers poised to flip in order to minimize page-turning interruptions. Students learn how to put the series of exercises together before reading a book. It takes them about five to seven minutes using music, and this preparation time is quickly made up ten times over. For short passages, the exercise can be shortened to 30 seconds or so.
Another technique Reading Genius® incorporates to increase vision and decrease eye strain is to have a reader broaden their vision. By broadening their eyesight in conjunction with increasing one's focus one is able to utilize more of their natural field of vision, normally constrained by the reading process.
Another is by utilizing what Reading Genius® calls the "Dolphin" Technique, a way of moving the eye in a "wave" across and down the page. It is very effective and greatly increases ones ability to flow with the material.
