Leo Angart

magic eyes
vision training for children

Crown House Publishing Limited

www.crownhouse.co.uk
www.crownhousepublishing.com

MagicEyes_150415.indd 1 15/04/2015 15:03

 First published by

Crown House Publishing Ltd

Crown Buildings, Bancyfelin, Carmarthen,
Wales, SA33 5ND, UK
www.crownhouse.co.uk

and

Crown House Publishing Company LLC

6 Trowbridge Drive, Suite 5, Bethel, CT 06801, USA
www.crownhousepublishing.com

© Leo Angart 2015

The right of Leo Angart to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in
accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Cartoons © Gökçen Eke 2004, 2012, 2015.

Anatomical drawings © Amass Communications Ltd. 2004, 2012, 2015.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under current legislation no part of this work may be
photocopied, stored in a retrieval system, published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast,
transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or by any means, without the prior permission
of the copyright owners. Enquiries should be addressed to Crown House Publishing Limited.

First published 2015.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue entry for this book is available
from the British Library.

Print ISBN 978-184590959-8

Mobi ISBN 978-184590964-2
ePub ISBN 978-184590965-9
ePDF ISBN 978-184590966-6
LCCN 2015933289

Printed and bound in the UK by

Gomer Press, Llandysul, Ceredigion

DISCLAIMER
Magic Eyes is not meant for diagnosis and treatment for any medical condition for the eye or
the visual system. The author, publisher and distributor are in no way liable for any damage
whatsoever arising from the use or misuse of this material or the exercises suggested including
but not limited to any personal injury. If you are in any doubt contact your doctor.

MagicEyes_150415.indd 2 15/04/2015 15:03

 Contents
Acknowledgments ........................................................................ i
1. Introduction ...................................................................... 1
2. How to Use This Book ...................................................... 5
3. Anatomy of the Eye .......................................................... 7
4. Visual Development ....................................................... 19
5. Visual Skill Development ............................................... 25
6. Visual Efficiency Skills .................................................... 33
7. Focusing Efficiency ........................................................ 43
8. Eye Movement Skills ...................................................... 53
9. Evaluation of Phorias ..................................................... 69
10. Common Childhood Vision Problems ........................... 77
11. Are Glasses Really the Best Option? ............................. 81
12. Near-Sightedness ............................................................ 87
13. Can Myopia Be Prevented? ........................................... 107
14. What Is Hyperopia? ...................................................... 117

iii

MagicEyes_150415.indd 3 15/04/2015 15:03

 15. How to Relax the Eyes .................................................. 145
16. Anisometropia .............................................................. 151
17. Astigmatism .................................................................. 153
18. Eye Co-ordination ......................................................... 163
19. Strabismus ..................................................................... 173
20. Amblyopia ..................................................................... 187
Glossary ................................................................................. 197
Bibliography ........................................................................... 205
About the Author ................................................................... 213

iv

MagicEyes_150415.indd 4 15/04/2015 15:03

 8. Eye Movement Skills
Ocular mobility refers to how well you move your eyes. This
is the skill that allows you to accurately jump your eyes from
one object to another (saccades) and to track moving objects
(pursuit) – like following a particular car on a busy street. The
ability to fixate on a particular object allows you to keep it in
focus briefly, as when you are reading and your eyes jump from
one word group to another at the rate at which you integrate
the information. Smooth and accurate eye movements are very
important when it comes to paying attention, reading properly
and doing well in sports.
If there is a difference between the eyes – for example, if one eye
is weaker than the other – then you need to balance the vision
(see the exercises in Chapter 16). Imbalance (anisometropia)
can also make reading more difficult.
Eye movement assessment involves checking fixation
maintenance, pursuit and saccadic eye movements. Fixation
maintenance represents the ability to maintain a steady image
on the retina. We do this when we are reading. Good readers
use a stepping movement of the eyes as they fixate on one
word or a group of words on the line they are reading. If you
have problems with fixation, then you may not be aware that

53

MagicEyes_150415.indd 53 15/04/2015 15:03

 Magic Eyes

you are jumping up a line from the one you want to read, or
you may be randomly dropping down a line. You may also drop
or lose two- or three-letter words along the way (e.g. and, the,
two, me, he, she).
Pursuit eye movements represent the ability to remain fixed on
a moving target and ignore the background. This is a vital skill
if you want to participate in any team sport, such as football,
handball, hockey and so on. To be good at these sports you
need to know where your team mates are and to predict where
they will be next. If you don’t quite know where they are, you
are not likely to be on the team for long!
These two eye movement skills are vital when it comes to
reading. Research shows that up to 85% of children who have
reading difficulties lack efficiency in one or both skills (see
Rosner and Gruber, 1985).
The optometrist or eye doctor may test eye
movement by doing the “H” ocular movement
test: using a pen or some small object and
moving it in the shape of a “H” about 30 cm
from the child’s eyes. They will look at the
child’s eyes and judge if there are any areas
where the eyes do not follow easily. You can
also do this yourself.

