Microsaccades, vision restoration and brain network reorganization in glaucoma patients and effects of EYE YOGA therapy

Understanding how the human brain reversibly generates and loses normal vision, through a complex interaction of neural activity at multiple spatial and temporal scales, is a grand challenge for modern neuroscience. Recent theoretical advances have argued that vision deteriorates when the balance between integrated and differentiated neural activity is affected. However, accurately tracking these changes in brain dynamics remains a key research challenge with potentially wide-ranging applications, and is complicated by the significant individual variability in the trajectory along which vision is deteriorated and alleviated.

We propose to study the effects of EYE YOGA, which is a "low tech but high concept” solution with an enormous potential to revolutionize visual rehabilitation by offering an alternative, behavioral technique that is easy to use in the patients´ home environment. We expect that this very simple technique which everyone can practice at home (even normally sighted people) can help improve vision related function. By way of reducing the tension eye muscle and facial tissues, synchronizing brain network interactions, and by possibly improving blood flow, we expect EYE YOGA to be established as an ancient, yet novel and very effective vision rehabilitation method to improve vision by reducing fogginess and increasing acuity.

This project will help change the mind of the research and clinical community. It is time to start looking at mechanisms of vision loss beyond the eye such as brain network plasticity. We should consider follow a more holistic approaches to treat low vision and blindness by making use of modern technology in combination with ancient methods of healing.