How Corrective Eye Movements Can Improve Balance With Parkinson’s

People with Parkinson’s Disease may have a variety of symptoms related to their vision, such as difficulty reading, double vision, and dry eyes. But did you know that having trouble tracking a target can cause serious balance issues and falls? While these problems don’t affect every person with PD, it is important to know that you can improve your ability to track and move your eyes quickly with simple exercises.

Parkinson’s Can Affect Your Eye Movement

Saccadic eye movements are rapid eye movements that allow the eyes to quickly jump to a new target. With PD, this movement tends to be slow, making reading difficult if you are unable to find the next line or see danger coming toward you. With dyskinesia, the saccades can become fast and erratic and not track a target accurately.

You can imagine why eye movement issues can also cause balance problems, since we tend to heavily rely on our vision to tell us where we are in space.

Lack of neck mobility also affects balance. Imagine hearing a noise, but you’re not able to turn your head or track with your eyes, so you have to move your whole body—then you throw off your balance and fall. It’s all connected.

This exercise is great for practicing quick eye tracking and turning your neck and head in different directions.

Watch This Video To Learn How Corrective Eye Movements Can Improve Balance With Parkinson’s:

For more helpful tips, be sure to check out my other eye videos:

• Try These Great Parkinson’s Eye Exercises To Improve Your Balance
• Improve Parkinson’s Stiff Back and Eye-Tracking Issues With This Seated Noodle Exercise
• Try These Blinking Exercises to Ward off Parkinson’s Dry Eye

💜 Coach Kimberly