54

MagicEyes_150415.indd 54 15/04/2015 15:03

 Eye Movement Skills

Eye movement skills

Fixation – holding the image of a steady object focused on
the retina (e.g. reading a word).
Vestibulo-ocular reflex – holding images of the seen world
steady on the retina during brief head movements.
Optokinetic reflex – holding images of the seen world steady
during slow head movements (e.g. shifting the gaze from
one side to another).
Smooth pursuit – holding the image of a moving object
focused on the retina (e.g. when you are following a car on
the road and ignoring the background).
Saccades – directing images of eccentrically located objects
of interest onto the retina. This occurs when reading
because the brain previews the words before they come
into clear view.
Vergence – co-ordinating the eyes and moving them in
and out, so that the image of a single object is placed
simultaneously on the retina of both eyes and fused into
one image.

However, the most effective way to test eye movement skills

is with a Visagraph mask. This is an ingenious device which
uses infrared sensors to accurately trace the movements of the
eyes while reading. The equipment is connected to a computer

55

MagicEyes_150415.indd 55 15/04/2015 15:03

 Magic Eyes

software package which analyzes and

displays a graph of how the eyes move
while the child is reading. This is by far
the most accurate way of measuring what
the eyes do while reading. For instance,
the graphs reveal the number of fixations
per 100 words and the time of fixation
connected with the length of the word.
The speed of reading is measured by words per minute and
you can see at once which age level this corresponds to. You
can also compare the movements of the left and right eye. In
combination with Vision Training and a reading skill program,
the Visagraph can also display any progress the child makes.

What is a Visagraph test?

The Visagraph was developed by Stanford E. Taylor. It is an
ingenious eye movement recording device, incorporated
into a pair of goggles, which is used to accurately capture
what happens when a child is reading. This test is the gold
standard when it comes to testing eye movement when
reading.
The device records eye movements while the child reads
ten lines of easy-to-read text. This data is then saved to
software on an ordinary personal computer for analysis.
A graph can be printed out that accurately shows how
the eyes move. In addition, an animation is available that

56

MagicEyes_150415.indd 56 15/04/2015 15:03

 Eye Movement Skills

shows how the eyes move over the text. This is extremely
useful since it shows the child what his or her eyes are
doing. It can also be used to show progress if repeated
after training.
The graph below is from a good reader. You can see the
staircase pattern as the eye fixates on words along the line.
Time CL Ln Sac Left Right Fix Left Eye Model Right Eye Model

7.10 RSW 4 1 -1538 -1645 266

7.37 4 2 129 105 200
no handcuff or sealed chest could restrain Harry Houdini. To
7.57 4 3 304 253 333
7.90 4 4 258 280 283
8.18 4 5 264 302 216
8.40 4 6 90 127 200
8.60 4 7 234 280 250
8.85 4 8 396 351 250
9.10 RSW 5 1 -1683 -1698 333
secure publicity, he would vanish from the prison each
9.43 5 2 205 104 300
9.73 5 3 354 385 233
9.97 5 4 273 345 266
10.23 5 5 349 355 266
10.50 5 6 228 210 416

10.92 5 7 304 219 400

57

MagicEyes_150415.indd 57 15/04/2015 15:03

 Magic Eyes

This graph shows a child with poor eye movement skills.

It is clear that the two eyes are not working together and
there are frequent regressions.
3.10 1 12 300 238 217
3.92 1 13 478 407 233
4.15 RR 1 14 -194 -182 200
4.35 1 15 678 708 183
4.53 1 16 158 196 250
4.78 <-> 2 1 -1100 -1136 100
4.88 RSW 2 2 -928 -666 217 He has saved over two thousand stamps
5.10 RSW 2 3 -78 -70 167
5.27 2 4 606 470 200
5.47 2 5 267 203 233
5.70 2 6 561 456 433

6.13 2 7 250 273 167

6.30 2 8 172 154 483

6.78 2 9 350 393 217

7.00 RR 2 10 -178 -203 317
7.32 2 11 150 161 200
7.52 2 12 83 112 167
7.68 RSW 3 1 -1506 -1507 167
7.85 RSW 3 2 -539 -386 267 Sometimes he buys them, but he takes
8.12 3 3 589 421 183
8.30 RR 3 4 -200 -133 133
8.43 3 5 783 603 183
8.62 RR 3 6 -139 -112 217

Taylor recommended that all children are tested with the

Visagraph at 9 years, 12 years and 14 years to make sure
that eye movements are well established and have become
automatic. The test doesn’t take long, so if your child has
difficulty reading, look for an optometrist who uses the
Visagraph. If your child’s eyes are not working together
properly, just looking from word to word will require a lot
of effort.
A simpler way to approximate the Visagraph is to use a
piece of string to check whether the eyes maintain their
convergence point while reading.

58

MagicEyes_150415.indd 58 15/04/2015 15:03

 Eye Movement Skills

Testing convergence
This test provides accurate feedback on whether the two eyes
converge. When you view a string held on your nose and pulled
out directly in front of you, you will see two strings forming an
“X,” “V” or “Y.” The crossing point should be exactly where you
place your finger or tie a knot. The convergence point should
be exactly through the center of the knot, and it should remain
steady when you move the string from side to side horizontally.
If not, there is a convergence issue which may result in reading
difficulties.

Here’s how to do the test:

1. Tie a knot in a piece of string at the normal reading
distance of about 30 cm (approximately the length from
hand to hand stretched across your chest).

59

MagicEyes_150415.indd 59 15/04/2015 15:03

 Magic Eyes

2. Ask the child to place one end of the string on their nose.
3. Position the knot roughly where the top of a page would
be and slowly move it from left to right, as when reading.
Move the knot down the imaginary page with a zig-zag
movement.
4. Ask the child to tell you if the crossing point moves in or
out as the knot travels the imaginary page.
5. If the crossing point moves in or out at any point, then
there is a potential problem with pursuit skills.
Sometimes, as you move the string all the way to one side, you
will notice the child’s co-ordination gets lost. If your child is
showing signs of pursuit problems, then encourage them to
mentally control the position of the crossing point so it is
always exactly on the knot.

60

MagicEyes_150415.indd 60 15/04/2015 15:03

 Eye Movement Skills

Testing for these skills is unfortunately something

optometrists and eye doctors often omit in their standard
testing procedures. However, if your child has problems in this
area, it is a major issue because it gets worse as they get tired.
One gentleman in his sixties told me that since childhood he
had only ever been able to read one word at a time. Imagine
going through school like that! When we did the convergence
test, we discovered that his crossing point moved in and out as
his eyes traveled horizontally across the imaginary page. This
meant that his eyes would lose focus as he moved from word
to word; focusing either behind or above the page can cause
the words to appear double or invisible. He was thrilled when
he discovered that he could actually keep the crossing point
on the knot all the way across and up and down the imaginary
page.
Another example was a boy in Sydney, Australia. During lunch,
he told me that he could not see what he was writing, he felt it.
I watched him while he wrote, “The fox jumps over the fence.”
I noticed that his crossing point was actually about 8 cm above
the paper on which he was writing. This is called convergence
insufficiency and is present in many children diagnosed with
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia.
(Try holding one of your fingers about 5 cm above the page as
you read this. Look at your finger and continue reading. You
will have experienced the convergence insufficiency this boy
suffered when reading or writing. It is possible to read like
this, but it is very strenuous and you become tired extremely
quickly.) By the way, after lunch the boy’s father was amazed

61

MagicEyes_150415.indd 61 15/04/2015 15:03

 Magic Eyes

that he was happily reading the Sunday newspaper magazine

without his glasses!

Eye movement exercise

Here is a simple exercise that will help children to learn to move

their eyes smoothly in all directions. You will need a brightly
colored tennis ball, or similar, and some string.
1. Attach the string to the ball so you can move it around
like a pendulum.
2. Ask the child to lie down on their back. Make sure that
there is no light shining down directly into their eyes.

62

MagicEyes_150415.indd 62 15/04/2015 15:03

 “Leo Angart is a vision artisan who has been immensely helpful to both my children (and simple tests and exercises to do at home
me). Magic Eyes is a treasure trove of knowledge that Leo has accumulated over years of
study and hands-on experience. He has developed techniques that rapidly correct visual
afflictions from which children (and adults) suffer; thus restoring normal vision naturally.”
Russell Park-Miller, parent

magic eyes
Children are sometimes prescribed glasses at a very young age
but there are natural methods that can make your child’s eyes
healthy and strong and eliminate the need for glasses.
Leo Angart
Leo Angart runs workshops all over the world, helping people to regain their natural
vision and throw away their glasses for good. He has encountered an increasing number
of children whose eyesight has been adversely affected by their glasses or who don’t
really need glasses at all.
In Magic Eyes Leo shares his experience and explains what you can do to help transform
magic eyes

vision training for children

your child’s eyesight. He demystifies common eye conditions, explains their causes and vision training for children
suggests simple solutions you can try at home. Case studies, diagrams and step-by-step
exercises will show you how your child can perfect their vision.

“I very much like this book; it is the best of its kind, written by an author who combines
scientific knowledge with lifelong experience and common sense. It is very important to
let people know that there is a way besides evidence based medicine, which could support
classic intervention given that so many people suffer from unsuccessful treatment.”
Alexander Raditschnig , MSc Optometry
“Our son has gone from having +6 glasses to not needing glasses at all today. It’s
amazing! I’m starting to really understand that this is for real – that it really works.”

Leo Angart
Erika Finnström, parent

Leo Angart is a business consultant, author and

trainer. Having worn glasses for more than www.crownhouse.co.uk
25 years he writes from personal experience.
It has now been more than 20 years since he
threw away his glasses.
Also available: Improve Your Eyesight Naturally
ISBN: 9781845908010
 Read Again Without Glasses
Family Health
ISBN: 9781845908911

MagicEyes_FP.indd 1 18/03/2015 09:56